Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1879-10-30
RUTn'S STEPFATnER.
From eassers Family Magazine.

I'm thankful tor 1t. Poverty comes
in at the door, and love flies out Of
the window, so your poor people will
be always miserable while accord.
ing to nv experience your poor man
IS often more light hearted than the
man with thousands.
was at my Wits end for some.
thing to do, and sat nibbling my nails
one day, grumbling horribly.
Don't 60 on like that, Tom,' says
my wife things might be worse
How p / said
why, we might have Luke d,
home and he is doing well.'
Luke's our boy, you know, and we
had got him into merchants office,
where he seemed likely to stay but
| was in grumbling fit then, and
there was clickety click noise going
on in the next room that fidgeted me
terribly.
Things can't be worse 1 said an
grily; and was going on to prove
myself in the wrong by making my
wife cry, when there was knock at
door.
Come in | said, and a fellow
ledger put in his head.
Are you good at work, Mr.. Smith,
he said.
what work ? | said 'Firework-
gas works9'
No, no; mean works of things
as goes with wheels and springs
'Middling,' said, for / was fond
OF pulling clocks to pieces, and try
ing to invent
Il wish you'd come and look at
this sewing machine of mine, for |
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
tiddling about it, began to see bit
OF the reason why-the purpose, you
know, of all the screws and cranks
and wheels; l found out. too, WHY
our neighbours wife-who was a
dressmaker, and had Just started one
could not get it to go and before
night, and by thinking, and by put.
ting this and that together, had got
her in the way of working it pretty
steadily, though with my clumsy fin
gers | couldn't have done it myself.
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 a new man, so re-
freshing had been that piece of work.
There, said my wife, Il told you
something would come
sWell. so you did, said I, but the
something is rather small
But the very next day-as we
We're living in the midst of people
who were fast taking to sewing ma
chines-it the folks from the next
house didn't want me to look at
theirs !! and then the news spreading,
as news will spread, that there was
somebody who could cobbIe and tink.
er 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 vise-regular set of tools by
degrees; and at last | was as busy
as bee from morning to night, whist
ling over my work as happy as
King.
Of course, every now and then |
got breakage, but L could general.
ly get over that by buying new
wheel or spindle, or what not. Next
we got to supplying shuttles, and
needles, and machine cotton. Soon
after | bought machine of a man
who was tired of it. Next week l
sold it at a good profit bought an
other, and another, and sold them !;
then got to taking them and money
in exchange for new ones and one
one way and another became a regu-
lar big dealer, as you see.
Hundred Why, new, second
hand, and with those being repaired
upstairs by the men, I've got at least
800 on the premises, while if anybody
had told me fifteen years ago that I
should be doing this | should have
laughed at him.
That pretty girl showing and ex.
planning the machine to custom.
err? 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 wa
ters at the same time.
Curious idea, that, you will say,
but I'll tell you why.
In our trade we have strange PEG.
pile to deal with. Most of 'em are
poor. and can't buy machine right
off, but are ready and willing to pay
so much 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 ! never see them again; and the
most curious part of it is that the
sewing machine disappears with
them, and | never see that again.
Many a one, too, that has dlsap.
peared like that, l do see again
perhaps have 1t brought here by
some one to berepaired or exchanged
tor bigger or for one by a different
maker for il you look round here
you'll see I've got all kinds-new and
old, little domestics and big trades
there, You name any maker and see
if ! don't bring you out one of his
works.
Well, whenever | ask these people
where they got the maehine-for /
always know them by the number
it turns ont they have bought it
through an advertisement or at a
sale room, or maybe ont of pawn.
brokers' shop.
But I've bad plenty of honest peo-
pie to deal with, too--them as have
come straight-forw and asked me
to take their machine back, when I'd
allow them as much as | thought
fair, and 'twould be an end of pleas
ant transaction.
The way I've been bitten, though,
by some folks, has made me that
case hardened that sometimes I've
wondered whether Ia got any heart
left, and the wife had to interfere.
telling me that I'd been spoiled witt.