The Washington herald. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1906-1939, 1907-02-24
He LIVES ON $1ADAY
And Saves $40 a Year Out
of 500 a Month Salary.
QUEER WAY OF a BOOKKEEPER
Of = Massachuscffs Fac
tory Draws - Every Morning and
Rest Goes to the Bank-noesn't
Know How siucb He's Worth.

Taunton. Mass. Feb. 25.-For seventeen
years Henry J.. Pavcy, secretary Of one
Of the Dig mills at this place, has lived
on 81 day. and placed SO 10. or
30 1881. TO mis- credit ia bank on Mon
days and the days after holidays to
which he carried over his Sunday ac-
count he deposits either S468 % or
s445 5-3l
The amount or his daily deposits iu
bank vary only as the number Of days
In the month vary, and in February be
deposits go II. except in leap years.
when he deposits S2H zl-29 Immediate
D. after Christmas he adds $. the annual
gift from the firm, 10 the amount de-
posted
That s. gold piece is the only cash he
ever handles. except his 81 a day. He
spends s. each day Of hls Hfe-never
more. never less. Re pays bis board
Caily. his lodgings daiiy-and at
o'clock each night II there is even a
penny left Of the dollar allotted 20 that
day. he walks out into town and buys
something with it. In all his seventeen
years with the mill Pavey never has
gone to sleep with cent Of money either
81 his room or on his person.
Refuses an Increase of SALARY.
Pavey Is. according 20 the firm that
employs him. one Of the best bookkeep-
ers and expert accountants in the world.
but despite that fact AMI the fact that he
could have had any increase in salary
almost that he might have demanded. ne
has refused either TO change his position
or accept q larger salary, even when Dee
was promoted to secretary % the mills.
He refused 10 accept a larger salary be-
cause IL would necessit8te change in
his daily mode Of life. and d rcfiggring
Of his daily deposits ia the bank.
In vain the president Of the concern
urged him 10 accept 500 a month. which
merely would cause him TO double his
figures. but Payey stated calmly that
800 a month was enough for any single
man 10 live upon and save a competence.
and that he did not desire any more.
Neither when he was offered q chance
to buy stock in the mill and become a
partner would he invest one cent. being
entirely satisfied with his income from
the bank
That his fortune amounts to about SIS
so at the present time is stated by the
! bank officials when Pavey gave them
| permission TO tell what his account was
and al that time he made the astOuish-
/ ing statement that be never had figured
/ il az all or Investigated.
Never Worries AbOut Money.
Pavey is considered peculiar. Certain it
/ is that be has ideas that are uncommon,
and the reason ne gives for It is that he
does not want to worry over money at all.
/ He has more than enough figures in the
mill to keep his brain busy adding, sub
I tracing. and multiplying. and he does not
want 10 be figuring on his private affairs.
Therefore be mas done away entirely with
all Worry about money. He spends his 81
q day. writes a cheek for the balance Of
his daily salary. leaves II at the bank
and forgets an about money worries. lie
II satisfied, cOntented, and desires nothing
more.
When Pavey first came to the mills as
a bookkeeDer he had just arisen from a
/ sick bed. Before that he had tried 10
make a great fortune in stocks. He had
/ overwOrked, overworried, and the result
was brain fever and a complete nervous
1 breakdown.
While he was ConvalesCent he evolved
/ his new scheme of life, and he vowed TO
/ forswear riches and 20 live on 81 "a day
Further. he swore never TO Worry about
money again, and never to attempt to be-
/ come wealthy. What he sought was peace
and health and contentment
Draws salary Every Day.
His first step after fixing with the mills
to become bookkeeper at 500 month was
to arrange with the bank to draw his SAL
airy for him and with the mills % send the
salary check 10 the bank at the end Of
each month He arranged with the bank
that he would send a check each day. or
an order on the mills. for his daily wage,
reserving only 81 a day for himself, and
with the mill management to give him 81
I in cash the moment he arrived al the desk
in the morning That marked him as pc
culiar from the first. but the bank felt
safe, as il simply held his orders until the
end OF the month, received the exact sum
from the mill. and turned ever the orders
TO the mill management as receipts. Then
the orders were destroyed and new
month begun. After time nobody except
the paymaster at the mill worried much,
but he evolved a scheme Of having
Paveys daily dollar on the desk every
evening in an envelope, 50 he ended his
worries about the matter.
For several years the routine was the
same, without break and without loss of "A
day Then the bank called Pavey's at
tention TO the fact that he had q con-
siderable sum on deposit ard asked II il
should not be invested 20 his interests
Pavey listened calmly and then remarked:
Invest it 50 that It does not net me
more JhGs. ~ per cent, and please never
mention the money again to me.
Never Calls for Bank Book
Since that time he never has mentioned
money 70 the bank. nor even called for
his bank book, which remains always at
the bank and is balanced there.
But one of the odd features of the case
is the manner in which Payey lives on 81
day. He has a little hall room. COM
Portable, warm. and well lighted. with a
big easy chair. narrow but comfortable
bed. some pretty etchings d few photo
graphs, and a great number OF books. In
the corner Of the room, In q small closet
IS a minute oil stove, small pan. and
coffee pot. These are for use when some
extravaganza breaks" him before sup
per and causes him 70 resort TO coffee
and rolls or an egg poached over The oil
stove.
For the use OF this room ne pays $40
a week. His landlady. with whom he has
lived ever since he came To Taunton, Of
fered him the room for s. "a week, but
be asked her TO make it S2.l0. or 30 cents
a day and let the extra ten cents pay
for what extra gas he might use.