The weekly Portage sentinel. [volume] (Ravenna, Ohio) 1854-1861, 1858-04-01
The, Gift Enterprise. >, ilJ,,:
BIZ CARL eANTXs.

| nay uuWc 10 NatH0utUt OokvVSs GCtUoP
you have seen lae, at some time, standing
behind the counter Of my employers, Measr
Haberdasher, & Co., who for Eve years pas
have been selling their goods at en- olar1,ia.
sacrifice as the Coluns Of the daily paper
I and large placard in front Of the store hav'
constantly made known to an interests
4 public. As the uninitiated might find |
difficult matter to understand how such /
wny Of doing business could be profitable t
the Arm. we will just whisper in con6denc'
that the alarming sacrifice slluded to 10 al
ways on the part Of the customers. ,g--ss
| This. however, has no direct bearing upoI
my, story. Let me only soy in addition
while upon this point, that my salury. althO
large enough for my own maintenance, pre-
cluded all thoughts Of mutrimony in the pre-
sent expensive style of living. Therefore il
may easily be inferred ihatI must either re
sign myself not to marry at all or find some
| one who to a heart spperadds a fortune.
! The reader understands my position sufi
cien,ly to understand the feelings with which
I read an advertisement Of the following
purport in the papers some time since. rs
The advertisement in question set forth
the advantage of certain gift enterprise In
a neighboring city, enutierutiug brilliant
list of prizes, closing with-what do you
think! No less than the hand of young
lady, together with twenty thousand dollars
The conditions were tia, II upoii acquain.
sonce. either the young lady or the winning
party should see fit to decline the matrimo.
niui alliance intended. the rejecting party
should forfeit all claimto the twenty tHoti
sand dollars which should 60 to the reject.
ed. ,.....,.... ...... ..-..... d.. ....-..
The price Of tickets in this tempting lott
terry was only two dollars; Boston agents,
Messrs. Shave g. Co.. State street. Having
fully made up my mind to invest, ! called
there on my way from dinner.
"Flave 3oG any tickets left" inquired,
| With some anx ETY.. ~- a".' 90
"A few" was the prompt reply. evil
yot have one!" .......+....... ...
ayes. | believe go" .u -. D.
accordingly passed two dollar till TO
the clerk, and received ticket fHafked H..
569. F...:..t. ..-s
"Ra,hera high 6gure," remarked care
iessly. ..%'
yes" said the clerk, 1.-The ticreells are go.
ing off like hot cakes. They are in great
demand among young men," he shid, smil'
Ing. "Some tdke as many as fifteen or
twenty, to make their chaRces stirer."
was about, upon this Hint, to follow their
example, and purchase few more, when ].
luckily reflected thot boarding bill due tie
next day w0Ild take up oil my remaining
available funds, and prudently denied my
self. -..s...,...... ........4s st...-
Dear reader. did you ever have ticket in
gif. enterprise! If SO. you can understand
my state of mind for the month which must
intervene before the declaration Of the prizes.
was continually specializing upon my
chances OF success, and what should do il,
on being declared the lucky winner of the
Rrst prize, ! should find the lady whom had
won intolerablc ugly and unprepossessing.
In such case, would the sum OF twenty thou.
sand dollars be sufficient to sugar the pill!
could not tell, but wisely concluded to wait
Until the alternative was really presented
In the meantime | was particularly observ-
ant Of the pretty faces whom the plncard--
An Alarming Sactifice-drew to our store.
I amused myself by picking out particular
young ladies'. and representing TO myself the
possibility that one of them might be the
lady who was to bring her intended twenty
thousand dollars. ~ ? s''... !. ... s
Without, dwelling upon this will only
say that saw several whS should We been
perfectly willing to marry at a5less high fig.
ure. am aware that some OF my romantic
young lady readers will shake their heads at
| this admission nndbrand me as mercenary
fellow, with o heart not large enough TO be
worth having. But, my dear young ladies,
YOU must remember that, as at that time /
had no particular interest in any young lady,
was more likely to be Influenced by the
fascina,ions 81 the sex generally. and | ven
,ore to say, thatif ] had happened to meet
any of you before I1became acquainted with