The Hillsdale standard. [volume] (Hillsdale, Mich.) 1851-1909, 1879-07-15
The sad History OF ur. samuel
Popman, Druggist-why ne 10 "a
Grceobacker.


he seriously contemplated skippin to
Texas. aud embarkin in the generally
poplar aud alluz profitable bizness NV
steelin hosses on the Mexikin border.
The inflashen NV the curreLcy conse-
kent upon the expenses NV the war,
changed Samyooels career. He found
his stock NV drugs goiu up % per cent.
day. Jollop wich he owed for at the
rate NV six cents a pound shot mp to 20
TO 30, 10 30, 10 anything he chose TO
ask for it. and 1t KEEP shootin mp and
mp till the little stock he he'd nv 81, 900
wuz with $50, 900, and no matter wat
he bot, it went mp on his hands. and
Samyoool found hisself wuth a $780,
900 in no time.
Wv course Samyooel to-wunst com
menst 10 live in style commensurate
with his increased meens. He went
and bllt an addishn TO his house. put
tin on two wings and an extension
back. bildin in fact completely around
the old house, and putin another story
on the top. Then his wife immeiitly
got two hired girls, and his two daw-
ters wuz sent to Seminary in Loois-
vile. Samyooel for his own pleasure
invested in fast trottin hoss and iined
the Kentucky Club in Louisville, and
played poker ez much ez he pleased,
and he pleased to do good deel NV 1t.
Ii didn't make partikle Nv difference,
for every dollar nv goods he bot doubl-
ed on his hands every day or two. Mrs
Popman utterly refoosed to do any
work NV any kind, and spent the heft
NV her time tryin on dresses wich she
bot in Louisville, and takin excursions
To that City, TO wear EN-. 1t wuz
ruther gorgeous time for the Pop
mans.
In 1873 Samyooel diskivered there
wuz a change. The war had bin over
some time, and the debt wich il he'd
cost he'd to be paid. Samyooel didn't
see any necessity for payin il at all.
Samyooel he'd lived out all the profits
he he'd made by the raise in the valyoo
NV his goods. aud he'd gone hevy into
reel estate. He he'd bot large amount
nv lands, which he'd bin poin up jist
the same ez drugs, and he'd bot EN- all
on credit. He hadn. made any down
payments, but in place Of actual money
down on his moo purchases, he he'd
given mortgages on the property bot,
and also on his house and store, and
sich other real and personal property
ez he he'd. 1t worried him.
Ez the kentry, under Sherman's
rooinous polisy, begun to git down TO
a gold basis, drugs, begun TO drop 10
per cent. day, instid of raisin 20, and
reel estate commeust to foller drugs
aud sich, with friteful accooracy. The
land wich he he'd agreed to pay 81, 900
a aker for, he coodent sell for Slj, ow-
iug TO the fact that nobody wanted it,
and the quinine he he'd paid "a a ounce
fur, dropped TO ST. Consekently
SamyoOel was forst to succum, aud he
wuZ scooped.
The other drugger in Secessionville
wuz another kind NV mar. He ac-
ceptid the raise on his stock doorin the
war period in a Chrischen sperit nv
thankfulness, and hived, very keer-
f1liy, all the money 1t made him. He
pyed IN the same old house, thro it all,
his wife contiunered, in a Chrischen
wav To bake her own buckwheat cakes
and do her own washin, and he sOt his
face like a flint agin fast hosses and
expensive likkers. And this wuz wat
worried Samyooel When the turn
cum, his oppOsishun he'd plenty NV
money IN bank, and lie marked down
his goods with the same childlike and
Chrischcn sperit that in 1862 he mark
ed EN- mp. He sed TO hisself, 81 he'd
the benefit NV the rise-I will take the
cOnsekences NV the fall, blessed be the
name NV the Lord, and he went right
along, and continnered 10 do biznis
and prosper while the Sheriff wuz clos
in out Samyooel. This other druggcr
never howled about hard times.
Samyooel Popman firmly believes
that he Was destroyed by Sherman, aud
i agree with him. He'd Sherman gone
on lshooin twenty milyuns Of greenbax
day, aud payin EN- ont for hosses
and mules aud army supplies, the
greenbax wood hev continnerd TO go
mp, and so wood Samyooel's drugs aud
has out-lots. And as all Samyooel he'd
10 do ia them halcyon days wuz TO
mark mp the prices NV his goods every
morDin, Good hev continnered 90 keep
his fast boss, and Mrs. Samyoole Good
hev contiunered TO live in Louisville.
and bot satin dresses. Mr.. Samyooel
feels Il keenly In the time before the
prosperus days he wuZ cOntentid with
sid-corn whisky aud stogy segars, but
his appetite got att0omed To shampane
and Havannas. and he finds u exceed
ingly diifikult To go back 20 the simple
arcadian habits nv former times. Mrs.
oamyooel heZ got her hand out IN cook
IA and sich, aud she utterly refuses to
go back to the habits OF the old times,
and cOnsekently ther Is trouble in the
Popman household. The dawters hev
been brOt home from the seminary nj
Louisville. and they cast contoomly ON
ther father, wich hezn't meens to keep
em in the luxury they hev bin for 10
years accustomed to.
This is only one case in a thousand
here. Whene'er take my walks abroad
see men bustid and leenin agin lamp
posts, moanin aud wringin their hands
in despair. They bev paster-lots wich
they cut up into City lats, wich are
gradooally CROWN mp into huckleberry
pastors, and won't sell for nothin. -
They look 90 ther old places OF biZnis,
wher they used 30 chirp cheerfuily ez
they marked up the price nv their
takin a ten dollar note every day for
| likker aud cigars, becoz they Good af-
ford il. and they see other men in po-
seshun working mite and day 20 sup
port their families comfort, and these
men lay their room to Sherman. ez /
do.
10 is a crooel outrage. IL costs the
Government nothin 10 print money.
aud there Is no reason why it shoOd
not have KEEP on printin currency
What il a Government for? Is 10 for
the people2 is not Samyooel Popman
one Of the people2 Then why shood
the Government cultivate a taste il,
Samyooel Popmaf for fast hosses and
shampane, and then. jist for the sake
nv payin of n debt, contract the cur
rency and room him.
The other druggers nj Seoessionville,
remarkt that ef Samyooel bed saved
the money he made .hy infiashun he
wood hev bin safe agin the effeck nv
contrackshun. But that he he'd no
sense into 10. Inhashun shood hev
bid perpetooal When n Temperance
man seq 90 me that he would like 10 cit
drunk of a mite, only for the reackshun
7 that follows when be gits sober. 7 alluz
remark that the troo safeguard agin
that is never 20 hev no reackshun-to 90
keep drunk oil the time The prinsiple
I foller % - likker, Is the one 7 wood
hev al ! in finance. To avoid the
reacl ia that follers inhashun,