Delaware tribune. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1867-1877, 1875-12-23
. RurM's srfpfArnta.
BY GEORGE MANvILI.E PENN.

grown to bs profitable. Things were At low
ebb with mo whom took It up, while now
There won't boast, only say that I'm thank
full for it, Poverty comes in IT the door and
love flies out Of the window, 30 they say but
that's all nonsense, or else you poor people would
be always miserable. while according to my ex-
perieuce, your poor man 10 often more light
hearted than the man with thousands.
was at my Wits end for something to do,
and sat nibbling my nails one day and grum-
bling horribly.
"Don't go on like that, Tom" says my wife
things might be worse"
3" How 2h SAID.
:. why, sN;.iy WE We might have Luke at homo' and he
Lrke's our boy, you know, and We have got
him in = merchants office, where he seemed
likely to stay but was in , grumbling it
then, and there wAa clickerty- click noise going
on in the next room that adKetsd me terribly
was going to prove myself in the wrong by
making my wife cry. when there was knock on
the door.
Come in." sad, and fsllow-lodgsr. in
his head. .-.,.....,.
'..Are you good at works, Mr. Smith 7" he
said.
Whist works2"I said; hreworks-gas,
works2"
.'No, no; l mean works of things as goes with
"Middling. said, for was fond Of pulling
clocks to rieces and trying to invent.
II wish you'd come aud look at this sewing
machine Of mine, for can't get it To CO."
Sowing machines were newish in those days.
aud got up to look at it, and, after bit the
reason why-the purpose, you know, of all the
screws and cranks and wheels; l found out too,
why our neighbor's wife who wsA = dresstna-
ker, and had just started one could not get 1t to
go; and before night, by thinking, and putting
this and that together, had got her in the way Of
working 1t pretty steadily, though with my clum-
sy fingers couldn't have done it myself.
! had my bit Of dinner and tee with those peo.
well, and went back feeling like new man, 10
refreshing had been that piece Of work.
There" said my wife, II told you something
would come"
"wsll, 40 70" did, )" sad, "but the something
But the very next day-as We were living
in the midst OF people who were fast taking to
sewing machines the folks from the next
house didn't want me to look ut theirs aud then
the news spreading, ~ news will spread, that
there was somebody who could c0bble and tink-
Of machinery without putting people to the ex
pense that makers would, IL the jobs didn't come
IN fast, so that was obliged to get files and
drills and vice-regular ret OF tools by degrees;
aud at last WAS ~ busy ~ bee from morning
till night, and whistling over my work M happy
~ King.
or course every now And then got break
age, but l could generally get over that by buy-
ing new wheel or Spindle or what not. Next
We got to supplying shuttles and needles and
machine cotton. Soon after bought machine
OF . man who WAS tired OF 1t. Next week sold
it at good profit. Bought another and another,
aud sold them thon got to taking them and
money in exchange for new ones, and one way
and tile other became Bug dealer, ~ you see.
Hundred2 Why, new, secondhand and with
those being repaired upstairs by the men, I've
got At least 300 Oh the premises, while II any
body had told me fifteen years ago that should
be doing this should haye laughed At them.
That pretty girl showing and explaining the
mAchine to = customer That's Ruth, thai
il. No, not my daughter yet, but she will sooL
be. Poor girl, always think of her and of the
bread upon the water NJ the same time.
Curious idea that, you will say, but II toll you
why.
In our trade we have strange people to dea
with. Most Of 'sm are poor, and can't buy I
machine right OF, but are ready and willing q
pay 10 much week. That suits them and il
suits me, il they'll only keep the payments up t.
the end.
them don't do that. Some Of them leave thei
lodgings, and never see them again; and th'
-sss.t curious part 10, that the sewing mAciiin
@Eappeass with them, aud never see that again
3A.iy.. oae thai, doAss a&ain-t'sFhaps hay
d brought hsrs ~ sosAs one to BE- rspeared, o
exchanged for bigger, or for one OF . diReren
make; for il you look round here you'll ses ~
got oil kinds-new and old, little domestic an
big trades-there you name any maker. and se
ii don't bring you out one OF his works.
Well when ask these people where they 90
the mAobine-for l always know them by til
number-it turns out that they've bought
through all advertisement or ealesro0m, G
may be out Of 3 pawnbrokers shop.
But I've had plenty Of honest people to dos
with, too--them ~ have come straight forwar
and told me they couldn't keep up their pay
ments, aud asked me to take their machine
back, when I'd allow them rs much AZ though
fair, and twould be All end of pleasant tram
action.
The way I've been bitten, though, by som
folks has made me that case-hardsned tin
sometimes I've wondered whether ia got III
heart left, and then the wife had to intsrfer
telling me I've been spoiled with prosperity Al
grown unfeeling.
1t was she made me give way about Ruth, Il
one day, after having my bristles ali set up
finding out that three good sound machines, u
best makers, had gone nobody knew where, VI
should come in kthe store but very lsdy-li!
looking woman IN very shabby widows weed
She wanteda machine for herself and daugbt
to learn, and said she had heard that won
tAkc the money by instailments. Now, Just III
an hour before, by our shop clock, had made
vow that I'd give up that part of the trade, ~
Twas very rongh with iI her-juSt ~ l Am WIN
"But you will il the lady gives security" ~
my wife, hastily.
The Door woman gave such woe -begone 10
At us that it made me more out OF temper til
ever, for could feel that il l stopped shor
have to let her have Oh her own terms.
80 il was /; for there, il didn't let her have
frat-class mschiue M good ~ new, she only ps
ing seven and six down, AID undertaking 10
half = crown week, and not any more secnr
than nothing.
10 make il worse, too, II I didn't send
thing home without charge, Luke going with
for he waa back at home now keeping my box
being grown into hno young fellow OF five .
twenty and sat aud growled the rest Of
day, calling myself all of the weak minded
ots under the sun, and telling my wife that b
mess was going to the dogs and should
ruined
''You ought to be ashamed of yourself, To'
she said.
$50 am says I. "l.diln't think could
such = fool"
'.Huch fool as to do good action to ono '
sns T.s ~orls su,asp's 'A's '0''' All" COMES ''"'
"Yes,"I ssys, ''to living in Bennetts pls
where I've sunk no lers than ten machine
"Yes," says my wife, "and cleared hundr
of pounds. Tom, I'm ashamed Of you-yo
man with twenty workmen busy up stairs,a
pie OF thousand pounds worth OF stock, An
"Hold your tongue, will You |" said rou
ly, and won't out into the shop to try and wor
oa.
Luke came back pretty soon looking !
strange, and WAS ut him directly.
"Where's the seven aud six Z" / says, ang
lie didn't answer, but put three-half Gro
down on the desk, took out the book, made
eptrjes-dxte OF delivery, first payment "
the other's due, and all the rest OF it-And
then going into the house.
Mind" l says, sharply, "thosa payments
to be kept up to the day and Tomorrow yo
to Rolly's who lives nearly opposite to EN-,
tell 'sm to keep an eye on the window, or
lose another machine"
nYou needn't be afraid father, he says,
"; "they're honest enough, only poor
| was Just in that humor that ] wsnte
quarrel with somebody, and that did It,
.'Whsn ask you for your opinion, y
man, you give it to me and when toll yo
do thing, you do it. says in ~ savage \
"a ever spoke to the lad. "You go ovel
morrow aud tell kolly's to keep strict loo
on those people--do you heArw
Father, he says, looking me full in the
"I couldn't insult them by doing such th
when, without another word he walked q
out Of the shop leaving ma worse than ever
The boy had never spoken to me like thA
fore aud. should have gone after him feeling
like, only some people came in, and didn'
him again till evening, and . good thing
for I'm sure I'd have said al sorts OF thin
the boy, for I was funing and fretsng .
savage with everybody, giving short ans
swapping at my wife aud feeling ~ . man
feel when he knows that he has been Il
wrong aud hasn't tie heart to go and own
1t was about eight o'clock that was sitti
the pArlor fire, with my wife working aut
quiet, when Luke came In from the wori