Herald of the times. [volume] (Newport, R.I.) 1830-1846, 1842-12-29
]1ppular Gales.
From the Philadelphia Saturday Courier.
PERSEVERANCE;
Or, Peter Punstuals Way TO Collect Bills.
BY sEBA SMITH,
Author of "The Original Jack Downing Letters" "
New YoRK, December, l842

.lessrS. Editors The little story
am about to tell you, is pone the worse
for being true and trust none the
less interesting. While many of YqUr'
pleasant and graceful writers arc a
musing and iussructing your reaaers by
relating events and crcumstances that
might have occurred ncW|cating many
lesson by presenting pictures that
bear resembiaEce to tru,A , allow me
for once to hold y0pr readers by the
button-hole, few minutes, and see
whether salutary lesson, in a small
way, may not as we'll be drawn from
events that hare occurred The names
| shall use are Of course fictitious, but
the cumstances actually occurred
very much as l shall relate them, and
the actors are respectable gentlemen
now living iA this good city OF Gotham.
Some few years ago, Peter Punctual,
an honest and industrious young fellow
from {snkee land-I say lapkpa land,
Mcssrs. Editors, but freely confess.
that is merely an inference of mine,
drawn from the circumstances of this
story itself; and if your readers, alter
oerusing it, DO not coma to the same
conclusion, they may set him down as
coming from any other land they please;
but sor myself, were | on jury, and
upder oath, | would bring him in a
Yankee. This same Peter Punc,ual,
some few years ago. came mtg New
York, and attempted to turn a penny
and get an honest living by procuring
subscribers to various magazines and
periodicals, on his own hook. That
is, he would receive n quantity of mag
azines iroW a distant publisher, VI a
discount, and get up his own list of
subscribers about the city, and serve
them through the year at the regular
subscription price, which would leaye
the amount Of the said discount a clear
profit in his p9eket, or rather com
pensation for his time and labor
1 There are many persons in the city
who obtain a livelihood III the same
way.
Peters commissions being small, and
his capital still smaller, he was obliged
TO transact his business with great care
and cjrc4Wspecton, in order to max e
both ends meet. le adopted a rule
/ therefore TO make all of his subscribers
pay their years subscription in advance.
Such things could be done in those days,
when business was brisk, and people
we're strangers TO "hard times" In
canvassing for subscribers, one day,
through the lower part of the city, and
IN the principal bus mess streets, he pk-
served n store which had the air OF do
/ ing a heavy business, and read upon
| the sign over the door, Solomon
! Sharp, Importer of certain wares and
merchandise. The field looked invit-
ing, and in Peter went with his samples
under his arm, and inquired far Mr..
/ sharp. The gentleman was pointed
opt to him ny the clerks, and Peter
stepped up and asked him fhe would
not like to subscribe for some maga-
zines
"Wb4t sor, of oneQ have you gol
there ~ SAID MIR sharp.
"Three or four different kinds, said
Peter, laying the specimens on tn,
desk before him-"please to look a
them and suit yourself" ;"
/. Sharp tumbed them over and examin
ed them one after another, and al las
took up "Buckingham's NeY Englsno
Magazine, published at Boston.
"What are your terms for This {
) SAID he 81 don't knoy but ! Youll
subscribe for this
"Fjye dollars year ~ advapee,'
said Peter "to he delivered cqreipll,
every month al your store or hopse."
"But ! never pay in adyanee lo
these lhings.A said sharp. at is tim
enough to pay for thing when you &c
il. ~ subscribe for it, ifyou have
. mind TO receive yopr pay at the end o
. the year, and not Otherwise
II "Tbat's against my rule, said Peter
II have all ny subscribers Pay in nd
vance
"Wel, us against my rplo 10 Pa.
for any thing before J get IT," sal