Year: 1873

was empty he bought nothing, and when IL
was full he was apt to buy more than need.
cd. Alice knew all this and governed her.
self accordingly.


al think, said Alice one evening, "that
| must fix over my old brown cashmere
this winter. | should like a new one, but
don't suppose you can afford t."


Albert looked grieved, the idea that he
could moi afford his wife new dress.


But for such a one as she wanted It would
cost twenty-five or thirty dollars.


" If you want il, get IL" said Albert,
emphatically. ." | will let you have twenty
dollars from this months pay, and the bal.
ance you shall have next month"


Alice got the thirty dollars, but she did
not get the new dress. BY the outlay Of
five dollars for new trimming she contriyed
to fix over the old brown cashmere so that
itlookcd every bit as good as new.


And so Alice worked Sometimes she
asked her husband for fifty cents, sometimes
Tor ten cents, sometimes for dollar, and
sometimes for more and at the end Of
year carefully reckoning up, she found
that she had managed to get hold Of rather
more than fifty cents day but she had
done It by denying herself of many things,
some Of which were really noedful


This result Of the first years effort in.
spired Alice with new life and vigor. She
had saved up one hundred and fifty dol.
lars and had invested it in government
bonds. Through the influence Of dear
friend who was in a large banking establish.
ment, and to whom she had confided her
secret. she was enabled to get the bonds
at their face value.


1t was only little at a time some
times very little-but even a penny drop
ped into the strong box was so much gain
ed. Only httle-but those Titles, null
tiplied by other Titles, grew amazingly -
The husbandman who shall set himself down
by a hill Of corn and wait to see the tender
blade put forth, would be wearied and dis
heartened but he knows that if he plants
the tiny seed aud cutivates It as he ought,
the harvest Of golden grain will come at
length.


Albert and Alice were married in the
year Of 1866. 1t was on the evening in |
August, 1870, that Albert came home out
OF sorts. He had been notified that he must
leave the cottage. They must give up the
pleasant home and lose the little garden /
which they had cultivated with so much |
iondness and care.


" The owner wishes to sell, " he explain.
cd, "and he has had an offer. He asks
two thousand dollars, and must have five
hundred down"


Alice's eyes cleaned with radiant light
She had been thinking for some time that
she must let her husband into the secret.
II had begun to wear upon her And now
the time had come as though by yprovidential
interposition. She did not make a scene.
She would not add to the deRouemem by
any by-play. She simply got up and went
away to her cabinet, and when she came
back she brought little book in her hand


ALBERT" said she, "lets you anil me
buy the cottage"


Albert looked at her in amazement and
directly it flashed upon him that there was
too much solemnity in her look and tone for
badinage. Something that he had noticed
during the past months came back to him,
and he trembled with the weight of sus-
pense that fell upon him


Alice saw and understood. At FIRST the
great food almost overcame her, and she
was forced to rest and wipe her eyes before
she she could proceed. And then she
showed her book-that she had more than
eight hundred dollars in the bank The
ice was broken she told her story in glow
ing words. She told how she had saved
up little by little, and how she had at
length found herself able to purchase ff-
ty dollar bond. And then she told how
her uncle in the banking house had taken
charge of her investment and how, under
his management, the interest had accrued
in amazing volume.


But the grand result was rot the chief
thing. The chief thing was in the begin
ning-wns the first little which had been
saved until the second little
could be added to it.


And now, as a result Of his wife's care !
fu and tireess working, Albert found some !
thing upon which his ambition could take ,
a fair start. He never could himself, from
so small a commencement, have reared the :
pile; but with the structure started and its n
PAopuielpuH All uiochtu oul, ne cOulu Htc
how it was done-and not only that, but !
the demonstration was before him that the !
thing could be done.


One year had elapsed since Albert Moore !
had received the lesson from his wife, and /
BY joining hands with her and bending his
,wn energies in the same direction, he has h
accomplished, in the twelve months, what n
would have seemed to him a marvel in the n
earlier time. He had laid by more than
ilty cents a day and the cigars, the beer,
md the other condiments of life which he a
BAD surrendered to the work, are not miss. q
ID rather he holds them as so many enc. +
mics conquered. Aud Albert can improve {
his home with cheerful heart, and he can t
set out new trees and new vines in his gar O
len with bright promises, because he secs, b
lay by day, thepretty cottage growing more h
md more his own. The end approaches a '
little at time--ittle by lttle-but it ap- v
proaches surely, nevertheless and there is +
great and satisfying JOY even in the labor t
md in the anticipation. t