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

y curious trade to take 10, but then ii has
grown TO be profitable. Things were at
a low ebb with me when took it up, while
now
There, l won't boast, only say that I'm
thankful for it. Poverty comes in at the
door, and love flies out at the window, 50
they say but that's all nonsense, or else
your poor people would be always misera-
bic, while according TO my experience
your poor man is often more light-hearted
than the man with thousands.
l was al my wits end for something TO
do, and sat nibbling my nails one day, and
grumbling horribly.
"Don't so on like that, Tom" says my
wife; "things might be worse"
"How ?" / said.
"Why, we might have Luke at home,
and he is doing well.'
Lukes our boy, you know, and we had
got him into a merchant Office, where he
seemed likely TO stay but was in grum-
bling lit then, and there WAS a clckety-
click noise going on in the next room that
fidgetod me terribly.
"Things can't be worse" said, angrily
and was going TO prove myself in the
wrong by making my wife cry, when there
was a knock at the door.
"Come in" said, and a iellow-lcdGer
put in his head.
"Are you good at works, MI. Smith ?"
he said.
"What works - | said "Gieworks-
easworks?"
"No, no; mean works OF things as goes
with wheels aud springs"
"Middling," l said, for | was fond of
pulling clocks TO pieces, and trying 10 in
vent.
II wish you'd come and look al this sew
ing machine of mine, for I can't get it to
60"
Sewing machines were newish in those
days, and got up TO have a look at it, and
after an hours tiddling about, l began TO
see bit the reason why-the purpose, you
know, of ali the screws and cranks and
wheels found cut too, why our neigh
boris wife who was a dressmaker and had
just started one-could not get it to go; and
before night, by thinking, and putting this
and that together, had got her in the way
of working it pretty steadily, though with
iAiD NlhA0g hh5NAH NbhA'ii h''NN 'NAN -
myself.
l had my bit Of dinner and tea with
these people, and they forced half a crown
upon me as well, and went back feeling
like new man, so refreshing had been
that bit of work.
"There," said my wife, 81 told you some
thing would come"
"Well, so you did," / said "but that
something is rather small"
But the very next day-as we were liv-
ing in the midst Of people who were fast
taking to 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, 50 that I was obliged to
get files and drills and a vice-reguar set
of tools by degrees and at last l was as
busy as bee from morning ill night,
whstling over my work as happy as a
king.
ofcourse, 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 machine Of a man
who was tired of it. Next week l sold it
at good profit; bought another, and an
other, and sold them then got TO taking
them and money in exchange for new onesi
and one way and the other became regu-
lar big dealer as you see.
Hundred? ? Why, now, secondhand, aud
! with those being repaired up stairs by the