Show ja eard hard times orthe ortho or the tho phi philosophers lo stone stono CHAPTER 1 I 1 0 what makes kes you lo 10 look ic so dull this ibis morning 01 ellen inquired mr chester a young mer merchant chant thant in a small way to his wife they had been married ried about a year and thus far not an ill natured word had been spoken by 6 them at his arriage marriage chester bad had takaji a jas sas small 1 but neat and convenient hause house in the upper lipper do part of t the he city he ire hal had bee been hable habie able abie to ft jei tei jef nish it I 1 in a plain manner mahner manner but since his marriage his business had added many artic lesof of luxury to his small establishment the It lines times had began be an to tighten up however dulf duif and business was wair dull duli the notes were due and he had ad to bestir himself to make his payments fortunately for him however as tha the st ringen cy in the money market began to weigh most moat heavily his fathers administrator placed him in p possession oss assion of two thousand dollars which had 1 been be en reserved to await awalt the contingencies of a law suit and aad which had now been satisfactorily adjusted with this sum be he had been able to pay more pressing pre tsing demands and to lay by a sur surplus ilia 40 of five hundred dollars to meet a note which YTA ah re would bould fall due some two months hence ind ing th the e receipt of this sum sam had also induced him to increase the luxuries of his house the parlor had bad been newly furnished and the old parlor f furniture furni it tune uria uric placed aced in the sitting room P they had everything everling that iw vms necessary for comfort and for creditable appearance app boj fyon isak very dui dai y continued continue appearance larance thelius thellus the husband bandas as he rose from the e breakfast table ellen looked up at hip with a languid mile smile but made no reply what ails yow yom 01 11 1 I was lones iones omoo otoo I 1 lb 01 here all day 1 lonesome why dont you go out then and 1 ta take ad e the air mr walk down washington street streit 0 and round the common it ft i will revive your 05 spirits re how absorb you xou talk taik walk t he con ron D mon in the thi of december decemver why anby I 1 should freeze to death net not so 30 bad as thai that replied the thie young hus hns a band chicklis his hit wire wife linder under the chin go to the and see the pictures 8 11 coulden t do every day and you dont dort oe know how lonesome I 1 am cant you read real 0 fd r dont ont want to read all the time 31 read part the time then but fred I 1 have been thinking of ani ana a smile played upon the pretty lips of the 14 kounz 1 auns wife P what ellen 0 it mias mis something in oar hoase cc do you yoa jr 10 0 O very much rauch indeed IV well ivell ell eil ellen whit wll wil it is it lt 2 I 1 A piano it would be so nice zice rice to practice th s g ra long iong dreary days I 1 should be as happy as a princess if I 1 only otly had a piano mrs cli cil chesters esters eaters father was in affluent circie j 1 and before she was married she bhe chehal bad bai been a to many luxuries lux lax urier which her I 1 1 husbands husband 3 limited means m as would not permit him V to provide it but elfen ethen I 1 cant a piano plano the times tho iio rive not been so hard in ten fen vears vaara you have five rive hundred dollars hithe bithe in the baik 1 7 0 but r have reserved it to pay all notes dont yoli yon expect to make enoich to pay IM it rit tit it Is very doubtful doubt fai fal bustnes busi busl nes hardy pays expenses i you wai will be able to pay that I 1 know continued the eloquent petitioner well my dear you shall have a piano you are area a dear husband get 47 me one of chickerin Chicke rings sal 6 any k n J ki kind in d you please my dear AnY defore before and before dinner time the instrument came home and mrs chester was as happy as a piano plano could uld make her albeit she had littie little idea of the tha significance of three per ceat cent a month and protested notes CHAPTER IL if men said the times would be better but the prophecy 1 ecy was vain merchants failed brok broke i prota ers failed lied the bank and insurance romp companies anies failed Bu business iness was duller than thail it had been for the last twenty years poor men lounged at the th corners of the streets vainly waiting baitin for I 1 a job while their wives wires and children shivered with the cold arid arld hungered even for a crust of I 1 bread ruin and disease were the order of the day and men wondered where would be bt the end 1 of it all fred chesters business did not pay his shop expenses to say nothing of his household and when that dreadful note fell due he be had not a dollar towards redeeming tt it ruin stared him in the face and it was now his bis turn to look sad five hundred dollars was wag a small sum yet he could not raise it even three per cent a month without collateral 1 would not procure it something must be done some friend must faust get him out of the scrape or he must certainly fall his iris cifes father was wealth wealthy yli but he had married his daughter against his wishes and there was no hope in that qu quarter atter bat ellens uncle a blunt honest master mason had always I 1 looked oo 00 k ed kindly upon him and perhaps he would open his purse strings the note was due en the following day and he hee decided to make the application n to uncle luke as he was familiarly called in the course of the forenoon however hs he happened to call at the store and fred stated his position bev eh said the blunt old mechanic It thought bought things was going on swimmingly with wilh vou jou so they were but the times are so deucedly hard that I 1 cannot make to ses replied fred with a dolorous expression of countenance wheres the two thousand dollars which yot yon received from your dour fathers estate 1 I 1 paid my debts with it t but didik didia yn tell me that you owe above two thousand dollars 1 I paid off fifteen huh hub hundred dred I 1 and band the rest well that went in various ways 1 and your stock is all mortgaged yes for orie thousand you have done I 1 a good business ye tes yes s well well ivell I 1 am in a hurry just now but I 1 I 1 will ana and dine with you and we will talk it over arid ard oncie uncle luke left lett the sho shop p fred did not like ilke his uncles inquisitiveness but had a strong hope that ha lic would get him out of his prent present scrape writing whitin a hasty basty hast bast note not lie he dispatched his boy to inform his wife ale that uncle luke would dine with them CHAPTER III dinner came and so did uncle luice luke ellen had a nice dinner read ready and her pretty etty face covered with smiles when T e n she sh e welcomed the honest old man to partake of the hospitalities of her board uncle luke lake seated himself at the table his iris accustomed smile had disappeared and he looker rather stern fred said he suddenly to the young merchant as he inserted his fork in the breast of the nicely browned roast turkey ayou have not found the philosophers stone yet yel 1 fred suspended the operation of carving the turkey and gazed with alook of astonishment fuli full in lit the tb e face of the speaker what do sen yen 1 mean uncap likel asked he ty vou you ou chiow tt what hat stone Is do you yon no 11 1 I found it ift oun out when hen ben I 1 was quite a young yoong man nan 9 and what prosperity has crowned me fowe to that pray explain ex plain uncle unc ae luke 1 after dinner dimier I 1 will somehow in spite of the extraordinary preparations ellen had made for th the reception prep of i mer her uncle th dinner did not pas pass off ve very ty pleas pleasantly antly there iv was as a reserve on hig big part which threw cold water on the whole affair but it was finished at last to the relief of a ali all 11 now uncle com coma into tha t h girior p arlor and elien ellen shall play vou you a tune time or two on 01 he her piano plano 1 said ifred leading the way oa coa hr h what said the om man nan with a start of surprise on her piano of course 9 then you keep a piano merta Werta certainly we could not no pos poso bly bia get L wet get alon aion along g without a piano could we nilen ellen im sure no xe could rim riV lepied the jojn yong wife 10 0 it is such a comfort com rort Lort 1 such sach a luxury you mean answered uncle I 1 luk dul ike iko with rf r cold coid sneer what did you give for it five fiva andred 1 jg it paid for certainly it i iq and your note due dac tomorrow to morrow which you cannot meet fred glanced at a ellen who looked as woebegone as though she had bad lost every friend bhe she had bad in the world ivoria it was wab not his faulty uncle 1 it out of b him m sald said slie then lie he is 19 a bigger fool than I 1 took him to be replied uncle euke luke luke lule contemptuously and then he is 13 not doing business enough to pay his expenses you dine on roast turkey yand and all manner of fancy stuff sturm 1 uncle duke cuke though conscious that h he was meddling with that which did not concern himy him could not control his indignation at the wanton extravagance ance of the young people ile llo felt kindly towards them as he always had and though his words were harsh and cold he intended to do them a kindness I 1 yes and ellen you wear a silk gown for tor every day and ta crown all you have got a pi ano do you expect to pay your notes in this manner fred continued he here is the secret of hard times extravagance silk slik dresses roast turkey ice creams and pianos 2 things were going very well with me when I 1 bought the piano su suggested ested fred no matter yon are a fool now I 1 will tell you what the philosophers stone is uncle luke paused and looked coldly into the i eyes of the young merchant well uncle what is it live within your means IF you do not earn but a dollar dollar spend only seventy five cents and uncle luke put on his great coat and edged gh ed towards the door without even alluding to t the important in which fred felt so mu much eil ell interest uncle luke can you lend me the money I 1 want wanti 1 ed fred dismayed at the thought glit of failure no wo re F cannot annot T the tren n I 1 must laust fail fall you ought to have thought of or that when you bought the piano plano I 1 replied uncle luke sternly do you know waters the me carpenter yes 2 apply to him and ha he will lend you the tile money but bat he is almost a stranger to me ulf no matter go to him and uncle luke left the house oh coh F fred frei red this thra is all my fault said ellen bursting lato into tears fred did ape app apply ly to waters what security y can you give asked the carpenter li enter 1 I dont know replied fred F red doubtingly my stock ia is mortgaged household furniture no what what have you gom gow got aa A piano and 9 that will do give me a bill of that it I 1 not paid within thirty days the piano plano iano lano is mine F fred red assented and rece receiver received iver ivey the mo molcy moley money ley icy the P papers were executed and fred got out of the scrape duning daring da the succeeding thirty days he tried hard t to raise a ise lse the money to redeem redeem the piano without success waters took it at the appointed time and seemed perfectly satisfied with his bargain I 1 A few day days satter after arter the yo yong ing couple were sir sur I 1 to receive an invitation to dine with uncle luke luk e and to their astonishment whan they arrived they ley found their piano in his little parlor did vou buy this asked fred but uncle luke would answer nt questions yet he promised to make him a present of it as soon as he paid all his debts the dinner consisted of corn cor beef and ami baked potatoes with an adfle apple appie pie pic for dessert uncle luke was in imas imus unusually a I 1 ay good s spirits i ats its and never once apologized for the singular sing tarl narl fare he had 1 placed laced before his guests bui bill they understood the meaning deanin of it it was was wag intended aa as a lesson for them and they tiley profited prof itea by it they brought home the philosophers stone and begar begat by a humbler the hired girl was discharged and ellen had so rauch ranch to do in attending to duties that she shie hadano time to be lonesome they th welze awe much happier bappler than when she moped all ail et I 1 ay y in the tire parlors and better than thin this th times limes began to mend and freds business prospered again lie lle paid off hiu hii mortgage and the piano plano was duly returned to them thiem because they could afford a luxury |