Year: 1860

Very well there being no help in Mr..
Lawrence. we will 60 to work to help our
selves. Selt-help, I've heard it said, is al
ways the best help, and mostto be depend
ed on. We may know ourselves ard trust
ourselves; and that is great deal more
than We can say of other people When
shall we have the sale?


Not SO fast, Betsy, not so fast. I hav mt
agreed to the sale yet. That would be to
make certain loss Furniture sold at
auction never realizes above hall its cost.


1t would be a certain gain, Aaron, if it
saved you from bankruptcy, with which, as
| understand it, you are threatened,


think. said Aaron, we may get on with
out that. like the idea Of your coming
into my store and taking Hobson's place
All the money from retail sales passes
| through his hands. and he has it in bis
power, if not honest, to rob me serio Isly.
I've not felt altogether easy in regard to
him of late. Why, can hardly tell. Eve
seen nothing wrong But if you take bis
place, fifteen hundred dollars will be saved
certainly.


But if have the house to keep, Mrs
Little answered to this how can I help
you at the store? The first thing in or
des is to get the house off of my hands.
Don't you think that Annie could be in
duced to come and live with US for few
months until we try the new experiment :?


But the money. Aaron the money this
furniture would bring. That's what I'm
locking after. You want the money now.


Very true.


Then let US hang out the red flag. Half
way measures may only ruin everything.
know that mother will not let Anne leave
home, so it's 10 use to think OF it. The
red flag, Aaron-the red flag. Depend
upon it, that's the first right thing to be
done. A thousand or fifteen hundred dol
lars in hand will make you feel Ike another
person-glve you courage, confidence and
energy.


You may be right, Betsy; but I can't
bear the thought Of running out that red
flag Of which you talk so lightly.


Shall say coward? Are YOU afraid TO
do what common prudence tells you to be
right?


pos afraid, Betsy; but am no longer
faint hearted. With such brave little
wife as you to stand by my side, need
not fear the world


In week from that day the red flag
was hung out. When the auctioneer made
up his accounts, he had in hand little
over eighteen hundred dollars, for which
check was filed out TO the order of Aaron
Little. 1t came into his hands just at the
right moment, and made lin feel, to use
bis own words. as easy as an old shoe


One week later, MIS-, Betsy Little took
the place of Mr. Hobsnn, as chief man
ager and cash receiver, in her husband s
store. There were some few signs of re-
bellion among the clerks and shop girls at
the beginning; but Mrs. Little lad quick,
steady eye, and a self reliant manner that
caused her presence to be felt, aud soon
made everything subservient to her will. 1t
was remarkable fact that at the close of
the first week of her administration of af-
fairs, the cash receipts were over hundred
and fifty dollars in excess of he receipts Of
any week within the previous three mouths.


Have we done any more business than
usual this week? she asked of one clerk
and another and the uniform answer was,
no.


Then, said the lady to herself, there's
been foul play here. No wonder my hus-
band was in trouble.


At the end of the next week, the sales
came up to the same average, and at the
end of the third week were two hundred
dollars better than before Mrs Little un-
dertook to manage the retail department.
Whether there had been foul play or not,
Aaron Little could never determine; but
he was in no doubt as to one thing, and
that was the easy condition of the money
market, after the lapse Of half a year
For four or five months previous to Mrs
Littles administration Of affairs, he was on
the street for nearly half his time, during
business hours, engaged in the work of
money-raisiug; now his regular receipts
had got in advance of his payments; so
that his balance on the morning of each
day was usually III excess Of the notes to be
lifted OF course he could give moro at
tenton to business and of course busi-
ness increased and grew more profitable
under the improved system. By the end
of the year, to use his own words, he was
all right. Not so with a neighbor of his,
who, to get more capital had taken Mr.
Lawrence as partner. Instead of bring
ing III ten thousand dollars, that "capital-
ist' was only able to put down three thou
sanl; and before the end Of the year he
had drawn out six or seven thousand and
had given notes of the firm for as much
more in payment of old obligations A
/ failure of the house followed as an newt
! able result


When the fact of the failure and the
cause which led to it, became known to Mr.
/ Little, he remarked with shrug


I'm sorry for B But he should
/ have told his wife.


Of what? asked the person to whom be
| adressed the remark.


OF his want of more capital, and inten-
| tion to make partner of Lawrence,
What good would that have done?


Tt might have saved him from ruin, as it
did me-


You are mysterious, Little.


Am |? Well, in plain words A year
ago was hard up for money in my busi-
ness, and thought Of taking in Lawrence