Spirit of Jefferson. [volume] (Charles Town, Va. [W. Va.]) 1844-1948, 1870-08-02
.MISCELLANEOUs.
THE PAPERLEss MAN.

| kind In the first place, 1 bain't got the
money; and in the next place, if had the
money, wouldn't have none of your papers. :"
So spoke Titus Closely, in answer to man
who had called to see if he would like to sub
scribe for newspaper. Said man kept store
in neighboring village, and was also the
postmaster and he had made arrangements
to add to his business by establishing news
paper agency
'sI can furnish you with any paper you may
! like" he explained to Mr.. Closely, "and | can
furnish it cheaper than you can get it any
other way, because by buying of me you will
save postage. l shall have papers devoted to
the Family papers for the Farmers papers
for the Mechanic and papers for both young
and old ; and, in short assure you that any
one of them would be worth far more to you
than I propose to ask. Ask your wife what
she thinks You have no idea what a vast
amount of valuable information you will find"
Nancy Closely wanted a paper, but her hus-
band said
"Oh, bother I don't want it, I tell ye !!
I've got as much as l can do to look after my
farm, and if Nancy and the children want to
read they can get tracts of the minister"
"Your neighbor, Dcepwater, has subscribed
for two papers," said the agent. "He will
take pleasant, high-toncd literary paper for
his family, and paper devoted to art, science
and agriculture for himself"
"The more fool he; cried Titus Closely,
contemptuousy. "John Deepwater can't af-
ford it any more'n I can. My farms bigger
and better than his is and 1 tell ye fiat and
square, hain't got no three dollars to throw
away for newspaper"
'.But, Titus"
"Shut up, Nancy. tell ye won't have it!'
N,,,o, oIoeod bor I've ooJ tba or,ank
went his way and Titus Closely went forth
to plow his ground with the great old wooden
plow which his father, and his grandfather,
before him had uscd.
And time passed on. The newspaper
agency was established at the post t-ofice, but
Titus did not patronise it. He felt that he
had principle at stake. He had said he would
not and he would not. But in one thing he
was consistent, he would not allow his wife or
children to borrow papers of his neighbor
Deepwater if he knew it.
One evening Titus and his wife took tea,
by invitation, with neighbor Deepwater.
"I declare" said Titus, on their way home,
"Prudenco Deepwater beats all creation for
cooking, don't she? I'd no'idea she was such
hand at it. l wonder where she got them
fresh strawberries"
"Sho preserved them herself" said Nancy.
"Oh, git out. Them wasn't preserved"
s'It is the way they were fixed"
t'Can you do it %
al could if 1 had her paper
"Her paper"
Eyes. She found the receipt in her paper.
And that's where she learned how to do most
all her nice cooking"
Titus changed the subject of conversation.
Autumn came. and the Agricultural Fair
was held in an adjoiug town. Titus went with
what he considered yoke of very fine oxen;
but found, when the exhibition came of, that
he was far behind the times. New breeds, of
which he had known nothing, had been intro
duced, and his own animals were considered
to be unworthy of notice.
"Whcw!" whistled Titus, as he sat in his
kitchen, with crumpled report of the award
ing committee in his hand. a friend had
given him the printed document. "John
Deepwater has got the premium for sheep
By hokey. l will bet I'll clip more wool next
year than he will"
"Because you We got more sheep" suggested.
Nancy "But wait and see. The new breed
which he has just procured is very valuable
one"
Bah! Think what it cost him I! Fifty
dollars for pair of EN-"
ale sold two of his spring lambs for eighty
dollars"
sGit out"
prudence told me SO. John Deepwater
saw so many Hattering accounts of those sheep
in his paper that he knew it would be safe to
invest"
'Titus referred again to the report.
"Hello, I'm blessed if Polly Downer has
not got the first premium for her cheese
five dollars"
"Yes," said Nancy, "she was telling me all
about her cheeses. She found out how to
make them in her paper. l tell you, Titus,
it is good thing to have good newspaper.
l wish you
"Bah Don't talk to me-" And Titus
threw down the paper and retired from the
kitchen in disgust.
The winter passed and the springs work
was done, and the time for sheaFing sheep
came. Titus Closely sheared one hundred
and fifty sheep, and obtained therefrom not
quite 600 pounds Of wool, being less than an
average of four pounds to the sheep.
John DeePwater shared seventy sheep, and
obtained from them very near 500 pounds of
wool, thus giving him yield of trife over
eight pounds to each sheep.
'Titus. didn't 1 tell you that John Deep
waters sheep would prove by far the most
profitable? 1t costs no more to keep one of
his fine animals than it does one of ours. And,
then, his lambs are heavier and his mutton is
so much more"
"Stop yer CAB. Nance. I know what yer
pitchin at It's one of them 'tarnel papers