Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1861-11-16
THINGS has RIZ.'

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"THINGs HAS RIz."
BACHELOR s RETREAT, Got. 81, 1851.
To the Editors of the Daily Patriot-Gentle-
men: You are aware that with the Presiden-
ral contest Of 1851 my political hopes and
aspirations expired, and that imm ediately
retired to my Sabine farm on the Frogtown
turnpike, some fifteen miles from the CITY
where 1 proposed to spend the remainder of
my days in cultivating my few acres, and in
endeavoring to marry some young lady of rich
but respectable parents.
Since that time have visited the CITY but
twice-once last spring to get some Shaker
seeds and fish hooks, and once last week to sell
a few bushels Of wheat and lay in my winter
supplies.
My wheat, the quantity of which was small
brought me, ct John j. McCann's new mill
could command, or was likely soon to com
| mand, had no other means of paying for the
cart load Of things I felt myself compelled to
have to render me comfortable for the winter :
/ coffee, soap, sugar, rat, candles, boots, TO-
How many Of these articles of prime necessity
bought for the money, you can easily deter
mine by the simplest process Of arithmetical
calculation. Suffice it to say, expended all
but ten dollars of the amount, and had get
l neither hat nor shoes, and deuced little of
/ anything else-in short, not enough to fill one
Of my saddle bags.
Iwsnt into shop where they had quantity
i Of good-looking boots on exhibition in the
show-window, Intending to buy me a pair, and
| fully prepared by the experience of the day, to
give what our excellent old friend Squire
Maxey, Of Market street, would call thun-
| dering price for them. 1 sat down on a chair
| with the bottom knocked out, and eleyating
| my foot in front Of the manufacturer, who was
pulling wsx-end through the sole of shoe,
| and pointing to my dilapidated boot, feelingly
| exclaimed, Behold the sad ravages of time 70
The manufacturer laid down his awl thrust his
| finger into hole in the side of the boot, and
/ giving sudden twist, made the hole fifty per
| cent. larger than 1t was before "HalIoo
hold ~ l exclaimed, turning pale, for had
/ intended to make the boots last me for eyery
day wear until cold weather sets in, and was
about to swear at the fellow longer and louder
L than trooper, but reflected that profanity
| would not repair the damage in times like
these, and so 1 merely remarked that wanted
i q new pair.
I have long had a weakness for what they
| call stitch downs, but have never worn pair,
/ partly because they cost cOnfound sight of
| money, and partly because they are too heavy
to 60 to see the girls in. For the first named
| reason L have left unbought a nunber OF
/ things in my time that was not little anx.
ious to have. The owner of the shop took
down from peg pair of stitch-downs.
| tried them on. / must do them the Justice TO
say that they fitted me as handsomely as il
my feet had been melted and poured into
them. I determined to buy them, cost what
they might. "I'll take these, -" said 1, stamp
ing my right foot violently on the floor, and
taking my ten dollar bill from my pocket
I" Take your pay out of that" said /, handing
him the costly shinplsster.
re4lly believe the individual who stood be.
fore me at that moment was the most tho.
| roughly astonished boot maker that ever saw
he looked hrst at the money and then at me
turning alternately pale and red, while hit
eye-balls protruded from their sockets as il
they had been showed outward by some by
draulic pressure within. At last, Just as wa:
about to cry fire" or run fer a doctor, ol
something Of the sort, he spoke: "You are
from the country, amt you?" I answered
that was. "And from - of a long way
in the country, too, amt you?'' " "Tolerabl
deep" I replied. 81 thought so," said he
"them bocois eighteen dollars"
didn't say another word. sat down anc
pulled of " them boots" more in sorrow thar
in anger, drew on my own, and walked out o
the shop. The proprietor Of the establishment
must have taken me for the Prince of Wales
or the owner Of the State Bank. Eighteen dol
lars for a pair of boots earnestly trust tha
posterity will not think me too particular abou
tribes, but can't pay such prices.
went to the store of my old friend, Johl
Ramsge, on College street, where got frs
| rate pair Of boots for seven dollars, and havinI
invested the rest Of my money in other neces
ssriss, threw my ssddlebags across my hors,
and started home, fully convinced by the ex
perience Of the day that the small grocer o
whom purchased four pounds Of candles o
nifty cents per pound was correct when he re
marked that things has ris."
When was spending my last red, Il did no
occur 70 me that three toll-gates obstructsd tn
turnpike between my house and the city
However, they did not hinder me much 20
through the frst 0ne came to by telling tn
keeper that he would have to change q 81
dollar bill, which, Of course, he could not do
The other two rode around. shall make |
all right the next time I 20 to town.
want 10 know, now, why they make us pa,
such unhsliowed prices for such articles, fo
instance, as sugar, -four, DC. The sugar crol
of Louisians was never better than the presen
. one, and Davidson county never dreamed Of
heavier crop Of wheat than the last To max
rs pay two or three prices for articles tha
ought to be almost q drug In the market /
! downright robbery-it IL villainous-in shor
it Is damnsble, and there ought to be q law h
, put stop to 1t. If there IL already such
! law, then that Law Is o "particeps criminis''-
an accessory to the rascality-and ought to b
dealt with accordingly. sz
In great haste, your friend truly,