Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1845-01-24
TAKING A

"A pleasant day this, ~neighbor Gaskill,
said one farmer TO another, coming into the
barn of the latter, who was engaged in sep
arating the chaff from the wheat by the
means of a fan.
Very fine day friend Alton. Any news 7
returned the individual addressed.
mo, nothing Of Importance, | believe. l
have called over to see if you won't Join
Carpenter and myself in taking the paper
this year. The price is two dollars; but,
by taking three copies, We can get the
whole for ive-which is, you see, something
OF a saving. One dollar s~ixty-six cents is
dog cheap for the Courier
Nothing is cheap that you don't want,
returned Gaskill, in a positive tone. L
don't believe in newspapers. l never heard
of their doing any good. If an old stray one
happens to get into the house, my gals are
crazy after it, and nothing can be got out of
them until it is read through. They wouldn't
be good for a cent if a paper came every
week. And, besides, dollars amt picked up
in every cornhill.'
But think, neighbor Gaskill, how much
information your gals would get, if they had
a fresh newspaper every week filled with all
the latest intelligence. The time they would
spend in reading it would be nothing to
what they would gain
And, what would they gain / wonder ?
Get their heads filled with nonsense and
love stories. Look at Sally Black. Isn't
she a fine specimen Of one Of your newspa-
per reading gals? Not worth to her father
three pumpkin seeds. l remember we'll e.
nough when she was one Of the most prom
ising little bodies about here. But her ia
Their was fool enough to take a newspaper.
Any one could see a change in Sally. She
began to spruce up and look smart
Z First came a bow on her Sunday bonnet,
and then gloves to go to meetin'. After that
she must be sent off to school again, and
that at the very time she began to be worth
something about the house. And now she
has got a forte piano and a fellow comes
every week to teach her music
Then you won't join u.s. neighbour Mr.
Alton said, avoiding a useless reply to Gas
kill.
'Oh, no. That I will not. Money thrown
away on newspapers is worse than wasted. /
never heard oftheir doing any good. The
time spent in reading a newspaper every
week, would be enough to raise a hundred
bushels ofpotatoes. Your Courier, in my
opinion, is a dear bargain at that price.
Mr. Alton changed the subject, and soon
after left neighbor Gaskill to his own fan
cies. A wise man was found willing to
make one of the proposed club, and by them
the FIVE dollars were sent on, aud papers
procured.
One day, about two months a~fterward,
they met, as they had done frequently DUR
ing the intermediate time.
Have you sold your wheat YETI asked
Mr. A.
'Yes, I sold it day before yesterday
'How much did you get for itr
'Eighty-ive.'
mo moreP
Il don't know that | had any right to ex-
pect more. Wheat hasn't been above that
for two months past
But it is above that now
How do you know 2
'Why, / thought every one knew that the
price had advanced to ninety-two cents !
To whom did you sellp
ITO Wakefield, the ~storekeeper in r..
He met me the day before yesterday, and
asked me il had sold my crop. | said l had
not. he tneH OlieIeu ~ ldhe IL dL eIgnty
five cents, the market price, and told him
he might as well have it, as there was doubt
less little chance Of its rising. Yesterday
he sent over the wagons aud took it away.
That was hardly fair in Wakefield. He
knew prices had advanced. He came to me
also, offered to buy my crop at eighty-6ve.
But, l Had just received my newspaper, in
which | saw by the prices current that in
consequence Of accounts from Europe of a
short crop, grain had gone up. | asked him
ninety-two cents, which, after some higgling
he was quite willing to give
Did he pay you ninety-two cents ex-
claimed Gaskill, in surprise.
HE certainly did,
TOO bad Too bad No better than
downright cheating to take such shameful
advantage of another mans ignorance
Certainly. Wakefield cannot be justified
in his conduct replied Mr. Alton. III is
not right for one man to take advantage of
another mans ignorance, and get his goods
for less than they are worth. But does not
any man deserve thus to suffer who remains
wilfully ignorant in a world where he knows
there are always enough standing ready TO
avail themselves of his ignorance. Had
you heen willing to expend one dollar and
o.