100 Mr. Durojnis and Family. [Feb., 



The money was raised by a mortgage on his stock, and the 

 carpet, chairs, and glass were purchased. Mr. Duropus excused 

 himselt for yielding, by saying to himself, " I shall have no peace 

 till I do." 



About two years after the above mentioned purchase, Mr. 

 Hardy came one day to the field in which Mr. Duropus was hard 

 at work. " Good morning, neighbor," said he, " I have noticed 

 for some time that you havn't looked w^ell. You work too hard, 

 you can't stand it." 



" That isn't it, I'm in debt, and expect to have all my stock 

 sold before long." 



" I concluded you must be in debt some — and — I — was rather 

 surprised at it too." 



" That is, you thought I had too much sense to give way to the 

 foolish ways that are ruining half the farmers in the country." 

 " Yes, that is about it, seeing you have said it yourself." 

 " Well, you see, I got into it by little and little, and once ift, it 

 is hard swimming against the tide. I shall never get out of it. 

 I shall see the last of my farm if I live many years longer." 

 " You must get out of it; your duty to your family requires it." 

 " They have got the upper hand now, if you could persuade 

 them to make a change, I might save myself." 



" You certainly can persuade them if you tell them just how 

 you are situated." 



" I have told them many a time, and there is a crying spell 

 and a reform for a day or two, and then the old story over again." 

 Mr. Hardy felt too deep an interest in the welfare of his neigh- 

 bor, to leave matters in their present state. He inquired into the 

 amount of his debt, and proposed several w^aysby which he might 

 extricate himself 



" What good .would it do 7 I should get right in again ?" 

 " Not if you will just make up your mind to buy nothing ex- 

 cept what you can afford to buy. I have five hundred dollars 

 that I had thought of giving to my son-in-law, Foster, to get him 

 a library, but he can do without for a while. I will give you 

 that for the wood-lot and pasture adjoining, and pay off the mort- 

 gage bonds; and then you will have more than sixty acres and 

 free from debt, and if you can't keep out then, why I don't know 

 what can be done for you." 



" There can't be anything done for me, unless I do for myself. 

 I'll take up with your offer, and will follow your advice to the 

 letter, come what may. Let us go and draw writings. I want 

 a good night's sleep, a thing that I havn't had for months, and 

 shan't have till I am out of debt." 



