, 1860-12-27
IND County Merehants.

Hudson, little known in fame. NOdistinguished
orator or preacher ever originated there, nor any
Fulton or Field. The principal man in the VII
lage, engaged in secular concerns, was mer.
chant. For some years he had been employed
diligently and faithfully in his business, and had
gradually become possessed Of competency.
But his success was owing in q great measure
to bis economy, as well as to his diligence and
fidelity. His family was large and fond Of dis
play, but their fondDess bad never heen freely
gratified, for they were under too rigid control
to admit Of this
Mr.. Benton, the merchant in question, was an
honest man, and consequently an exception h
many Of his vocation. Honesty, however, he
viewed if not the best policy, the most estima6le
and determined, therefore, to make il the rule Of
his conduct. Yet he required justice TO be done
to himself as well as TO others. He required
his customers, at the close Of the year, to call
and settle their accounts or to discontinue their
business with him. This exactness displeased
many Of his customers, for they were not always
ready to call anG settle at the time appointed,
and disliked, they alleged, ITO be in subjection
to any man. If they furnished him with their
custom, he ought to be thankful for that and
not insist on Particular terms" And thus they
murmured-and yet not satisfactorily to them.
selves, for they knew beforehand the character
Of the man, and what was prerequisite with
him. OF course they could make no plausible
complaint. -'-rarr Ianu SO .aE |
For many years. Mr.. Benton had thus done
business in MELVILLE, and thus acquired con-
siderable amount Of property, a. We have before
informed the reader. But in every town there
are always some who are never satisHed-Rever
satisfied with the people Of the tOwn-with their
poltics-with their ewspapers-their houses
their lands-their taxes-their schools, or any
thing else. aal 40 .r.
And so Il was In Newville There were some
Of this character there. They didn't like this,
nor that, and more especially they didn't IKE It
that one man should monopoliEe the whole mer-
camille business Of the town. "And be, too,
was getting rich" they Sid, = an the time, and
they were getting poor. No, no-they needed
another merchant there, one that understood
how to do the business, q real city man-not
one of your old E'gi,s, nor 4 man Of the past
generation, and an 'exacter' at that" So these
discOntented, dissatisfied nOndescripts alleged
and avrrred And all this came to the ears Of
the merchant, Mr. Benton but he said nothing.
or, u anything, merely remarked that people
that kindled tire often got burnt by Il them
selves. Let them have their own way, if they
don't like mir. o., sd g1 ~ - ~
And they did have their own way; they de-
pulsed number Of their own party TO 70 TO a
large city and Inform the merchants there, that
there was grand opening there IOr merchant
in Newyille, that there was no merchant there
but an old i0gy, man 50 antiquated In business
ways that be seemed to be ifly years, 1t lsast,
behind the agel = 40 ", ~ Il
The merchants In the large city listened to
thtlr plea aud readily dispatched one Of their
number to MELVILLE, TO open . very grand es-
tablishment there. ol a1 lHF 80 .1E I
Thus the discontented, dissatisfied part Of
MELVILLE succeeded in their wishes, and had great
glee over their success, and q the expense Of
the old merchant Benton. The new store they
decorated with evergreens and flowers, and Mr..
BentOn's they draped in mourning, and around
il they sat weeping willows. The first they did
in the day time, tho last they did in the night;
fhr like all debtors they were more bold when
invisible than when in full view Of their eredi-
tOrs-and many Of these nondescTipts were In
debt to Mr.. Benton at the beck Of his attorney.
At this conduct however, Mr.. Benton was
unmOved, and permitted things to take their
own course, waiting patiently to see the end.
In the meantime, Mr.. Carlton, the new mcr-
chant, vas evidently doing . large business.
The papers were filed with his advertisements,
advertisements containing everything he hadn't
and these magniAsd teniold, and al "cheap,
cheaper, cheapest, and most Of them below
cost -. ..I1sI ,--,,e. r5-.. -lr-is fr i
Mr.. Bontons family did not view proceedings
did. They could not bear to see Mr. Cartoons
family riding about in their carriage every day
in great style without making some remarks
about It, and expressing little envy, especially
too when they themselves had to stay at home
or Il they rode out at al, ride 10 some ordinary
affair, without attracting any notice. The young
ladies' complained TO their mother to this effect,
and she TO her husband. So the sage Mr.. Ben
ton found himself assailed now on ell sides.
His own Delilah even had come TO find out not
where bis commercial strength lay, but where
his weakness was. - |
"Why, Nj. Benton" said she, " don't you
see what dash Mr.. Cartons family eut3 why,
they rode out in coach aud fourl"
mo, no, not 80 bad as that, " said he, "aeOach
and two, lguess"
swell, that Is bad enough, why can't we
have carriage, too? Surely you have labored
long enough to have some pay for it."
Pay! that Is what these very fellows CON-
plain Of; they say that am hard old case,'
and for that reason they can't abide mer'
"Well, how Is 1t that Mr.. Carlton can make
such swell and you do nothing"
That is . secret Of his own, Imagine"
"a And can't you get Il Z"
Probably might, IL felt so disposed"
There, Il isall your disposition, Is itl Wei,
DO think" ,.''
"ohi lean buy a carriage, suppose, If IIry.
Is that all you wanti"
No. Of course not, We want 10 i've In the
same style that Mr.. Carlton docs, and the girls
feel sighted that they cannot"
"Ah, see, We have got to dash out In the
same style, aud spend all we have got 10 do It."
There Il Isl Who asked you TO spend al
you hsvei u Mr. Carlton spending ell that be
hAsi"
IL don't know, he can tell you, presume--Of
course ] cannot for am acquainted with nei.
ther the man nor his business"
"Wel, you see how his daughters ride out