The Lancaster gazette. [volume] (Lancaster, Ohio) 1863-1886, 1865-03-30
oLDEN TIMES.
no. ~.

ship Of just three woeks at Mr.. Mac
Icracken's store, as before stated, On
the 18th day Of April, A. D., 1923, Mr..
BoIle, my father and myself went to
Lancaster, TO have an article Of agree
ment drawn up by my cousin, Mr..
Jacob Beck. Now 1 will also state
how the invoice was taken of the old
goods in the cabin. Mr.. Bolle did all
this himself, while we were at home
for he knew the price better than We
did--tlen brought q sheet or memo
randum of the articles to town, and as
he read them off Mr. Beck took them
down, and made out an invoice or bill.
We never once thought that Mr.. b
might take the advantage Of us. Now
lit is different. NO Young America
would look out for one" The same
day father and | went to Maccrackon's
and laid in fresh stock ofdry goods
and groceries, to the amount OF ono
Ihdndred and fifty dollars; this was oil
| the money we bad.
We took as much pains, and had as
much anxiety about making selections
as though we were laying in a large
stock. Alter we had bought all our
tdry gooI8 ami groceries. George My
ers said we ought to have some queens
ware. This was true but We had no
more money. Mr.. Maccracken said
they had very small crate Of ware
which would just come to s45, ann he
offered 10 trust US tor that. George
Myers then said 4" Mr. Leonard you
ought 70 have this crate to made out
| The ass0rtmegt-good idea. We took
the crate Of ware after considerable
persuasion but the debt seemed heavier
than tie whole load Of goods. This
1 looked big TO US.
a.! So on the 18th day Of April we
oyened out our new store in the old
log cabin II By lG. with only one win
dow on the side of the door, contain
ing fonr lights of glass s by 10. Tho
door was made of two hewed ask plank
saw mills scarce in 1909 the time
this cabin was bnilt-the lower half of
4 a chimney built Of mud Gad sticks was
still standing at the west end Of the
shanty, covered up with slabs and
ground on top. 1t will be easily seen
that this chimney could not be used
for either wood or coal fire place. but
was now occupied by i barrel of whis-
XIV fire. which was thought in that day
1 to be an Indispensable Institution in a
lstorc. fla customer bought pound
of coffee or any other article, and he
wanted dram and the storekeeper
did not trust, he was called stingy.
Men who liked whisky in those days
would rather 90 to the store themselves
for any little article than send boy.
In this way merchants gave away
about I'll the profits they made on what
they sold by the gallon and quart.
None was ever sold by the drink that
was free.
But to return to the New store in
the old cabin Here staid day and
night, Sundays excepted, and in going
to my meals, for two years, summer
and winter; and as the cabin had no
| fire place or stove, l was compelled
to keep store without fire. When
III was very cold, l would sometimes
90 to a neshbor'S house and warm
Then there was no danger of having
customers stay longer than they were
compelled to. l had to sleep in the
garret loft of the cabin under clap
board root, where many morning l
would get up before day and shake
the snow off tho cover and then so
third Of u mile to my breakfast, and 50
walk this road six times q day to my
meals. All this willingly endured
e for [ ,gaated to be a Storekeeper."
The old stock purchased or taken
= oucomnissior. from Mr.. Bolle amount
ed to two hundred and fifty dollars,
of which we sold Just one hundred and
. twentv.fise dollars worth the first
, wear: the remyinder he took back.
The total sales for the first year were
ionlv five hundred dollars. Now the
reader can easily see that our profits
or income was small-not enough to
keep a strong smoker in cigafs. Our
sales the second year amounted toseven
hundred dollars. About this time
father built a new hcwed log house on
cilot No. t. which, when finished, was
int,udcd for a new store house. Be-
fore we moved into this new house, the
propriety or impropriety OF opening
ont again was debated for about three
'weeks. We packed all the dry goods
in common store box which was
about half full, and set away in our
} upstairs ut home finally it was unan-
!, imousIy agreed TO start up again for
I wanted to be storekeeper. The
third year we sold eleven hundred
dollars worth, and the fourth year
seventeen hundred dollars worth.
About this time father concluded TO
! Itake his two horse team. and go to
, Cincinnati and lay in stock goods.
= He took kmy brother John along They
made the trip in about ten or twelve
DAYS brought home stock OF goods
amounting to just three hundred dol
lars which was all the money he had.
u This year gave new impulse to our
:. business. The fifth year our sales
= amounted to three thousand two hun
. dred dollars. The sixth year tour
thousand seven hundred dollars.
e Basil, Ohio. H. L.