St. Charles City Republican intelligencer. [volume] (St. Charles City [Charles City], Iowa) 1857-1861, 1858-09-30
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manner of the ancicnts-that is to
say, without any stipulations about
goods and chattels and, for the pres
ent, what with talking together, dane
ing together, sleigh-riding together,
and loving each other with all their
might and main, they were having
very nice time of it.
But old Oracle was a rascal He
had evil designs. He looked upon
all this happiness as Mephstophelcs
might have looked OH the first inter
view of Faust and Margaret He was
rich, that old hunks of Oracle. He
had great deal of money let out on
bonds and mortgages, and was very
hard upon his debtors and he owned
farms in fee simple all over the coun-
ty. People said that he had heaps on
heaps of gold and silver in strong
box in his house-thousands upon
thousands Of dollars. But old Oracle
was too cunning for that. What spare
cash he had was safely lodged in bank;
and he always gave you check for
your note or bond.
One evening, when Jot had been
taking tea with Sally and her father,
and the three were chatting costly by
the tireside, old Oracle said kind of
promiscuousIy," as Jot expressed itI
afterwards, "Mr. De Winter, what
kind of business are you going into ?"
Business ?" said Jot, taken little
aback, for to tell the truth, the poor
innocent youth had never thought a
word about it,
Yes, business" said old Oracle
"with your handsome capital, you can
go into almost any kind of business
with advantage" just as if the old
villain did not know better than that.
Well" replied Jot, IL confess l
haven't thought much about it. What
would you recommend You know
better about such matters than l do,
Mr. Gracie.'
Our readers will, we dare say, al
ready have arrived at the conclusion
that my cousin Jot was not only lit
tie deficient in profound book learning,
but rather unsophisticatcdi in the ways
of the world, and not very wise per-
son. In fact he was better hand at
hard blows than deep calculations, as
we shall see further on. But let US
resume our report of the conversation
on that evcntful evening when he
opened his Internal trenches upon poor
Jot.
"Wcll, Mr.. De Winter" said old
Gracic, /" think it would not be bad
notion for you to open a store, here in
this place. Goods, you know, can be
bought cheap now. There has been
great fall in English goods of all sorts
since the peace !; and West India pro-
duce is down very low, comparatively.
You can get nice stock of goods for
a country store without using up much
Of your capital"
"D'ye think so, Mr.. Gracie?'
al know it. There is no question
about it. Sally, who sits there look
ing so demure, knows it too and if
she were not afraid to speak up, she
would tell you SO. She knows that
her gowns and furbelows don't cost
half nor quarter as much as they
did in the war time"
Sally, who, in point of fact, had
been considering what mischief the
old man was brewing, for she knew
him better than Jot did, could not hes
itate in confirming what he said So
the matter was talked over and can
vassed on every side.
Jot was convinced, by the willy and
wcll-considered arguments of old Gra-
Gle, that country shopkeeping was
not only the most respectable, but the
most fit, feasible, proper and lucrative
business in which he could possibly
engage. The young man, conscious
of his own ignorance and incapacity,
proposed to the old one that since the
business was so rery respectable, he
should become his partner.
But this proposition, quite reasona-
bic under the circumstances, as DOT
understood them, did not exactly suit
the respectable Mr.. Gracie's views.
He was so busy with his farms and
other matters that he had not the
necessary leisure for attending to the
business of the store at all lie said,
very hatteringly, that he thought Mr.
De Winter was fully competent to the
management of it.
Jot thought he ought to have part
ner who had been accustomed to the
business. lie proposed to hunt up one
But this did not suit Mr.. Oracle at all
He did not want any partner expe-
rienced in business about the premises.
He wanted Jot, as the gamblers say,
to "go it alone"
Although rather afraid Of offending
his future father-in-law, Jot held out
for some time in opposition to this pre-
posterous scheme but he finally gave
in.
So Cousin Jot set up a country
store, spending his days in selling
goods, and his evenings in visits to
Sally. He trusted everybody that
asked credit, and counted his bills re-
ceivable as cash. But when they be-
came due they were not all cash.
When his notes to the city merchants
became due, as he had expended all
his prize.moncy in stocking his store,
and had kept horse and gig and
lived rather generously, he found him.
self in want Of ready money. Old
Oracle was not long in finding this
out, and generously lent hin considera-
bic sums, as he required them, at a
most usurious rate of interest, taking
a mortgage ON the goods in the store.
Jot trusted that "all would come out
right" and the old miser encouraged
him in his hopes.
Whenever Jot spoke to Oracle Of
his approaching marriage (for the old
man had sanctioned the engagement)
he put him of on various pretences.
They were still young. There was no
hurry. The times were too hard to
begin housekeeping just now.
! Things were going on in this way
when, one bright summer morning
Jot, going into his store as usual
n ~ II