Preble County Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1857-1859, 1857-11-19
From the Toledo Blade.
PAY THIS BILL. 80
The Troubles in n Printing Of
u.r.- -. 6ce. ,..~ -.4..-
BY P. E. R.

, The printers clerk stood leaning
, against his desk in his counting room
one hand supporting an aching head
and the other grasping parcel of un
paid bills. His reflections were any
thing but pleasant, as he thus paused
after long and weary task in turning
over the leaves of the ledger to ascer
tain. which ono among thousand ano
one names found thereon, whose ae-
counts ought to be paid, and those he
thought most likely to pay their bills
made out and presented. Now this
matter of making out and presenting
bills was rather particular kind of
business, and no one else knew it better
than the afore- mentioned clerk, for
hadn't he presented bills to those who
took offence and withdrew their patron
age? and didn't an instance of this des-
eription happen only yesterday?. when
Jones wouldn't take the paper any lon
ger because they demanded the pay
quarterly in advance ? and didn't Smith
give them regular "'blowing up" on a
whole sheet of foolscap, because bill
was sent to him by mistake? Mistakes
will sometimes happen even among the
printers, The bills already made out
were quite numerous, and the sum total
Of the various amounts claimed by
them would more than cancel all de-
mands then pressing upon the Office
But let us reveal his thoughts as he
again resumed the task of counting up
the accounts to be paid out. e-F
"Let me sce-to day is Friday, and
tomorrow ends the week, and with it
comes a task, as usual on Saturday, of
paying off the hands. Tom wants ten
dollars; Jim eight; Charley fifteen !;
Mae twenty, and four apprentices three
dollars apiece. That will require seven
ty dollars. The paper-makcrs, Cotton,
Ragg & Co, twenty five; Pulp & Sheet,
thirty, that makes ffty-fvo more, and
one hundred and twenty five dollars in
all, and must be paid to- morrow night,
and only five dollars and ten cents in
the drawer now. But stop, here is
bill of ten dollars more for gas. 1t
must be paid up sure; it has been due
! for some time. One hundred and thir-
| ty-five dollars and only five to start
on!;'
Ills countenance wore a troubled look
as he paced up and down the floor, stu
dying difficult problem-where to get
the money. A happy thought struck
him as he again referred to the job or
der book, and found charged thereon
the sum of fifty dollars due that very
day from an extensive wholesale firm in
Pinchville. Note paper, pen and ink,
were Immediately called into rcquisition,
and the following dun made out and
despatched to the Post Office:
Messrs. Rich and Slow.--Encloscd please find
bill for fifty dollars, which you will oblige by
remitting Immediately Yours. &c,
This done the clerk again looked over
the parcel of bills which he had previ-
ousl y laid for more weighty considera-
tions, and soliloquised rs follows:
"Here is bill for twenty dollars
against Scale, Weight & Co., grocers,
that must come without fail-has been
due for two weeks. Delaine & Price
also owe us this bill for twenty more
We advertised their dry goods for six
months, and no pay since due. Mason
& Son, plasters, owe five dollars for ad-
vcrtising chair for sale" Shoemaker
o. w., uOllarS, &C. .
Being satisfied that the bills contain
cd no errors, he started out of the office
! to collect. --
"Hallo, Weight, pay this bill, only
twenty dollars-becn due two weeks
must have money, very much i'll need
hands to pay.
Weight listened very attentively un-
til the clerk paused, then, with a smile
replied:
mo funds in to-day, pay to-mor-
row."
After the clerk had passed on, with
rather downcast look, he muttered to
to himself ''pay when 1 get ready"
Clerk then entered the splendid store
of Delaine & Price. Proprietors not
in clerks knew nothing about the just
ness of the bill; think however it is
too high.
The disheartened clerk waits full thir-
ty minutes, but no proprietors come
lie leaves with a troubled look and a
quick, nervous step. Hide & Pclts
come next on the programme.
"Good morning, Mr.. Hide. Pay this
bill OF ten dollars. You agreed to pay
o-day you know
| cS ICCOl1CCI uOW, UuL L
quite forgotten it, and have no money
by me now. 1 will call this evening,
however, and settle up"
Clerk knew this to be a mere express
sion of language, but passed on, more
puzzled than ever. Mason, the plaste-
rer, however, hailed him from the third
story of new block across the way,
aud offered him three dollars on his bill
if he would just step there. OF course
the clerk almost few up to receive the
three dollars. It was the first receipt
since leaving the Office, so he continued
on down the streets. 81 aat
"Pay this bill, was repeated perhaps
fifty times, aud with rcfusals, smiles,
frowns and curses. He finally return
ed to his counting room, but with a
much slower stem than when he nassed