The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1879-12-17
RUTH'S FATHER-IN-LAW.

RUTH'S FATHER.IN-LAW.
A curious trade to take, but then it has
grown profitable. Things were at low
ebb with me when I took it up, while
now.
There, ] won't boast, only say that Pm
thankful for it. Poverty comes in at the
. door, and love flies out of the window, so
your poor people will be always Inis-
cradle, while according to my experience
your poor man is often more ight-hearted
than the man with thousands.
was at my wits ends for something 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?" said.
"Why, we might have Luke at home,
and he is doing we'll"
Luke's our boy, you know, and we had
got him into merchants Office, where he
seemed likely to stay; but was in grum-
bling 6t then, and there was clickety-
click noise going on in the next room that
fdgeted me terribly.
'"Things can't be worse,"..I said, angrily ;
and was going to prove myself in the
. wrong by making her cry, when there was
a knock at the door.
"Come in," said, and fellow lodger
put in his head.
"Are you good at work, Mr.. Smith ?" he
said.
"What work." I said; "frework-gas.
works."
"a "No, no; mean works of things as goes
with wheels and springs"
. "Middling," I said, for I was fond of
pulling clocks to pieces and trying toin.
vent: :
II wish you'd come and look at 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 look at it, and
after about an hours fddling about it, |
began TO see bit of the reason why-the
purpose, you know, OF all the. screws and
cranks and wheels found out, too, why
our neighbours wife-who was dressmaker,
anil had Just started one-could not get it
to 20 and before night, and by thinking,
and putting this and that together, had got
her in the way of working it pretty stead
lily, though, with my clumsy fingers, !
couldn't have done it myself.
] had my bit of dinner and tea with these
people, and they forced half q crown upon
me as well, and went back feeling like
new man, so refreshing had hsen that bit of
work
There said my wife, 81 told you some.
thing would come"
2" y ell, so you did," said J, but the some
thing is rather small"
Bu. the very next day as we were living
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 al
theirs and then the news spreading, as
news will spread, that there was somebody
who could cobble and tinker machines
without putting people to the expense that
makers would, if the jobs didn't come in
q fast. 80 that Twas obliged to get files and
drills and vise-regular set Of tools by de-
grees and a. last / Twas as busy as a bee from
morning to night, whistllng over my work
as happy as king
~ OF course, every now and then got
breakage, but i could generally get over
that by buying new wheel or spindle, or
what not. Next we got to supply ying shuttles,
and needles and machine cotton. Soon after
bought machine Of man who was tired
OF it. Next week I sold it at good profit;
: bought another, and another, and sold them !;
then got to taking them and money in ex-
change for new ones and one way or the
other became a regular big dealer as you
see.
Hundred? Why, new, secondhand 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 l should be doing this I should
have laughed at him.
j. That pretty girl showing and explaining
the machine to customer? That's Ruth,
that ia. No, not my daughter-yet, but she
soon will be. Poor girl, I always think Of
her and of bread thrown upon the waters at
he same time.
Curious idea, that, you will say, but I'll
tell you why.
In our trade we have strange people 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.
d, 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 is that the sew
ing machine disappears with them, and
never see that again. Many one, too, that
has disappeared like that, T do see again
perhaps have it brought here by some one to
berepaired or exchanged for bigger or fol
one by different maker; for if 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 out one OF his works.
Well, whenever ! ask these people where
they :got the machine l always know
them by the number-it turns ont tina
they've bought it through an advertisement
or at asalesroom. or maybe out of pawn
brokers' shop.
- But, I've had plenty of honest people Il
deal with, too-them ashaye.come straight
forward and asked me to take their machin
back, when I'd allow them as much as
thought fair, and 'twould be an end of
pleasant transaction.
~, The way I have been bitten, though b.
come folks had made me that case -hardene'
. that sometimes I've wondered whether II
got any heart, and the wife had to interfere
telling me T've been spoiled'with prosperit
and grown unfeeling, =.
1t was she that made me give way abou
Ruth for one day, after having had 10,
= bristles all set up by finding out that, thre
: good sound machines, by best makers, hat
, gone, nobody knew where, who should com
into theshop but ladylike-looking wo na
in very shabby widows weeds. She wante
a machine for herself and daughter to learr
and said she had heard would take tn
money by ipstallment. Now just half a
hour before, by our shop-clock, I had mad
ayow that I'd give UP all that part of tn
trade, and was very rough with her-jut
as am when I'm cross-and said mo"
"But you will if the lady gives security?
said my wife, hastily.