Buchanan County bulletin. [volume] (Independence, Iowa) 1869-1891, 1875-04-30
The Woman That Always Gets Good
Bargain.
Prairie Farmer.J

Prairie Farmer
She rides to town on the ragged
edge of an old quilt, and holds her
basket of eggs clasped to her bosom,
and with her pipe in her mouth, and
her snuf.box in her pocket, she at
tack the merchants. First she walks
all over town, and carries her basket,
to find the highest market. After she
has found it she goes back to the
first store and tells the merchant how
much she can sell for, and wants him
to give her little more, because she
always trades there. Sometimes he
does raise the price quarter OF a
cent, and sends her on her way re-
joicing. Oftener he is very content
ed man. Has about all the eggs he
can sell; prices are variable; and
ssthen comes the tug of war;" She
hates to leave without selling the
eggs. So she asks him the price of
carpet chain, and how he sells his
muslin by the bolt, and wonders how
much 1t would take to chain forty
yards; and suddenly asks if he can't
give her sixteen and two-thlrds. He
says, "what?" For he don't know
whether it's muslin or carpet chain,
she is talking about. 81 mean for
the eggs says she. 81 always sell
the biggest, and eat the little ones at
home, and, l think they are worth
sixteen and two thirds cents" The
merchant scratches his bnmp of eau
ton, and says he will give her that
but she must not tell anyone, as he
can't afford to pay that price for eggs.
(Of course she never tells.) Then
she proceeds to "trade it out" First
and always she wants pound of
soda; then row of pins, and two
needles. That is, how much would
he "charge" for two needles. He
don't know; never sold less than a
paper; only ten cents. She knows
all that, but ten cents will buy yard
of calico or two spools of thread, and
besides, she never buys but two
needles at time. If the girls have
many they lose many, so she buys
only two. He gives her two needles.
Then she buys two or three remnants
to make a dress-remnants always
come cheaper. Next she buys pair
of carriers. There is plenty of good
rubber in the box, but she hunts till
she finds some that has been kept
over and has lost its stretch; this she
gets for five cents. She wants to
know if they have any odd cups and
sauccrs? The merchant says he don't
know; would have to count the whole
lot to find out. She says she wishes
he would, she wants two or three. He
,uesses it is his dinner time, and
calls James Henry to wait on her.
James Henry bows and asks what
more she will have. She says she
lon't know; maybe she has traded
The eggs out. He counts it up and
says there are Efty-six cents coming
% her. "Well," (she studies a while), |
you don't pay money for eggs do
you? flames Henry says No." ''Then
suppose I'll have to trade it out,
out the things are so high I don't
know what to get. Have you tobac-
COZ" "Yes'm" says he, ''comc this
way" She goes over, shifts the fra
grant weed, and says: "We are poor
md have to work hard, and have to
10 without great many things, and
ri take half plug" Then she
priced the ginghams and duckings
md beavers; she feels of the silver
ware, and tastes the sugar and says:
we are poor and we work hard, and
ny to get along, and we must have
to keep us up, SO | guess
ri take a little more Of that tobac-
TO-" Then she prices looking glass,
;ries her face in it, and says it (the
slassC is little crooked. She calls
:or ribbon, and can't see why yard
IF ribbon should cost as much as 4
yard of calico, when it is good deal
narrower. Next she views the dish
IS. She wants some dishes, she
loes, but she don't know whether to
AXE two small ones or one large one,
80 she don't take any. She wants a
box large enough to make
dashboard for a sunbonnet. That is
given her, and she wants two yards
IF wallpaper to cover her bandbox.
Then she takes her pipe out of her
mouth, and holds it in her right hand,
md looks straight at James Henry
md says: eve are very poor. We
nave nothing only what we work for,
md we work very hard, and we can't
ouy everything we see, SO if it's all
he same to you, I'll take the rest of
he eggs out in tobacco"
HAIL COLUMBIA.
Naruont I'll