mount is so small on each thing, and yet look at the
total--hundreds of millions of dollars!"

"Goodness!" exclaimed Mrs. Fenelby. "Can we save that much for
Bobberts? Of course, not hundreds of millions; but if we could save
even one hundred thousand dollars--"

"Laura," said Mr. Fenelby, "I don't believe you understand what I
mean. If you would pay a little closer attention when I am
explaining things you would understand better. A tariff doesn't make
money out of nothing. How could we save a hundred thousand dollars
out of my salary, when the whole salary is only twenty-five hundred
dollars a year, and we spend every cent of it?"

"But, Tom dear," said Mrs. Fenelby, "how can I help spending it? You
know I am just as economical as I can be. You said yourself that we
couldn't live on a cent less than we are spending. You know I would
be only _too_ glad to save, if I could, and I didn't get that new
dress until you just begged and begged me to get it, and--"

"I know," said Mr. Fenelby, kindly. "I think you do wonders with
that twenty-five hundred. I don't see how you do it; I couldn't.
And that is just why I say we ought to have a domestic tariff. I
don't see how we can ever save enough to send Bobberts to college
unless we have some system. We spend every cent of my twenty-five
hundred dollars every year, and we could never in the world take two
hundred and fifty dollars out of it at one time and put it in the
bank for Bobberts, could we? We never have two hundred and fifty
dollars at one time. And yet two hundred and fifty dollars is only
ten per cent. of my yearly salary. But if I buy a cigar for ten
cents it would be no hardship for me to put a cent in the bank for
Bobberts, would it? Not a bit! And if you buy an ice cream soda; it
would not cramp our finances to put a cent in the bank for each
soda, would it? And yet a cent is ten per cent. of a dime."

"That is very simple and very easy," said Mrs. Fenelby, "and I think
it would be a very good plan. I think we ought to begin at once."

"So do I," said Mr. Fenelby. "But we don't want to begin a thing
like this and then let it slip from our minds after a day or two. If
the government did that the nation's revenue would all fade away. We
ought to go at it in a business-like way, just as the United States
would do it. We ought to write it down, and then live up to it. Now,
I'll write it down."

Mr. Fenelby went to his desk and took a seat before it. He opened