By her first day’s efforts in the market-house, Mrs. Haller earned three-quarters of a dollar, with which she bought food for herself and children, and re-invested the original amount.  On the next day, as on the first, she disposed of her whole stock, and was so fortunate in her sales as to clear one dollar.  On the next day she did not sell more than half of her little stock, and cleared only thirty-seven-and-a-half cents on that.  Greatly discouraged she went home at twelve o’clock, and was still further cast down at finding her husband there, come to take up his lodgings, and eat up her meagre earnings from her children.  She remonstrated against his coming back, but with drunken oath and cruel threats he let her know that he should stay there in spite of her.  Before night, her oldest son, a worthless vagabond, also made his appearance, and between them swept off all the food, that she had bought with the profits on her five dollars, which she had resolved from the first not to break.  On the next morning she cleared a full dollar, and on Saturday, another.  But her increased family prevented her adding a cent of the profits to her original capital.  After the market on Saturday morning, she went out and bought about three dollars worth of eggs, at ten cents a dozen, which, before night, she sold at twelve-and-a-half cents, thus clearing twenty-five cents on the dollar, or three-quarters of a dollar in all.  With a dollar and three-quarters that she had made that day, she laid in a supply of common and substantial food.

On Sunday she went, as was her custom, to church, and took her two little girls with her.  Her husband and son remained at home.  When she returned from service they were gone; instinctively turning to where she had concealed her little treasure, of five dollars, she found that it had also disappeared!  She knew well how to account for its loss.  Her husband and son had robbed her!  The little hope that had animated her breast for the last few days, gave way, and she sunk down into a condition of mind that was almost despair.  Towards evening, her husband and son came home drunk, and lay all night stupid.  In the morning, they stole off by day-light, and she was left alone with her little ones, to brood over her melancholy prospect.  She could not, of course, go to market, for she had nothing to sell, nor anything with which to purchase a little stock.

Mr. Williams, who felt a lively interest in her case, especially on account of the unkind treatment she had received from his wife, used to stop and inquire into her prospects whenever he saw her in the market, and had been looking round for something better for her to do.  Missing her this morning, he went to her house, and there found her in a state of complete despondency.  He encouraged her in the best way he could, but did not advance her another little capital, which he would willingly have done under other circumstances, and then went away, determined to get her some situation which would be more suitable for one of her habits and feelings.