The Andrew County Republican. [volume] (Savannah, Mo.) 1871-1876, 1875-07-30
RUTR'S S~TEPFATHER.

4 curious trade TO take to, but then 1t
has grown % be profitable. Things were
at a low ehh with me when | took it up,
while now
There. I won't boast, only say that I'm
thankful for it. Poverty comes in at the
door. ana love flies out Of the window, so
they say: but That's ali nonsense, or else
your poor people would be always misera-
bic, while according to my experience
your poo" man is always mOre light-heart-
ed than the man with thousands.
[ was at my wits ends for something
to do. and sat nibbling my nails n day
and grumbling horribly.
Don't 90 on like that, Tom" says my
wife " chings might be worse"
"HOw?'I said.
Why, We might have Luke at home,
and heiS doing we'll
Luke's our boy, you know, and we had
got him into a merchants office, where he
seemed likely TO stay; but | was in a
grumbling lit then, and there was a click
ety-click noise going on in the next
that fidgeted me terribly.
Things can't be worse."I said angrily {;
and [ was going TO prove myself i'll the
wrong BY making my wife cry, when
there was a knock at the door.
Come in" said. and a fellow-lodger
put in his head.
Are you good at works, Mr.. Smith 2"
ne said.
What works" [ said " fireworks
gasworks
No. no; | mean works of things as
goes with wheels and springS.'
"MiddIing," [ said, for | wa fond o
pulling clocks TO pieces and trying to in
vent.
"Iwish you'd come and look at this
sewmg-machine of mine, for L can't get it
to 60"
Sewing-machineS were newish in those
days, and | got up to have a look at it, and
after about an hours fiddling about. [ be-
: gan TO see a bit the reason why-the pur-
pose, you know, of all the screws and
cranks ard wheels | found out, too, why
our neighbours wife, who was a dressmak-
er, and had just started one, could not get
IL W ~ tlR tlOIC llSht, ny llliiihiiS,
and putting this and that together, had
got her in the way of working it pretty
steadily, though with my clumsy fingers
l couldn't nave done it myself.
| had my bit of dinner andtea with those
people, and they forced half-a-crown upon
new man, so refreshing had been that bit
OfwOrk.
There" said my wife, 81 told you
something would come"
";.Well, so you did," 1 said; "but the
something is rather small"
But the very next.day-as we were liv-
ing IN the midst of people who were fast
taking 20 sewing-machines-if the folks
from the next house didn't want me to
look at theirs! and then the news spread
ing, as news will spread, that there was
somebody who could cobble and tinker
machinery without putting people to the
expense that makers would, if the jobs
didn't come in fast, so that | was obliged
to get files and drills and a vise-regular
set of tools by degrees; and at last | was
busy as a bee from morning to night, and
whistling over my work as happy as a
king.
OF course every now and then L got a
breakage, but | could generally get over
that by buying a new wheel.or spindle, or
what not. Next we got to supplying shut
ties and needles and machine cotton.
Soon after | bought a machine of a man
who was tired of it. Next week sold it
at a good profit. Bought another and an
other, and sold them then got to taking
them and money in exchange for new
ones, and n way and the other became a
regular big dealer, as you see.
Hundred? Why, new, secondhand,
and with those being repaired upstairs