Staunton spectator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1896, 1879-04-08
The Story of Jones and Co.
[From the Argonant. ]

The Story of Jones and Co.
From the Argouant.1
guess pa and ma was pretty rich one
time, for when they came to California
it was on their wedding tour, and cost
lots-they came by the way of New York
and Washington and Panama city, in a
steamboat; and ma brought maid to
wait on her, and pa had black fellow
named Jim and when we got to Cali
formal say we, Pm only fourteen
now, but was not born then, though
that don't matter, I guess-pa had lots
of money. was born at the Lick House,
and you ought to see my baby clothes.
Jones & Co., haven't the kind of goods
that them was, because Maud has drag
gled them all to pieces. Maud is the
baby. Six years old Maud is, and it
won't be long before she will be clerk
in Jones g. Co. First babies always
have the incest things. Ma says first
babies are like second wives.
But keep getting away from Jones
& Co.
Well, I am of the opinion that after
pa bought his house on Van Mass avenue,
he went into stock, whatever that
means. Going into stock must be a
curious business, and sometimes pa came
home looking splendid, and wanted to
buy everything, and laughed at ma for
bang so mean, and not getting better
clothes, and then he wanted to drive in
the park and to the theatre. One day
he came home with barn new carriage
and span of long-tailed horses, and a
negro coachman and funny little darby
for footman. Then sometimes pa came
home and looked very blue, and talked
about stocks, and began to watch pa,
and noticed that sometimes when he
laughed loudest he looked as if he want
ed to cry, and then he sold the horses,
and then the house, and the furniture
was sent to auction, and ma she felt very
bad, and pa wasn't like himself any
more, and never told me stories nor kiss
ed me, and once when Maud was asleep
in his arms he kissed her and cried, and
when I told ma she said she guessed pa
did not feel very well, and then she
cried.
After this we went to a boarding
house-a nasty, musty boarding house.
Everything was well enough, only a
boarding>house amt like home.
Then the baby came, aud it died, and
ma almost died; and heard pa say to
the man that kept the boarding house
that he was pretty tight up, but it was
all coming out right; and the next day
pa didn't have any watch nor any sleeve
buttons. didn't seem to notice it be-
cause seen that maybe pa had sold
them to pay his board; and heard pa
and ma talk away in the night, and
sometimes ma cried, and pa would look
in the morning just as if he hadn't slept
wink, and don't believe he had
Once it was dreadful. Pa came home
tipsy, and [ never seen ma feel so bad,
ever and then they talked it over, and
finally ma went home to grandpapa's, in
New York, with Maud, and I stayed
with pa to 60 to school.
Then pa kept getting worse and worse,
and we went to live in rooms and eat at
restaurants; and pa stayed out late
nights, and guess ne drank more than
was good for him, and thought some
thing had to be done. So I said to pa
one day, "Pa, less go into business and
open store"
And he laughed and said, "What kind
of store ?"
And said, ooh, candy. store, or a
stationery store, or thread and needle
store, just such as women keep and little
girls help in"
And pa laughed and said he would
think of it, and when he came home that
night l asked him if he had thought a.
bout it, ind said he hadn't, and said
he had better, and he said he would !; and
that morning he didn't 60 out, but stay
ed at home and wrote me long letter.
So next day I went into store on
Polk street kept by nice lady who had
a bad husband, where they sold every
thing, and she said in French they call
ed it lingerie.
I did not know what she meant, be-
~ Eronah onH fcl,
didn't want to sell her store, and she
said:
''Do you want to buy a store, little
And said my pa does" And she
smiled and said she guessed the sheriff
would have store to sell in few days,
and said would tell pa, because he
knew Mr.. Nunan, the sheriff It was
one of Mr.. humans men that sold pas
house and furniture for him.
And the next day told pa about the
store and what nice one it was, and he
said he had been dry. goods man once,
had had large store, and sold silk dress
goods, and velvets and furs, and laees,
worth ever so much yard, and India
shawls worth more than thousand dol
lars apiece.
don't know exactly what pa did !; but
i JHlu SOLuStlluS LuTu6u a lew
days afterwards, for heard him say he
had made raise" and he showed me
more than thousand dollars in gold
notes, and for day or two he carried
them in side pocket and mostly kept
his hand over them, for fear they would
jump out and fly away and pa bought
me some shoes and hat, and stuff for
aprons, and I made them myself, and
1 never saw pa look so happy since ma
went away, and one day he said to me
"Vevie, [ have bought the store on
Polk street, and you are to be nv sales
woman aud partner"
And sure enough, in few days we
went into the store, and over the door
was great big sign of Jones & Co.."
my pa said was the Go" And when
/ said, and SO, pa, you are "Jones," he
blushed, and guess he didn't like his
old friends to know that he was selling
needles, and thread, and tape and things.
We had two snug little rooms in the
back of the store to sleep in, and made
pas bed and swept out the rooms and
tidied things. AT first pa shut up the
store when he had to go down town on
business, but after little while tended
it, and when there was two customers
in the store [ waited on one, and it
wasn't long before could make change
and sell things and add up almost as
good as pa could and by-and-by when
he went down town I tended store, and
we had splendid times. We went out
to a nice place across the street for cur
meals. l tended store when pa went,
and pa tended store when went.
One day pa came in and looked dread
fully troubled, and then I said: "Pa,
amt / partner, aud don't partners have
a right to know everything, and amt
you hiding something about Jones &
Co.?n Aud then / found out that pa |
had bought too many things for the