Delaware weekly Republican. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1841-188?, 1857-12-31
THE MIGGINSES.

-
his sign at No. - Second street. 1t is
small tin sign, with red letters on white
u mistake not the word N otions'
is lust under the name.
sWhat is your husbands business q asked
prying inc uistive OF Mrs. Virgins, at Newport,
last Summer.
sHe is Philadelphia merchant answered |
the lady, with dignity.
That OF course settled the matter. Ii wo-
man doesn't know how to designate her hus-
banl, in the name of wonder, who should
know Yes, MIR. Virgins is merchant.
tAnd occupies that handsome store with the
brown stone front2'
NO not exactly. If you look little closer,
you will see that Dick 4 Dixon, importers, are
the occupants OF that elegant establishment
You must ascend to the second floor to find
our Motion merchant.
Bustling, active, self-important Joel Wig
gins; there he is, in his curiosity shop. sur
rounded by things grotesque and arahesque,
symmetrical aud detormed, useful and orna-
mental, gathered originally from all parts OF
the earth. Fire crackers, crying babies, red
and white tape, fans, marbles, toys, games,
puzzles, masks, happy horses, porcelain, bis
que and Parian figures, motto cups and lnoNO
waters, and-but the inventory is hopeless If
your curiosityi is excited on the subject reader,
call at No. - and see yourself. Wigg mss
store is a perfect museum.
Times were prosperous, and the credit OF
Virgins was good for anything he wished 10
purchase. So he bought freely ia New York
and Boston, as well as from importers in Phils-
delphia. He sold as freely on the principle,
we suppose, oftc0me easy, 60 easy He had
but to select goods, to any amount, and they
were promptly delivered, the invoice rendered,
and note at tonr or six months taken in pay
ment. And as he was treated, so he treated
his customers, and they found their way to his
all of ha
far and near.
What splendid business he was doing -
Sales mounted upwards, at the rate of seventy,
eighty, and one hundred thousand dollars
year, and his profits ranged from ten to forty
per cent. Virgins was getting rich SO fast
that his head swan as he looked from the sud-
den height he had obtained. Twenty-Five per
cent. clear profit, annually! that was the fiat
tering JUNCTION which he laid TO his soul, ami
not very far in tho golden distance he saw
himself merchant prince.
Buying on time and selling on time are all
very WE'LL if the selling time is shorter than the
buying. The reverse is generally the case. 1t
was SO with Joel Virgins. He bought at four,
six, and eight months, aud sold at six, eight.
nine and twelve months. or course, when his
own notes became due he had to meet them by
discounts. The two Banks in which he kept
his mountaineering from one and deposit
ing in the other great many times every day
TO indicate active business, Just as a doctor
with limited practice rides hurriedly about the
streets, to indicate the existence OF numerou,
pressing calIs-the two Banks gave him Ger
tain slime OF discount, about ten cents on tn,
dollar Of his wants. The ninety per cent wa!
raised son the street, that is, through bill bro
kers who represented private money Lenders
and INSCRIPTIONS Bank officers. On this nine
ty per cent, Virgins paid at the rate OF from
one to two-and.a-haf per cent. a month, &C
cording to the estimated value OF paper o
collateral which he had to offer.
So at iirs wenton swimmingly with Mr.. Joe
Virgins. He was getting rich fast sham
over t1st,' as he sometimes elegantly expresse
1t. His Bills Receivable and stock OF good
showed always large surpusags over Bill
Payable.
With the comfortable feeling eonsequen
upon the fact that money was being so rapid
accumulated, Mr.. Virgins, and Mrs. Virgins
and Araminta Jane Virgins, the wife and old
est daughter, naturally enough concluded thu
It was time to live In style better agreeing wit
their position. So the modest, comiortabl
mouse In cottonwood street, at three hundret
and fifty dollars, year, was given up, and
stylish affair beyond Broad street rented a
eight bypdsah5tr7iurrcase OF rent from tire
hundred and fifty to eight hundred a yea
would not have been so very serious a matter
il the affair could have stopped ut the simpl
removal from Bnttonwood street tu tue We,
End. But that was out OF the question. TIL
single item of new furniture was twenty-fv
hundred dollars, and the annual increase O
expenditure, exclusive Of rent, one thousand
Mrs. Virgins and Araminta Jane, moreove
attempted the fashionable, and this cost some
thipg-not dime less than another thousaa
dollars, for shawl, silS, lace aud jewelry bill
mount up wonderfully last No, thous.n
dollars is below the mark. 1t costs tribe
BIO fashionable!
Next, carriage, and next, "a country nous,
They came naturally. A cottage aud garden
overlooking the Delaware. That was the cl
max
Everything wont on charmingy Mrs. Wiz
gins and Araminta Jane were at Newport In
Summer, bent on making a sensation, and M
Virgins was In Philadelphia, taking care
his payments, which were heavy. Money q
at once grew little tight; Banks were una,
commodating, and MI. Virgins found himse
Obliged 10 submit TO sundTy terrible har
shaves in order to 'ralse the wind One da
his bill broker could get nothing on the pap,
he had TO offer. So he was forced INTO ThiT
street, where, on 'undoubted' collateral, h
raised two thousand dollars for two days,
one per cent. day
On the next day money was little tighte
He had i've thousand to pay. He got throug
but only at a terrible sacrifice On the da
following he raised three thousand more to Ii
maturing notes, but not enough to meet tn
TWO thousand covered by collaterals, on whc
he was paying one per cent. day. That al
rangement was continued for two DAYS longe
Mr Virgins began to feel a little uneasy
Plump, on to one OF his depending atte
three O'Clock hours, came n letter from Mr.
Virgins, asking for I've hundred dollars. NJ
Virgins crushed the letter passiouately, mu
tering, 'Fivc hundred devilsp 1t was unan
liable and unconjugal but he was in trouble
and excited.
On the following day Mr.. Virgins sent HI
Wife one hundred and fifty dollars, with tiret
tons to pay off her bills and return with Ara
minta Jane immediately Both she and Ara
mnta Jane demuTed, scolded him soundly lc
Lis nigSardly response TO their demand fc
money. They did not M an to leave until tn
close oil the season. But MIR. Virgins was i
earnest, and he made them comprehend it i
another letter. That brought them off by tn
next boat Tor New York.
Joel Virgins was getting frightened. tn
Banks threw hitn out altogether, and, he was
The mercy OF the shavers. But few countr
merchants had been in, and few Of them brougf
money. Sales were light against an unusualI
large stock OF goods, which could not be force,
on the market aud sold at even half their value
hlB country house had cost him ten Thousand
dollars. lie mortgaged il for hye Tried
second mortgage for three thousand more, bu
NO one Do. 1t must be sold, then matters
were pressing. Mr.. Virgins announced tn
TACT NJ nome, like one who expected a strife
II came. Mrs. Virgins and Aranuta Jan
were astounGed and Indignant.
'Never " said Mrs. Virgins.
Never ? cried Araminta Jane.
VIVA will people say at this coming down,
queried Mrs. Virgins.
1t will kill me = sobbed Aramiuta lame ,yb
had caught q beautiful beau at Newport an,
was expecting an offer Of marriage by ever
mail.
They'll say that Joel Virgins has been Lis