Gilpin observer., 1917-10-11
Some Figures

II you cut out one cigar a day you'd
save $36 by the end of the year. And
II you stopped smoking altogether I
do believe you'd have enough to-"
Il know It'll agreed the man. 4And
II cut out eating and wearing clothes
my income tax would be something
fierce! There's no end to what an in
dustrious. conscientious man can ac-
complish If he sets about it! And l
think you have added beautifully, al
though never before did know that
eight and seven made nineteen! It's
remarkable coincidence how Nathan
Fulgum pops into my mind at this crit
ical momenti
Nathan was at once the terror and
the wonder Of my YOUTH"
'Have you no pity7" demanded the
mans wife.
mo pity whatever" the man an.
swered and continued: II don't know
how old he was, because when you are
ten or eleven anyone beyond fifteen
years Is hopelessly decrepit and a tot
tering wreck! Nathan was the sort
Of man who would beckon to you with
a long, skinny finger just as you were
about to slip into Saunders drug store
for your fifth ice cream soda on
hot day, thus using up at one fell
swoop your weeks allowance.
Boy Nathan would call, come
here! Whose boy are you? Oh, see,
it's little Stanley Wiggers! Stanley,
haven't you visited Saunders drug
store a good many times todayY
"Y-y-yes. SIR you would stammer
guiltily. as do all tipplers caught in
the act.
Boy! Nathan would say, shaking
his finger at you, do you realize that
you are throwing away fortune-and
even If not fortune, certainly at least
a competence that would keep you
from the disgrace of the poorhouse in
your old age? Come here. Look at
these figures! One Scent soda a day
for 365 days year equals the sum of
$18.25! You've had five sodas today
that would be equal to the sum of
$91.25 year! Think Of it If instead
Of drinking the foolish stuff you would
save your money you would, by the
time you were twenty-one, with the
compound interest, be worth $67 ,SO2..
03!
"Very low in your mind at the
thought of your iniquity, and simply
habbergasted at Nathan's capacity for
figures, you would stink over to the
park and sit under a tree and moodily
watch the other boys flooding into
Saunders
"You felt that something was wrong
in Nathan's reasoning, but you couldn't
grasp it. Back in the depths Of your
mind was the knowledge that you SIM
ply couldn't drink five sodas day for.
1855 days straight, anyhow, and you
couldn't possibly do 1t for eleven years
II you did for one. Yet you didn't dare
brace up to Nathan and tell him so.
Suddenly you thought Of a crusher!
You'd never have the money to buy
five day forever and ever, even If
you wanted 'em! And you did have
8 cents now! You leaped to your feet,
resolutely banished the thought of the
S61 ,SO2.OS from your injured mind and,
sticking out your tongue In the direc.
rion Of the figuring Nathan, ran
around the block to the side entrance
Of Saunders drug store and In a few
seconds were deep in a luscious glass,
which cheered you up and enabled you
to forget Nathan.
HE stopped Mamie White one day
as she was starting up the stairs that
led to the new beauty emporium, over
which all the women were crazy. There
were 30 many glittery nngernails in
town after that emporium opened that
the city council seriously considered
shutting of street illumination at
night. Nathan told Mamie that II she
would save and invest and let com.
pound the 5O-cent pieces she was pour.
ing into the manicure hopper she would
have money enough In ten years to
take q trip around the world or attend
grand opera all the rest Of her life.
"The figures upset Mamie 80 that
she went home and cried and got en-.
gagged to the wrong man because he
caught her crying and tried to console
her and nothing gets round q woman
more than consolation.
Il shall always lay Mamie Whites
divorce at the door Of Nathan Fulgum.
He absolutely spouted figures. He fig.