Year: 1865

Two girls sat in Mrs North's nursery,
one cold January evening, to enjoy the
comfortable fire. The maid of all work
was busy beside the evening lamp repair
ing an old gingham apron. 1t was a very
unpromising piece of work when she be-
gan, but she worked away with cheerful
good will, and soon its appearance was
greatly improved. Susan might, it is true
have bought her new apron without any
inconvenience she had three hundred dol
lars out at interest, legacy from her
grandfather, but she prudently let it re-
main where it was, content with receiving
her interest every year, and supplementing
it with with her earnings Many had said
to her they would not live out, now they
could do better Why not invest her
money learning a trade, which would be
far more genteel 2" But Susan was stout
and hearty, work agreed with her, and sew
ing did not She felt that if she did her
duty and deported herself properly, she
would be as much respected doing house
work as if sewing for living


The children were all asleep, and the
nurse was rocking leisurely beside the fire,
while trunkful of unmended cloth lay un-
touched in her room


Before I'd patch an apron Susie" she
said, laughing ; 81 know you'll be an old
maid, you are so particular"


| would rather patch than wear ragged
Clothes" said Susan good naturedly. al
will not wear a torn dress if | can help it,
but have one which has whole breadth
made up of darns and patches wore it
last winter through, and it will make good
carpet rags now"


Jane rocked and laughed away at her
prudish companion, and Mrs North, who
was knitting by the table, remarked to
Jane that it would be an excellent thing if
she would follow Susan's example.


" | learned lesson in economy when a
young girl, which l never have forgotten
though it was from very simple thing
was spending the night with young
friend, when her sister-in-law had occasion
to cut out a new dress for her child They
were not poor people, but she took down
roll of carefully ironed pieces of stout cloth
and laid them out on her patterns, studying
carefully over them, to see how she could
piece out a lining to the best advantage
She was neither miserly nor parsimonious :;
she was only frugal, and her frugality was
the secret Of the family's prosperity. The
dress looked just as neatly when it was
done, as if the lining had not been made
out of half dozen pieces Her husband
Is now Judge P. If his wife had been
a wastetu, untidy woman, he would never
have had the means nor the heart to rise in
the world


" Girls you may set it down as a fact,
that woman who is not prudent and eco
M l.
living, even if she marries a man with ev-
-er so lucl ative business If there is not
thrift at home, there will never be cheer
fnl, comfortable look about anything You
know Mrs. Herson is always fretting be-
cause her husband does not get on in the
world. She has a drawer full of finery,
china-ware and the like she is saving up
until she shall "get better home and have
q parlor" Her husband makes good wa
ges, but it will be long time | am afraid
before she will get into that coveted house
She thinks it " mean to practice the small
economy-to warm the frying-pan and save
the little drippings of suet, to piece out
Innings, make over old clothes into lesser
ones for the children. She will have a new
set of cheap .iewelry every little while,
that she may look like other folks Now
there are plenty of laboring men who make
no more than he who have now a little
home and garden of their own, all acquir-
ed by their industry and frugality.


" | read little book when child, writ
ten by great German writer called Rsch-
okke. The title of it was Mend the hole
in your Sleeve" 1t began, believe, with
an account of two boys sitting down on
bench under tree, telling what great
things they would be and do when they
were men.


" You will never be anything" said the
old man who was seated near them The
lads turned not we'll pleased at the inter-
ruption to their day dreams.


g | see that you have hole in your
sleeve" said he. =" A boy that is going to
be anything when man, will not have a
hole in his sleeve. If his mother or sister
cannot mend it for him. he will mend it him
self" The book follows the history of one
of the lads, who took that as his motto,