HALF A LOAF.

Patea Mail, Volume VIII, Issue 1022, 16 April 1883, Page 4

HALF A LOAF.

LITERATURE.

‘ Half a loaf is better than no bread, Charlie.’ Little Mabel Castleton said this wistfully ; her eyes, as she spoke, wandering to the cradle, where two curly heads were lying. * But when one has had the whole loaf May, one does not exactly relish the half rations yon mention,’ said Charley* moodily. But his eyes fol-j lowed his wife’s to the cosy nest of the twin babies. ‘ It is a bad time of year to be pnt of a situation,’ said Mabel, after a long* silence,. ‘ and many of whom we know are idle. It wonld not be very easy to find employment now.’ * Yon think I had bet ter remain with’ Mr Mifflin.’ * I do. Tell me exactly what he said to you.’ ‘The substance of what he said was simply, this: Business is so very dull that ho, is obliged to curtail his expenses, and be must discharge some of the clerks. I have been with him ten years, and he was pleased to say I am very useful to him, and he is very unwilling to part with me. But he can give but half my present salary, though he promises to raise it when business prospects brighten. I don’t know what to do. We are none too rich at my present salary.’ ‘ Yet we saved something each month. Besides, dear, we have not tried ,-to be economical. There are many ways in which I could save.’. ‘And make a perfect slave of yourself.’ ; ‘ Not a bit of it. I have plenty of Icisnre, now that May and Bella can amuse each other. Come, Charlie, accept Mr Mifflin’s offer. You may .hear.of something .better, even if yon remain there; but don’t throw yourself out of a situation in the dead of winter, for my sake and the children’s.’ .. The last argument conquered. Charlie knew too well that it would be almost useless, to look for a hew situation, for the whole town was echoing Mr, Mifflin’s cry of hard , times. The small nesV egg in the bank wonld soon melt away when it became the sole support of four, and so, kissing Mabel, he promise ! to follow her advice. Bat it cost his pride a sore wrench. He had entered the service of his present employer at seventeen, and slowly, steadily gaining favour by dint of faUhfnlly performing every duty, he had won his way to the desk of the head clerk. Not until he had acquired this position and the handsome salary accompanying it, would he ask Mabel to become his wife, furnishing a pretty little cottage home from his savings, and giving her a thoroughly comfortable income for household expenses. He was not extravagant* but it pleased him to see his wife well-dressed, to. give her an efficient servant,, to have his twin girls ever presentable, his table well appointed. All this had been easy enough upon bis salary, and there had been something added for three years to the little bank fund. ‘ Then what wonld Will say V Will Castleton was Charlie’s cousin, Who had been his life-long companion. /Together they bad left the schoolroomfor a business position, Will entering, the grain store of Harvey and Russell at the same time Charlie had taken the; place in Mr Miffln’s dry goods store. Shoulder to shoulder the young men had worked their way till this financial crisis had brought all business men into temporary difficulties of greater or less magnitude. Will had expressed the warmest indignation at the proposal made to his cousin, strongly advising him to throw up his .situation and ‘see how old Mifflin wonld get along without him/' and Charlie, before seeing Mabel, was quite ready to follow his advice. He knew Will wonld think him mean to remain upon half-salary, and yet Mabel was right. Half a loaf is better than no bread. And while Charlie Castleton was thus Weighing the pros and cons of his decision, Mr Mifflin was listening to the counsel of his old friend and chum, the senior partner of. the firm that had been Gardner and Mifflin, and who, though he had retired years before, was still the friend and frequent adviser of his former partner. ‘lt is a mistake, Mifflin,’ he said. ‘ You had better send young Castleton about his business and engage an entirely new bookeeper. Yon will find that half pay means half service, mark my word.’ ‘ But I might search C ■ from end to end and not find a clerk competent to take bis place.* * Then pay him fnll salary.’ ‘ I cannot do it unless I reduce the number of salesmen, and I am shorthanded now. There is bnt one way to keep my head above water. You see Clark’s failure involves me very heavily and-— ’ # And here the worried man of business entered into explanations of his diffi-' culties not necessary to repeat here. It touched Charlie Castleton deeply when entering the counting house to announce his determination to remain in his old position, to see the face of his old employer brighten. And as .Charlie, spoke the large eyes grew brighter, and he smiled pleasantly as he said ; * Thank yon Charlie. \ It would have caused me serious embarrassment-to lose yon, and I am heartily glad yon will stay. I trust you will not long be obliged to take a small salary, but circumstances compelled me to economize.” ‘ Yon have been a kind employer to me for ten years,’ replied Charlie, * and if I am really of any more value to you than another would be in my place I will not desert you.’ And looking into the careworn face that trouble was marking more deeply than age, Charlie resolved to serve Mr Mifflin more faithfully in his perplexities than in his prosperous days. It was not long before the old gentleman felt the sympathy of his young clerk, and looked to him as he never did

before,.for advice.(is well as ior, service.; He admitted liim 'to confidential rela-i tions, explained to him the difficulties, caused by the failure of other firms, some heavily indebted to the ; firm of Joel Mifflin, others upon whom he had: depended for goods obtained upon credit.; Day by day, as the hard, f trying; winter wore away, the two friends grew: faster, and so far from lessening {.his work, Charlie found himself willingly; lifting some of bis employer’s burdens upon his own shoulders. ii*]’ And Mabel, .at? homo, was bravely taking hej share of the diminished loaf with a smiling face and cheerful heart.: .As. far. as might be, she kept from 'Charlie a knowledge oif her domestic economies, but some of them were apparent. ‘ The woman whose competent aid manded high wages was dismissed, and a half-grown girl was engaged to mind the babies, while Mabel cooked and washed, and ironed ;and;sewed, meeting difficulties with a courageous heart. She had never been a drone in the world’s hive, having been a bnsy little dressmaker before 5 : Charles * Castleton won her heart and took her to preside over his pretty home. ■ Bnt for three years of her married life she had been much petted, and there were many pleasures to put aside, many dollars well weighed before thc-y -were spent. , It was with a heart full of pardonable triumph that the young couple, at the end of the year of reduced pay, found they were still out of a debt, and bad apt touched the neat egg in the bank. * Yon see, Charlie, we made theihalf loaf go round,’ said Mabel, os they went carefully over the year’s expense book. ‘There are no crumbs,’ he said, with a weary face. J ‘Never mind that 5 it was better; than idleness.’ ‘ You are right , and there was more than that* Mabel. I have been able to help ifr Mifflin more than I coiild have done in onr old relations to each other.; His perplexities made him long for one to whom he could : speak edhfiden-i tially, and when the ice • was broken hei took me fully into bis business confidence. u- I could often suggest, a w<»y out of a difficnity. upt! occurred to; him, and even when I was hot of nctnal; use to him it was a relief to poor out; his troubles to some pus who was in full; sympathy With him,’ ‘ But you have worked very bard,; Charlie; pt never>saw you so tired as you; often have been this year, and your face; is more careworn-than it has ever been; before.’ ‘ Well, it is some comfort to know that business prospects are growing; brighter. By closest! economy 'Mrl Mifflin has managed; to meet the'obliga-| tions he was afraid wonld ruin him and; there is a good lookout for the coming year.’ ;/ .V; I .'. ‘Will he give yon a whole loaf yet,; Charlie V ‘Not yet, .L think. >Never mind.! We will not despond yet.’ ‘Despondl gness not. lam going; to have some of the crumbs yon were speaking of next year, I have learned some valuable lessons insaving.’ The second year was certainly not an easy one to Mabel. A ,wee baby, in addition to the three years’ old twins, kept< the mother’s hands busy, while there was,no decrease in the household work.; Many articles of clothing and bouse-; keeping, too, that lasted well one year, were past service in the second, and it was not so easy to replace: them. Often Mabel feared the saving for a * rainy day’ raust be broken in upon, but; she kepl all such fears shut up m her. own heart and always had a bright word of cheer for tired Charlie when be came; home. She never told him that the late breakfast that she bad planned to let the: babies sleep while she ate his early one, comprised none of the little tempting: dishes for his own meal, bnt was literally bread and milk six mornings out of the: seven. She never let him know that the reason she suggested his lunch down town, to save the long walk home, was ; really to save the price of that meal to-; words the dinner, the dainty little parcel he carried nearly costing the price of a regular meal for them all, She did not tell him that she was cutting np her old dresses to clothe the; twin girls, and sewing busily every leisure moment to keep all the little ones tidy. - r. And yet there came a day in June,; when six months of the second year were almost gone, when she. spent the; last dollar of the week’s money , while the week was half gone. Charlie bad given, her, long before, some signed cheques to meet such an emergency, but it was her pride lothink that not one of them had been presented at the bank. * She took' one from the desk where they had lain so long and spread it out before her, calculating with -puckers on her pretty face how small a sum she; could stretch over the necessary expenses. ‘I hate to begin,’ she said, . half aloud; ‘if once we break in upon that money, it will melt away like snow before the sun.’ There was no alternative but. debt, and Mabel knew that Charlie would; never be willing to owe any man a cent; while he had a cent with which to pay him. So, with a ■ to meet such an emergency, bnt with a great;sigh, she dipped the pen ! into the ink,to fill out tbe blank cheque* Before it tpuched ; the paper, however, she paused listening. There was a step in the hall that was. not that of the nurse of her charges, 0 voice ringing ont full and clear, calling: ; Mabel! Where are you May ?’; ‘ Here in my room,’ she answered. ‘ Ob, Charlie, what is it ?’ For the face at the door was so radiant that all care seemed ,to have slipped from it for ever. ‘ Good news, May 1 And yet—perhaps I should feel sorrow too, only I did not know him.* ‘ What are you talking about?’ . ‘ Did you read this morning’s paper ?’ ‘Yes.’ ; ‘Did you notice the death of Amos Gardner?’

‘ No. ISiAbftt who used to , before you went into the store ?’ * Yes; he was a bachelor, and be has left his whole estate to Mr Mifflin except a few legacies. The store will be; closed till after the funeral; so we have three days’ holiday, May.’ j 1 1 am glad yon will be able to rest ? j * Bnt that is not all. Do you guesft the rest ?’ ‘You are to have your old -salary ■ again!’ , . ! ‘ More than that. Mr Mifflin took; me to his house this morning and told me all his plans. He will enlarge his business and take on all bis own salesmen who are willing to come. He has given me permission to offer a position; to Will Castlelon, who has been nearly a year put of employment because he would hot accept your theory of * half a loaf being better than no bread.* ’ ‘I know. Poor Will! lam afraid■ that Maria had a worse; year titan ours has been, Charlie.’ ‘ Nor is this all, May.’ * More good news-still V More still ! Mr Gardner, Mr Mifflin says, did me some injustice some time, ago by Supposing that T; would 1 propor-; tion my work to the decrease in my; salary. To atone for this hP hasleft me five thousand dollars., -...... * Oh, Charlie !’ ‘ Hold- on tittle wman ; ho aleo advised Mr Mifflin in their very last interview, to reward mo for my faithful,; disinterested devotion to him in his late difficulties, by taking me as a partner in the business.’ . - * Charlie I Oh my Charlie ! I must; either laugh or cry,! said Mabel almost hysterically. ■ i Laugh]* ; -lhen by all means I■> The new firm of Mifflin and Castleton. must not be christened by tears, even 1 happy ones I ; Hurrah ! who says after this that half a loaf is not better than no bread ?’