A PRUDENT WIFE AND A STRONG- APRON.

Mataura Ensign, Volume V, Issue 224, 26 January 1883, Page 6

A PRUDENT WIFE AND A STRONG- APRON.

Mbs W., consort and help-meet of Mr W., merchant of New York, was a very economical woman, and, if her eulogist was not mistaken, had a very strong apron. The circumstance, narrated by the friend of Mrs W., was as follows : — Mr W. was a merchaut in afluent circumstances, did a very heavy business, and conducted all his affairs with the utmost regularity. Every department of business was completely systematised; even family expenditures were restricted to regular daily appromar na. surer is a sailingmaster of a ship to make his o"bserra~ tion, work his traverse, and ascertain his exact latitude and longitude every noon, than was Mr W. to have all his accounts nicely balanced, and ascertain his exact whereabouts in business every night. But as wise, prudent, and punctilious as he was, he could not withstand the temptation to overtrading during one of the great paper expansions; and when the revulsion came, he found himself embarrassed beyond all efforts to extricate himself. He had stood firm as a rock while many of the most reputable houses tumbled to ruins around him, but he could not collect money due to him from his best customers, and there was one remaining note of 10,000 dollars that would fall due in a few days, and he could devise no way to meet it. The notice came from the bank, but three days remained, and every resource failed. The first of these three days was as fruitlessly spent in trying to force a sale of goods. Nobody had money to lend — nobody had money to purchase goods at any price. Pailure presented itself before him with all its frightfulness. The last day of grace arrived, and horror was depicted in his countenance. Mrs W. knew nothing of his troubles, and on perceiving him evidently in great distress of mind, she insisted on knowing what was the cause of his trouble. It was folly to conceal his ruin from her, and he condescended to make her acquainted with the cause of his misery. ' How much,' she inquired, ' will save you I from failurs?' 'Ten thousand dollars,' he replied, ' will pay my last note in the bank j but for want of this I must suffer the disgrace of having my note protested, assign my property for the benefit of my creditors, and suffer my name to go to the world as a bankrupt.' 'Is this all ?' said she, ' why, bless me, my dear Mr W., I can supply you with that sum without going out of the house.' Not waiting to hear the question which he was preparing to ask, she tripped up stairs, and in less time than I have occupied in telling the story she returned with 17,000 dollars in her apron, all in change, which she had saved within a few years from her daily allowance of market money. All who heard the recital of this circumstance by the friend of Mrs W., were highly delighted with it, save one sharp-nosed, slab-sided Yankee, who would not believe, though an angel had told it, till he applied the test of figures to it, to ascertain its probability. As he finished his calculation, and was in the act of returning his pencil to his pocket, he burst into a roar of laughter. All eyes were turned upon him, and the narrator demanded what he meant by such uncivil deportment. * Nothing at all, stranger/ said the calculator, ' only I was thinking what a tarnal strong apron that ere woman must" a had on to bring 17,000 dollars' worth of change down stairs. I've ciphered it out on this ere paper, and it will weigh jist half a ton, if there ain't a single copper among the whole on't,— Buffalo Republican,