The home journal. (Winchester, Tenn.) 1858-188?, 1875-09-09
RUTHS STEP FATHER.

A curious trade TO take to-, bnt thcl
it has grown TO be profitable, Thing
were Mt II low cbb with mo when ! tool
it up, while now
There, | won't b0aet, only Say ihn
I'm thnnkfuI for IT.. Poverty comes II
nj the door md love nics out Of the
window, 30 they say bat thaL'p all non
Rruao, or Clsc your poor people wOuld
be always miacrnblc, while according to
my experience Your poor man IL often
moro light. hearted than the man with
thongand8.
/ was at my wits end for something
to do, and rat nlbbIing my nails one
day and grumbliDg horribly.
"Don't 20 on like that, Tom" eays
my wife; "thinRs might be worso.'
GLOW ?" I said.
Why, we might have Luke at homo,
and ho is doing well"
Imkc'B our boy, you know, and VIC
had rot him into II mcrchant's Office,
where ho seemed likely TO stay but
was in n Grumbling fit then, and there
wGB II cIickcty click noise going ON IN
Tho next room TINT ldgctod me terribly,
Things can't be worse" | said mn.
RriIy and / was going on 30 prove my
Belf in the right by making my wife
cry, when there was n knock at the door.
"Come in" | said, and It follow
lodRcr put in his bend.
care you good at works. Mr.. Smith?'
he snid.
"What work 2" said "Greworks 70
goswOrkB? :"
"No, no / mean works Of things aa
goes with whorla and Bprings."
Middlmg," | said, for / was fonG Of
Pulling clocks to pieces aud trying to
invent.
81 wieh you'd come and look at thif
sewing machine Of muo, for ! can't get
it 10 CO."
Sowing-mnchlucH were nowiHh in those
days, and | got up TO look Mt il, and utter
about IN hours lddling about | began
to eco II bit the reason why-tho pur
pore, You know, Of all the screws and
cranks and wheels | found ont, too,
why our neighbours wife, who was n
drcssmakcr and had just started ono,
could not get it TO go; and before
night, by thinking and putting this and
TINT together, Ind rot her in the way OF
working it pretty steadily, though with
my clumey fingers | couldn't have done
it myself.
had my bit Of dinner and tea with
tEoRo people, and they forced half
crown upon me ua well, md | went
buck feeling like n new man, 10 refresh.
ing had been that bit of work.
"Thcrc," said my wife, 81 told You
something would come"
Well, no you did, said "but
the something il rather small"
But the very next day-as We were
living in the midst Of people who wore
fast taking to sewing machlncs-if the
folks from the next house didn't want
me to look ut theirs; and then the nowp
spreading, AZ news will spread, thnt
there was somebody who could cobblc
and tinker machinery without putting
people to the expense that makers
would if the Jobs didn't como in fnst,
So thai ! wgs Oblig Il 10 get flea and
drills and IL vjrr-r,CCiar set Of toolp
by degrees ard Mt last | wns IA busy
~ bee from morning to night, and
"mslIiDg over my work M happy ~ II
king.
OF courso every now and then | got II
%bronkngr, but | could generally pct
over that by buying n now wheel or
spindle, or what not. Next We got to
supplying shuttlea and needles aud
machine cotton. Soon aiicr | bought n
mnGh!rl of IL mau who was tired Of it.
Next week | sold it Mt II good profit.
Bought another and another, and sold
them then got to taking them and
money in exchange for new ones, aud
one way and tho other became n regular
big dealer, M You SEQ.
Hundred Why, new, secondhand.
and with those being repaired mp stairs
by the mon, I've got ut least three hun
dred on the promises, while il anybody
had told me fifteen years ago that |
should be doing this / should have
laughed ut him.
That pretty girl showing and explain.
ing the machine TO Il customer? That's
Ruth, that is. No, not my daughter
yet, but she Dol will be. Poor girl, |
always think Of her and of tho bread
thrown upon the waters Mt tho Same
time.
Curious idea that, you will say, but
I'll tell you why.
In our trade we have strange people
TO deal with. Most of 'em are poor,
and can't buy n machine right OF, but
are ready and willing 10 pay 10 much u
week. That suits them and it suits
me, il they will only keep tho payments
mp TO tho end.
You wont believe me, perhaps. Int
some Of them don't do that. Some of
them leave their lodgings, and | never
zee them again and thu most cnr;ors
part If that the sewing-macnjne dison
pears with them, and / never see tha,
again. Many n one, too, that has dis.
appeared like that / do sec a,ain
perhaps have it brought here by some
n to be repaired or exchanged for n
bigger, or for one by a different maker
Tor II You look round here you1l sec
I've got all kinds-new anil old. lItIle
domeStics and big trades-therc. Won
name any maker and see if / don't
or,ng you out one of his works.
Well, when | ask these people vbere
'hey go! the machine-for / alvays