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Take Care Of The Tennies

Take Care Of The Tennies image
Parent Issue
Day
24
Month
December
Year
1880
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

Kvcryone is familiar with the old homely adage, "Take care of the pennies, the pounds will take care of themsclves," and the followiug auecdote (for the truth oí' which the writer vouche?, being acquainted with the parties to whom it reters, ) is stiikingly illustrativo of the power that lies in the hands of even the yory poorest of our readers, ii' they hut will take care of the pennies. A Manchester calicó printer was, on liis wedding day, penraaded by bis wife to allow her, as her share, two half pints of ale a day. He ralher winced under the bargain, for though a drinker himself, he would have prof'erred a porfectly sober wife. They both workod hard ; and he, poorman, was seldom out of the public house as soon as ilie factory closed. The wife and husband saw little of cach other except at breakfast; but as she kopt things tidy about her, and made her stinted and even selfish allowancc for housekecping meet i he demand upon her, he never complained. She had her daily pint and he, perhaps, had liis two or thruc quarts ; and neither interfcrod with the other. At odd times when she suceeeded, by dint of one little artificc or another, to win him home an hour or two earlier at night, and uow and then to spend an entire evening in his own house. But these were rare occasions. They had been luarned a year, and on the morninp of their wedding anniversary the husbaud looked askance at her neat and comely person with souie shades of remorse, as he observed : "Mary, we'n had no holiday sin' we wed ; and, only that I haven't a penny i' th' world, we'd tako a jaunt to th village to seo thee tnothcr. " " Would'st thou like to go, John?" she asked, softly, between a sniile and a tiar, pleased to hear him speak kindly as in old times. "If thee'd like to go, John, I'll stand treat?" "Thou stand treat? said with hall' a sneer, "Hast got a fortín', lass?" iay, said me, " but 1 ve gottcn the pint o' u!e." "(,'otten what?" said he. " The pint o' ale I" was the reply. John still didn't understand her till the f'aithf'ul creature reached down an old stocking from under a Ioofo brick in tho cliininey, and couuted out herdaily pint of aio in the shape of 305 three punces (that is L4 1 Is. 4d. t-terliDg, or $23), and put it iotohishand, exclaiming, "Theeshall have k holiday, John." John was ashained, astonished, eonscience-Miiitten, and ehaiined. He would not touch it. "Hasn'tthce had thy share?- then I'll ha' no more," he said. Thcy kopt their wedding-day with the old duuie ; and the wif'e's little capital was the nucleus of investments that ultimately bweüed into a shop, factory, warehouse, country seat, a carriagc, "and perhaps," said Mr. Üwon, whilnt rolating this incident in one of' liis addresses, "John may be the rnayor of his nutive borough at la-t." The writer was present in (he town hall in Bolton, Lsnetsbire, n i,s4'j, listening to a most eloquent lecture to tho working classes, by Mr. Baxter Lanilcy, accomplishod editor of (he Londou Morning Star, when at the elose of the lecture, to impresa upon his audienco the jower of sucb saving, he related to foregoing anecdote. The mayor of' the borough was in the chair. At the conclusión of the anccdotc, he carne tbrward to the footüghts, placed his hand upon his brca.-t, and said : "Ladlas aod gentleinen, John now stands bcfore yon. I Ie did bocomo mayor of bis borough." What a significant lesson.

Article

Subjects
Ann Arbor Courier
Old News