322 
P ' Y.' 
P' EP A I TMENT. 
Bans’ department. 
THE HISTORY OF THRIFT AND UNTHRIFT. 
( Continued from page 258.) 
Their Success. —In five years after he was married 
and commenced farming, Tom had actually become 
“fore-handed” enough to buy a farm near him, 
which was naturally very good land, but had “ run 
down ” from the shiftlessness of the former owner; 
for which he paid $2,000 in cash, out of his own 
earnings, which were pretty much all used up by the 
former occupant, in paying off executions and debts 
against him, and he had just enough left to carry him 
to Michigan, to begin the world at forty, where Tom 
began at twenty-one. A mortgage of $1,000 still 
due on the place, he assumed to pay to the merchant 
in the village, who had taken it some time before in 
payment of all old scores, including costs of some 
$>200 which had accumulated against the debtor. 
Josey had a first rate farm, too, which had been 
given to him by his father, who also stocked it with 
all the horses, cattle, sheep and pigs, Joe wanted, but 
Josey, “ somehow or other,” hadn’t met with very 
“ good luck,” as he called it. Indeed ’twas some time 
before Josey decided he would take to farming at all. 
Josefs Professional Inclination. —His father and 
mother before him, had been in a good deal of quan¬ 
dary, whether their son, whom they thought of as all 
parents generally do, especially if they have but one, 
was not rather too good for farming. He used to 
loiter about the bar-room when his father tried the suits 
brought before him. and he had picked up a good many 
legal phrases from the smart young attorneys who 
used to spout there. He could tell what was “ a cause 
of action,” whether the “ case should be brought as 
an action tort , an action trover ,” or simply, “ as an 
action on the case.” But though often thinking about 
it, and rather urged by his ambitious parents, he found 
so many hard words in looking into Blackstone, the 
Pons asinorum of all legal aspirants, that he concluded 
he wouldn’t attempt it. His friends afterwards 
thought it a great pity, as if he had only got into 
practice, the law would give him his fees, whether he 
rendered any service to his client or not. Other friends 
equally lamented he did not take hold of medicine, for 
which he at one time had quite an inclination, but 
from which he was deterred by an indolent and un¬ 
successful attempt at mastering the technical names of 
diseases and their remedies, in that horn-book of 
young Galens, the Dispensary; as they said, “ if he 
only got a run of custom, he was sure to pocket his 
fees, as no man living could tell what kind of treat¬ 
ment or medicine he administered. If his patients got 
well in spite of the medicine, he was a first-rate doc¬ 
tor, and if they didn’t, ’twas the fault of the disease; 
and as to a conviction of mal-practice, there would 
be no chance for that, as the case must be decided by 
the Doctors themselves; and although they might hate 
one another bad enough to ensure justice to a third 
and injured party, yet if they gave against their bro¬ 
ther quack, they would be the losers, as it would tend 
to unsettle confidence in the profession , which was of 
all things to be avoided. But if he went to farming, 
and didn’t plant and sow right, and do his harvesting 
at the proper time, or let his cattle die of disease ori 
neglect, he would have to pocket the loss himself, as| 
the law didn’t compel his customers, in that case, to 
pay him for what he didn’t sell them.” In short, be¬ 
fore they were thirty, Thrift and Unthrift had at last 
got on the same platform or level, for Tom had by 
this time paid for his farm, and had it well stocked, 
and was entirely out of debt. 
Thrift's Farming .—But the see-saw did not stop 
when it brought them to this position, for Tom kept 
going up, while Josey kept going down. His father 
could not help him any more, as he had only enough 
left to carry him and his wife through the world, 
while Tom had the prospect of getting some money 
from his father’s estate, who had lately died and left 
a snug property. But the great difference between 
them consisted in their own management. Thrift’s 
plowing was always done in the right time, his crops 
were in early, and they were harvested as soon as 
ready to cut; Ins manure was always carried out and 
spread on the ground; his orchards were well plant¬ 
ed and grafted with the best fruits, and he soon had 
the choicest to sell, which being better than his neigh¬ 
bors, always commanded a high price and ready sale, 
besides supplying his own family with all they could 
use. The orchard was indeed one of the most profit¬ 
able things of his farm. His tempting ripe peaches, 
with bread and milk, made a luscious meal for him¬ 
self and his little ones. The rich sweet apples and 
baking pears, when cooked without any addition of 
sugar or molasses, were “ sauce” good enough for a 
king; and it is hardly going beyond the truth to say, 
that it saved him a barrel or pork a year, besides giv¬ 
ing him a luxury which any one might envy. His 
garden was always the best, for he chose a good spot 
for it, manured it abundantly, had his seeds in early, 
and what was best of all, he usually spent a half 
hour in it with his hoe before the dew was off, by 
which he secured an early rapid growth ; and his 
garden made up a third of his summer’s living, besides 
giving good vegetables through the winter. His cows 
were well chosen, and well fed, and were another 
great help to his living. Besides this, his wife made 
butter and cheese enough to buy all the groceries, 
which did not come to much, as they made their own 
maple-sugar and molasses, used little tea and coffee, 
and no spirits or wine. His sheep yielded good 
fleeces and lambs. The last gave them choice mutton 
whenever they wanted fresh meat, and besides, they 
occasionally sold some to the butcher, and having got 
a good name for fine lambs, they always brought a 
large price. His wife made her own stocking yarn 
and home-made flannel, and put out the remainder of 
the wool on shares, to be worked into satinets, fulled 
cloth, and flannel, so that their half not only furnish¬ 
ed what they wanted for their own use, but gave them 
some besides to pay their hired men. His fences 
were always up, and he never suffered from the 
depredations of his own or neighbors’ cattle. His 
children were punctual at school, and the whole fam¬ 
ily as punctual at church. All were neat and tidy, 
for Mrs. Thrift was as busy and managing within, as 
her husband was without, and as was to have been 
guessed, Thrift made rapid progress in “getting on 
in the world.” 
Indeed his was a happy lot, 
Plenty and peace within his cot; 
And all without so good and fair, 
He knew not what was cross and care. 
[To be Continued. 
