The exact difference in the two systems will be clearly understood by the reader, when he is informed that although Mrs. Mier never paid any body as much as was at first asked for an article, and was always talking about economy, and trying to practice it, by withholding from others what was justly their due, as in the case of the strawberry-woman, yet she was a very extravagant person, and spared no money in gratifying her own pride.  Mrs. Gilman, her visitor, was, on the contrary, really economical, because she was moderate in all her desires, and was usually as well satisfied with an article of dress or furniture that cost ten or twenty dollars, as Mrs. Mier was with one that cost forty or fifty dollars.  In little things, the former was not so particular as to infringe the rights of others, while in larger matters, she was careful not to run into extravagance in order to gratify her own or children’s pride and vanity, while the latter pursued a course directly opposite.

Mrs. Gilman was not as much dissatisfied, on reflection, about the price she had paid for her strawberries, as she had felt at first.

“I would rather pay these poor creatures two cents a box too much than too little,” she said to herself—­“dear knows, they earn their money hard enough, and get but a scanty portion after all.”

Although the tray of the poor strawberry-woman, when she passed from the presence of Mrs. Mier, was lighter by five boxes, her heart was heavier, and that made her steps more weary than before.  The next place at which she stopped, she found the same disposition to beat her down in her price.

“I’ll give you nine cents, and take four boxes,” said the lady.

“Indeed, madam, that is too little,” replied the woman; “ten cents is the lowest at which I can sell them and make even a reasonable profit.”

“Well, say thirty-seven and a half for four boxes, and I will take them.  It is only two cents and a half less than you ask for them.”

“Give me a fip, ma!—­there comes the candy-man!” exclaimed a little fellow, pressing up to the side of the lady.  “Quick, ma!  Here, candy-man!” calling after an old man with a tin cylinder under his arm, that looked something like an ice cream freezer.  The lady drew out her purse, and searched among its contents for the small coin her child wanted.

“I havn’t any thing less than a levy,” she at length said.

“Oh, well, he can change it.  Candy-man, you can change a levy?”

By this time the “candy-man” stood smiling beside the strawberry-woman.  As he was counting out the fip’s worth of candy, the child spoke up in an earnest voice, and said: 

“Get a levy’s worth, mother, do, wont you?  Cousin Lu’s coming to see us to-morrow.”

“Let him have a levy’s worth, candy-man.  He’s such a rogue I can’t resist him,” responded the mother.  The candy was counted out, and the levy paid, when the man retired in his usual good humor.