The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1868-07-17
BLOOMSBURY, PA, FRIDAY, JULY IT, 1868

bought anything mat was not useiul"
"Were they good TO eat ?" asked the
woman at the next house.
"Now
Then they would not have them.
"Much too DEAR" said n third.
"Andnot so very curious sal Il fourth;
"but they hoped he had come by them
honestly"
At the fifth house they said 4:
"No, no they were not quite so silly
as to believe there We're fish in the
world with silver tails; if there had been
they should often have heard of them
before"
At the sixth house they were such n
very long time in turning over his fish,
in pinching their tails, bargaining and
dressing them, that he ventured to re-
monstrate and requested that they
would make some haste. Thereupon
they said if he did not choose to wait
their pleasure they would not purchase
at all. So they shut the door upon him,
and this reused his temper, he spoke
rather roughly at the next two houses,
and was dismissed ut once as n very
rude, uncivil person.
But after all his fish were really great
cuiiosities and when he had exhibit
ted them all over the town, set them
on, in all lights, praised their pcrfcc-
tions, and taken immense pains to con-
ccal his patience and temper, heat length
contrived to sell them, and receive
exactly fourteen shillings for them and
no more.
"Now, / tell you what, Tom Turner"
hcsaid to him self, in my opinion you've
been making fool of yourself, and !
only hope Sally will not find it out.
You was tired of being a working man,
that man in grcch has cheated you into
doing the hardest weeks work you ever
done, by making you believe ii was
more frcelikc and easier. Well,you said
you didn't mind it, because you had no
master; but I've found out this after
noon, Tom, and l don't mind youl
knowing it, that every one Of those Gus.
toners of yours was your master just
the same. Why! you were al the beck
of every man, woman and child that
came near you--obliged to be in 4
good temper, 200, whichwas aggravat-
ing"
"Look, Tom," said the man in green
starting up in his path, 81 know yol
We're all working and you must al
| 4 IA,
was your customer; what he bought o
you was your work. Well, you must lc
the work be such rs will please the Gus
| toner" :"
Gall workingmcn? how doyou max
| that out? said Tom, thinking Of th
fourteen shillingS in his hand. 81
e my master working man? and III
he got master of his own" Nol
e scnsc?"
> "No nonsense at all-hc works wit
ages his great works. He has man
| masters, else why was he cncarly ruino
last year" ,"
= "IIc was nearly ruined because /
|
at his works, and people would not bu
them," said Tom.
"Well, in IA way Of speaking then,
h works to please his masters, poor I,
l. low! He is, as one may say, Il fellow
servant and plagued with veryawkwal
" masters. SO should not mind his b
ing my master, and think I'll 90 III
e tell him So"
# 81 would, Tom," said the man
J. green. "Tcll him you have not bee
II able to better yourself, and you have |
objection now to dig up the asparag
d bed"
So Tom trudgcd home to his wi
n gave her the money he had earned, &
his old master to take him back, N
id kept Il profound secret his advcntu
with the man in green, and the ii
II, with silver tails.