Eaton weekly Democrat. [volume] (Eaton, Ohio) 1866-1875, 1870-02-24
joEN RAnKINs BARGAIN.

PreIEy gOOQ fOr one days WCrK.N
Farmer Rankin rubbed his hands
briskly together, after depesiting in
his desk a contract be etween himself
Pretty good, little wife. Do you
know how fast the money comes ini
There Is nothing Ike making good
bargains. Pass the apples and cider,
James, ~ 2s 9i 81 s5o
Mrs. Rankin looked up from hel
sewing with troubled gaze. Il
hope you have not been too hard
with him, John; his family is very
needy s IA g9 ..s.4 3,
ar have given1a fne job to him
and his boys. They can do well
enough at eighty-sev sn, or even at
seventy-five cents q cord for wood
chopping 7 paid only hfEyseentsper
tsI though YOU were paying one
dollar 2, said his wife, ~ i
am paying according to my
agreements, |" replied Mr.. Rankin in
a tone of slight displeasure. There
was something in his wifefs manner
that reproVed hi n, as he. watched
the busy fingers, as they shot the
needle with sharp click through
the cambria. tlsfs g
The children had retired,T and
Farmer Rankin sat toying with the
rich, Low apples before him w bile
his wife kept on at her sewing,
S0nn .sS1nI1 ), s. dzs3st
care you not paying Thomas
Barnes one dollar per cord Tor cutting
wood in your woods ~ 81 z Ks:
..You viii have to draw IT three
miles ?'1 fsf s =
..Apout that, ~ eS
"You are 70 pay Joe Miller eighty
seven cents per cord oFwood cut In
his woods, and yous will have to
draw it two miles and a half.1.5 .iss.
.tYes, quite saving OF time and
money. There, wife L understand
that peculiar look of yours, which al
ways warns me Of q lecture on eth
les. tell you have done we'll
a good job, and at the same time
make it profitable to myself, you
ought to be pleased. Joe Miller wish
es % clear his land. / am to give
him eighty-seven cents per cord for
two hundred cords. / have paid fif-
teen dollars in advance, and am to
pay the balance as SO IN as il is piled
and measured.n .tsais - Il
sIt will take them q long time to
cut that much wood beaidas. cutting
what they will be obliged to burn in
the meantime. And what are the
family to DO while they are cutting g
it2 They are dppeudent upon his
daily labor for their bread 1 heard
him tell you that the money you
paid him would scarcely buy the
beots that he and his boys musthaye
s.Sl,h 4 = IL -, S.o,,,se,r, ofYoine TfT
pay when the work is dQne,f itTwill
be quite enough--more than many
others would do. Before comm enc
ing, they can work out Few days,
and earn bread and meat enough to
last them through the time.
We are not guided by what 9TH
ers would do The qQest ton j., what
others would do The question is,
what ought we to do2 Can you
afford to pay Thomas Barnes one
dollar per cord ?"
Mr.. Rankin WINGED under the.
penetrating look of his wife
Yes, but I could not get it done
cheaper, as that is.fhe least pybody
Barnes knew the market price of
wood, and knew just how much /
can draw IN one day. r5 .fs45ef-4s >
"Then Thomas Barnes understands
the worth of labor better than Joe,
Miller.
Eyes, save just tvepty-six dol.
lars on the chopping, provided he fills
the contract, and fifty If not. The
difference in drawing and furnishing
the wood makes what i call q good
bargain" said Mr.. Rankin. with a
low chuckle, as he quaffed q glass of
cider. e
Uef-a So
Say. rather, a bad bargain, my
husband, /" said Mrs. Rankin, with a
half -smothered sigh. sBargains a re
not to be estimated by dollafsan d
cents only. If we cannot stand self
acquitted in our dealings with others,
we are niserably poor, heaping up
dross instead Of gold. Iam.very sor-
~ to see you taking advantage of q
poor mans necessity
tNonsense p, said Mr.. Rankin, com
"Your nice distinc-
tions of right and wrong will not
bear the wear and tear of business"
'HThey will bear the light of eternal
truth; and whatevefcan survivethat
ordeal can bear the best of this poor,
perisha BILE world. According to your
expressed ideas, of conducting BUSH
ness, you make it a sin to accumu-
late wealth."
"How so?n
"If there is no way of making bus
iness remQnerative through strict
integrity, then is it wrong to accum-