The Richmond Indiana palladium. [volume] (Richmond, Ind.) 1854-1855, 1855-02-02
~ ALWAYS PAY THE CASH.

A good anecdote illustrative of the beneficial
direction which strong impressions made In early
youth sometimes give TO the habits of later life,
told in hearing the other day. by one for
many years a resident of this community with
the reputation of being among the most shrewd
and successful business men; and who had no
suspicion that the little narrative which he rela
ted for private entertainment merely, would ever
be embodied IN a newspaper paragraph.
''His father he said, ''was hard working
farmer of strict integrity, striving BY industry
and economy to bring up and educate a large
family of sons and daughters in comfort and re
spectabilitv He lived on what was then almost
the frontier of civilization, at time when stores
were few. broad-cloths high. home spun the pro-
vailing wear. and the purchase of suit of
clothes one ofthe important events in mans life
to be carefully delberated upon previous to
its occurrence, and referred to as an epoch ever
afterwards"
''I'' he continued, had just completed my
eighteenth year, period at which my father
had promised in consideration Of my industry
for the twelve months preceding. TO give me an
entire new rig of store clothes from head to
foot. happy boy was /, as. the Saturday
morning following my eighteenth birth day, the
old grey mare was carrying me slowly but surely
though the fifteen miles of almost fathomless
March mud that lay between my fathers house
and the store where | was 10 make my purchase;
still happier when standing al the counter the
glossy broadcloth rolled up and under my arm,
and the twenty dollars with which my father
had provided NE on starting, transferred to the
till Of the trader. [ supposed my whole errand
was accomplished and was just about to leave for
home, when the store-keeper startled me with
the question, what will YOU have for trimmin 5S9'
Unsophistocated as l was in the business Of shop
ping, II had never occurred u nv mind tha:
broadcloth was not the only ingredient in a coat
or that it would be proper 10 save something from
my funds on hand for lining, padding or facing
So here | was Unexpectedly struck. | saw that
far as my coat was concerned | might we'll
have no cloth at all as mere cloth without buttons
thread, &C. and vet my money all gone
what should l do?
In this dilemma the trader kindly came TO nv
aid. He offered 10 let have what trimmings
were necessary and charge my father with them
| asSented TO this proposal not without some
misgjvings. This charging was something that
had never heard mentioned in my fishers fani
ly: still had sort of a confused notion that
the affect of it would be to run the old gentleman
in debt, and l had often heard him say that he
aohorred debtas he did the gsllows, considering
1t the sure road 70 ruin. However, having no
other alternative, | suffered the store keeper 10
select the trimmings, permitted him to charge
them at ms own prices, and left feeling consider
able less elatIon during NV homeward, than
had done during my outward Journey.
Inc next morning my purchases were dis
played. NV mother and sisters admired the
goods, but my father asked after the prices
Step by step he went into the details of the bar
gain until he ascertained conelusivlv thst the
broadcloth alone must have cost the money | had
taken with me This naturally led to the inquiry
how | had purchased the trimmings and when