Helping Himself; Or, Grant Thornton's Ambition by Jr. Horatio Alger (no david read aloud .txt) ๐
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- Author: Jr. Horatio Alger
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The deacon had the reputation of living very penuriously, and Abram Fish, who once worked for him and boarded in the family, said he was half starved there.
โYou get your milk and vegetables off the farm,โ said Grant, who felt the comparison was not a fair one. โThat makes a great deal of difference.โ
โIt makes some difference,โ the deacon admitted, โbut not as much as the difference in our expenses. I didn't spend more'n a hundred dollars cash last year.โ
This excessive frugality may have been the reason why Mrs. Deacon Gridley was always so shabbily dressed. The poor woman had not had a new bonnet for five years, as every lady in the parish well knew.
โMinisters have some expenses that other people don't,โ persisted Grant.
โWhat kind of expenses, I'd like to know?โ
โThey have to buy books and magazines, and entertain missionaries, and hire teams to go on exchanges.โ
โThat's something,โ admitted the deacon. โMaybe it amounts to twenty or thirty dollars a year.โ
โMore likely a hundred,โ said Grant.
โThat would be awful extravagant sinful waste. If I was a minister, I'd be more keerful.โ
โWell, Deacon Gridley, I don't want to argue with you. I came to see if you hadn't collected some money for father. Mr. Tudor has sent in his bill, and he wants to be paid.โ
โHow much is it?โ
โSixty-seven dollars and thirty-four cents.โ
โYou don't tell me!โ said the deacon, scandalized. โYou folks must be terrible extravagant.โ
Grant hardly knew whether to be more vexed or amused.
โIf wanting to have enough to eat is extravagant,โ he said, โthen we are.โ
โYou must live on the fat of the land, Grant.โ
โWe haven't any of us got the gout, nor are likely to have,โ answered Grant, provoked. โBut let us come back to business. Have you got any money for father?โ
Now it so happened that Deacon Gridley had fifty dollars collected, but he thought he knew where he could let it out for one per cent, for a month, and he did not like to lose the opportunity.
โI'm sorry to disappoint you, Grant,โ he answered, โbut folks are slow about payin' up, andโโ
โHaven't you got any money collected?โ asked Grant, desperately.
โI'll tell you what I'll do,โ said the deacon, with a bright idea. โI've got fifty dollars of my ownโsay for a month, till I can make collections.โ
โThat would be very kind,โ said Grant, feeling that he had done the deacon an injustice.
โOf course,โ the deacon resumed, hastily, โI should have to charge interest. In fact, I was goin' to lend out the money to a neighbor for a month at one per cent; but I'd just as lieve let your father have it at that price.โ
โIsn't that more than legal interest?โ asked Grant.
โWell, you see, money is worth good interest nowadays. Ef your father don't want it, no matter. I can let the other man have it.โ
Grant rapidly calculated that the interest would only amount to fifty cents, and money must be had.
โI think father'll agree to your terms,โ he said. โI'll let you know this afternoon.โ
โAll right, Grant. It don't make a mite of difference to me, but if your father wants the money he'll have to speak for it to-day.โ
โI'll see that the matter is attended to,โ said Grant, and he went on his way, pleased with the prospect of obtaining money for their impoverished household, even on such hard terms.
Next he made his way to Mr. Tudor's store.
It was one of those country variety stores where almost everything in the way of house supplies can be obtained, from groceries to dry goods.
Mr. Tudor was a small man, with a parchment skin and insignificant features. He was in the act of weighing out a quantity of sugar for a customer when Grant entered.
Grant waited till the shopkeeper was at leisure.
โDid you want to see me, Grant?โ said Tudor.
โYes, Mr. Tudor. You sent over a bill to our house this morning.โ
โAnd you've come to pay it. That's right. Money's tight, and I've got bills to pay in the city.โ
โI've got a little money for you on account,โ said Grant, watching Tudor's face anxiously.
โHow much?โ asked the storekeeper, his countenance changing.
โEight dollars.โ
โEight dollars!โ ejaculated Tudor, indignantly. โOnly eight dollars out of sixty-seven! That's a regular imposition, and I don't care ef your father is a minister, I stick to my words.โ
Grant was angry, but he remembered his mother's injunction to restrain his temper.
โWe'd like to pay the whole, Mr. Tudor, if we had the money, andโโ
โDo you think I can trust the whole neighborhood, and only get one dollar in ten of what's due me?โ spluttered Mr. Tudor. โMinisters ought to set a better example.โ
โMinisters ought to get better pay,โ said Grant.
โThere's plenty don't get as much as your father. When do you expect to pay the rest, I'd like to know? I s'pose you expect me to go on trustin', and mebbe six months from now you'll pay me another eight dollars,โ said the storekeeper, with withering sarcasm.
โI was going to tell you, if you hadn't interrupted me,โ said Grant, โthat we should probably have some more money for you to-morrow.โ
โHow much?โ
โTwenty-five dollars,โ answered the boy, knowing that part of the money borrowed must go in other quarters. โWill that be satisfactory?โ
โThat's more like!โ said Tudor, calming down. โEf you'll pay that I'll give you a leetle more time on the rest. Do you want anything this mornin'? I've got some prime butter just come in.โ
โI'll call for some articles this afternoon, Mr. Tudor. Here are the eight dollars. Please credit us with that sum.โ
โWell, I've accomplished something,โ said Grant to himself as he plodded homeward.
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