The Greenville journal. [volume] (Greenville, Ohio) 1850-1918, 1908-04-30

Phil, dear, said the Little Wom-
an, the butcher has just sent in his
bill. and it's a perfectly horrid
amount: $16.72."
Indeed" I said, rather aimlessly,
and laid down the magazine | had
been reading. The Little Woman sat
at a desk near the window; she had
the end of the penholder between her
teeth; there was cruel smudge OF
ink upon her forefnger, and her gold
on head was just a little bit tousled.
She was frowning heavily, and she
looked at me perpleXedly.
Yes. don't know how we could
YOssibly have eaten all that meat;
do you, Phil?" she Queried, anXiously.
The Little Woman deludes herself
in the belief that she is a hOusekeep-
ear, and she worries each month over
her accounts in perfectly alarming
manner On the desk lay the new
check book which had given her, and
! began tn see that behind the per
tidy of the butcher lay something else.
The Little Woman is proud very
proud; and when | had presented her
with the check book some days pre-
viOusly. she had become SO important
that ! began to see a vision of trou-
hlous days for the clerks in the bank.
I had a dim suspicion that perhaps
this new check book lay at the bottom
of the present trouble, and that the
butcher was merely bait, squirming
uneasily upon the hook of a difficulty
the amount to which she agreed
after some hesitation.
I drew little nearer, for | knew
that this was the first check, and it
was sure to be interesting. l even
sat down on the arm of her chair
and held my breath. She drew the
check book to her firmly; she opened
its brown cover with decision; she
smOothed it down, and dipped her
pen in the ink with an air of finality
in initiating her into the intricacies of
writing a check.
Nothing must do but that it must
oe mailed at once, and took my hat
and went off to the mail box. When
] returned she was still sitting at
The desk AS entered she said:
will the people in the bank give
out the money whenever | write a
check"
AS long as you have a balance
there"
What is a balance?"
! explained that to her but I could
not remove the impression that the
people at the bank were a most ac.
commodating set Then another idea
appealed TO her
You know Nellie was once robbed
my fwo men who came into her house.
They found all her housekeeping
money, and took it away. They
%oUidn'L do that to me. could they,
Phil? You see | never intend to have
any money at all I'll write a check
for everything. Then no one can steal
snything, can they?"
= ;ag1eed that this was an lncontro.
vertibie fact, and again assured my
self that the people at the bank were
going to be busy; very busy, indeed.
Her head was filled with a continu.
ance of the idea, for she said:
Father told me that you had to be
identified at the bank before they
would give you money
Father is right l assured her.
THAT. however, need not concern you.
Let the people to whom you give the
checks worry
But if | went and tried to get
money for myself, would they give it
70 me-"
They would be delighted"
Would they believe me if l said
was Jessica Harmon?"
Your signature would identify
you"
OH" she replied, and then was
silent
Two days after that l had occa.
sion to pass the kitchen, and hearing
sounds Of argument ! basely listened.
Il was the Little Woman. She was
saying:
Now, Norah, run down to the drug
gist's and get me ten cents worth Of
henzoin. Here's the money"
Where, num-" inquired the skep-
teal Norah, whom l have always
suspected of residence quite near to
Missouri.
Here, silly" responded the Little
Woman. Il have written a check"
Then went away, and began to un.
derstand that my suspicion that the
bank people were going to be busy
was being justified. In the next week
! overheard conversation relating to
checks for various amounts. Once 1t
was for 63 cents for vinegar. Again
it was Is cents for tomatoes. Once
again 1t was II cents for a bag of
salt. AS walked upon the streets of
our town | began to notice respectful
grins upon the faces of the various
tradespeople. | smiled back at them
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