South Branch intelligencer. [volume] (Romney, Va. [W. Va.]) 1830-1896, 1874-06-05
How a Sewing Machine was
Bought.

a story said Mrs. WEsroS, looking up
from her sewing. 'Ilay hear, too p
III you viii be very good said Mr.
WESTON, smiling. Let ne see, bow old
are you, JonNNY T.
| Twelve, sir
Well, my story is about boy just your
age. l, is nearly year since first saw
him. [ was very busy one afternoon last
winter, when saw little boy coming in-
to the store, whose face attracted my atten
ton at once. L. was no, a very handsome
face, but it was earnest and bright;
strong, good face, If ever saw one. The
boy was poorly clad, bat his clothes were
clean and whole.
May [ see the boss 2 he asked.
81 am the boss answered, what can I
do for you?
Il want to ask tho price of frst-rate
sewing mnchine-not fancy one, sir, but
a good worker
'Well, sir said, q can give you a good
machine for sixty dollars
SKY dollars We'll, mister, said he, ear
nesty, 'can work one out? / have ov-
cry afternoon from half-past two till seven,
aud | can,run errands, or do auy work a.
bout the store. Yuu see, sir, this is how
it is: Father died two years ago, and mo.
Their, she wants me to stay at school for q
year or two longer, but she has to work
awfulIy hard TO keep me there. Father
was tricklayer, and mother owns the Ill
tie house he almost built him self, but that
is all. Sac sews, sir, and she uld make
twice as much il she only had tt IN chine.
But we never can spare sixty dollars, SIR
I thought | would see if could earn enc
But it would take you long time
SAIL, IF | gave you dollar u week it
would take you sixty weeks
'Wll you give me that 2? he said, his
eyes fairly dancing. Il caa come all day
Saturday,
'Cau you? Suppose we say a dollar and
half Aud if you do well you can have
the machine a little less than the retail
price
You see, SCsY, was interested already
in the boy, with his honest, frank face, and
resolved, if he WAS faithful in his duties to
keep him along. So we made an agree
ment, be to give me all bis spare time out
OF school, | to credit each week with dol.
lar and fifty cents toward the purchase OF
machine.
Every day he came, punctull to the min
ute, rain or shine, and ho was the most
/ prompt and reliable erraDd boy | ever en-.
ployed. Little by little the dolllrs rolled
up on the account, until one evening in the
fall, [ was here after dinucr, Just before
you aud your mother came homo from the
| country, when the door-be rang, and in
walked HARRY CUMMINGS, my GRAND boy.
q found this, sir he said, when was
sweeping out the store and he handed ne
roll Of bank notes bad thought was safe
10 my pocket.
please see if it is all right, sir, be said,
Sit was under tue counter.
l counted the notes, two hundred dollars.
and then taking out one twenty dollar note,
said
Il should have offered a reward for this,
HARRY, if you had not found IT,.
Il am glad saved you that, sir, ho an
swered. T'l bid you good night.
But you have earned tho reward, said
putting down the twenty dollars, will you
take it, or pass it to the machine money
Niue oil that Oh, sir, pass i, to the
machine. You see ID have to tell mother
where l got all that money, and the ma.
chine is to be a SURPRISE
Il never spent twenty dollars with so
much pleasure 10 my life, SUsY. This was
great lift on The machine, and this after.
noon when HARRY came / told him to pick
out one for h5 mother.
We selected o iirst-rate one, handsome,
too, aud | promised him one Of our best
teachers should 60 to show bis mother how
to work upon IT,
When II was on the cert, ready 90 %, I
invited myself to 60 with Harry and see
It delivered lie had oskel ~ to write q
note telling his mother the price vas hons
estly earned, and told him would tell her.
81 away We went, and when we reached
the little house, the cart vas just turning
tho corner Of the street. Harry opened
the door very softly, and the man lifted
the machine into the parlor Then HARRY
led me to a small sitiiug-room at tho back Of
the house, where a pale woman ia a wild,
ow's dress vas sitting, sewing busily. She
rose and offered me a chair and / told herT
bad come TO see if | could obtain HARRY
services in The store At fgo dolllrs a week.
You should have seen the boy'8 eyes.
'He can 60 TO evening school, said,
'and | will see tia, he has some time TO
read and study. I cannot spare him now,
having bad his services so long
My afternoons and Saturdays, mother
HARRY said q told you ! was not 10 mis-.
chief, ! was earring you present. Come
and Sec.
AID be danced fairly into the parlor
his mother and followed
1T yours, he said, dancing around the
machine ell paid for, and the lessons On
il, too, Amt itsplondid %