Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1875-09-24

That pretty girl showing ana explaining
the machine to a customer? That's Ruth,
that is. No, not my daughter yet, but she
soon will be. Poor girl, always think Of
her and of bread thrown upon the waters
at the same time.
Curious idea that, you will say, but I'll
tsll you why.
In our trade we have strange people 10
deal with. Most of 'cm arc poor, and can't
buy a machine right off, but are ready and
willing TO pay so much a week. That suits
them, and it suits me, if they'll only keep
the payments up to the end.
You won't believe me, perhaps, but some
Of them don't do that. Some Of them leave
their lodgings, and 1 never see them again;
and the most curious part is that the sew
ing machine disappears with them, and l
never see thIt again. Many one, too, that
has disappeared like that, | do see again.
perhaps have it brought here by some one
to be repaired, or exchanged for a bigger
ono by different maker; for if you look
round here, you'll see I've got all kinds
new aud old, little domostics and big trades
there, you name any maker, and see If
don't bring you out one of his works.
Well, when l ask these people where
they GOT the machine-ior | always know
| them by the number--it turns out that
| they've bought j. through an advertise
ment, or at a saloroom, or maybe out Of Il
| pSwnbroker's shop.
! But I've had plenty Of honest people to
| deal with too-them as have come straight
/ forward, and told me they couldn't keep
up their payments, and asked me 10 take
their machine back, when I'd allow them
as much ms thought fair. and 'iwould be
| an end Of a pleasant transaction.
The way l have been bitten, though, by
some folks, Ia, made me that casc-hirdcn-
! ed that sometime, I've wondered whether
| I'd go. any heart let, and the wifr's had to
| interfere, telling me I've been spoiled with
| pro- pcrity and grown uuieeliue.
| II was she made me give way about Ruth,
| for one day, after having had my bristlcs
| all set up by finding out that three good
! sound machines, by best makers, had gone
| nobody knew where, vino should come into
the shop but a Iadylike-lookin woman in
very shabby widows weeds. She wanted
a machine for hersclfand daughter TO learn,
and sand she had heard that l would take
the money by inslalmonts. Now Just halt
an hour before, 10y our shop clock, l had
| made vow that Id give up all that part Of
the trade, and l was very rough with her
| just as l am when I'm croSs--an1 said,
| mo"
| But YOU will il the lady gives security"
says my wife hastily.
The poor woman gave such Woe be-
| gone look at us that it made me more out
OF temper than ever, for could feel that if
l stopped | should have 10 let her have one
at her own terms. And 50 it was; ; for,
there, if / didn't let her have first-clsss
| machine, as good as new, she only paying
seven and six down, and undertaking to
| pay hali-a-crown week, and no more Sc
curly than nothing.
To make II worse, too, if l didn't send
the thing home without charge! Luke 20
ing with ii, for he was back at home now
keeping my books, grown into a tiue young
fellow Of live and-twcnty; and 1 sat and
! growled the whole Of the rest Of the day,
calling myself all the weak-minded idiots
under the sun, and telling the wife that
business was going 10 the dogs, and
should be ruined.
'You ought 10 be ashamed of yourself,
Tom," she said.
$50 am" say I. Il didn'tthink l could
be such fool
"Such a fool a 10 do good kind action
TO one who was evidently lady born, and
come down in the world p
YES" l says; 'io living in Bcunclts
! place, where I've sunk no less than ten
machines in five years"
Yes" says the wife; "and cleared
hundreds OF pounds. Tom, I'm ashamed
Of you-you man with twenty workmen
busy up stairs acouple Of thousand pounds
worth Of stock, and in the bank "a"
Hold youl tongue. will your! | said
roughly, and went out into the shop to try
aud work it all OF.
Luke came back soon aller, locking
very strange, aud l was at him directly.
"Whcro's the seven an six ?" | said an
grlly.
lie didn't answer, but put three half
crowns down on the desk, took out the
book, made his ontres-dates OF deliv-
cry, first payment, when the others due,
and the rest OF it-and was then going into
the house.
mind l says sharply, ''lhoso payments
are to be kept up to the day aud to-mor-
row you so TO Rolly's, who live nearly OPP
posite 10 'em and tell 'em 10 keep an eye on
the widow, ct We shall lose another ma
chine"
"You needn't be afraid, flther," he says
coldlyi "lhey're honest enough, only
poor"
l was just in that humor that / wanted
to quarrel with somebody, and that did it.
"When l ask you for your opinion, young
man, you give it me; and when l tell you
TO do a thing, you do it," I says, in as saw
age a way as ever l spoke TO the lad. "You
so over tomorrow and tell Rolly's TO keep
strict lookout on those peop!e-do you
hear?"
Father" he says, looking me full in the
face, 81 couldn't insult them by doing such
a thing" when without another word he
walked quietly out the shop, leaving me
worse than ever.
For that hoy had never spoken to me
like that before, and should have gone af-
ter him feeling mad like, only some peo-
pie came in, and didn't see him again un-
til evening, and good thing too, for Pm
sure l should have said all sorts of things
to the boy, that I should have been sorry
for after. And there l was fuming and
fretting about, savage with everybody, Civ
ing short answers, swapping at my wife,
and feeling as n man does feel when he
knows that he has been in the wrong and
hasn't the heart TO so and own it.
ting by the parlor fire, with the wife work