The Carbon advocate. [volume] (Lehighton, Pa.) 1872-1924, 1879-07-19

ExPERfEScE OF Mr.. PETER PEeGoTY,
sToREkEEPRR AT DAvIsvILJE, SHowTNo
WHY ne Is a GREESBAcEKR.
CoEFEpRrT x ROADS !
(Which is in the State of KentuckyO
July 10, 1879.
met yesterday Mr.. Peter reggoty,a a mer-
chant, or rather ex-merchant, Nv Davis
vile, a adjoining village, from whom in the
halcyon days Nv yore, it was no trouble
for me whatever, to borrer sich sums OF
money ez my wants required. struck him
wunst in 1873, for ez much ez $3.50.
alluz make it a pint to borrer odd sums,
they bein list the amount find nessarY to
meet sum obligashen. 1t looks bisnis-like,
for ef man saws twenty" in round num-
bers, the impression that he is a mere mer-
senary borrcrer, allus obtanes, and makes
the operashon more difficult. 1t mrkes q
great difference whether you step into
mans store leisurely, and say, "Peggotty,
old fellow, lend me a twenty Ia or whether
you rush in with paper in your hand, and
say, all out NV breath, "Mr. Peggoty, was
passin thro, and l owed $3.50, and am
very anxus TO pay him and haven't Ia cent
about me, will you oblige me with that
amount until git home p Yoo only loose
$l.25, and yoor chances NY Citing it are
trebed.
But this is digreshun. ! believe am
gittin garrulus in my old age, but then SOL
iers love 10 shoulder crutcher and show how
feelds wuZ won."
Mr.. Peggoty commonst bisnis in 1868,
with no capal at all ceptin 5000 which his
wife inherited from a aunt which oppor-
toonly deceest. In them days credit wuz
easily prokoored. The kuntry wuz prosper
Gus. The Government was payin out mill.
yuns every day, and oats wuz a dollar or
more, cotton was any price yoo chose 10
ask for it, wheat wus $3.50 bushels, and q
spawned hoss wuz wuthy for the army, any
where from $500 TO $40S. Things wus a
boomIn, ez they allus do when currency is
onlimitid and onrestrictid. Mr.. Peggoty
took his 5000 and went to Looiville, and
bot stock Nv goods and commenst store
keepin. He bot stock Nv $4,000 wuth, the
odd $500 bein on credit, of course.
He prospered exceedingly. He could sell
ez many goods ez he wanted, for the people
he'd money to buy with, and his store was
thronged from morning till mite. Money
list rolled in onto him, he wus riehy and
wondered that any body should be poor when
money wus So easily made.
Nv couse Mr.. Peggoty enlarged his stile
NV livin in akkordance with his meens.
He he'd Unlimited credit in Looivile, his
goods wuz being marked up daily, and he
blt him new house, and it need not he
remarkt that il wuz furnished in the most
gorgus stile. He had a pair Nv HOSES and
kerridge for Mrs. Peggoty to air herself
| into, hrs eldest son went to Harvard and
his dawters TO a seminary in Cincinnati.
He bilt addishen TO his new house, and
his stable was gorgus.
Mrs. Peggoty yoost to git somewhat on
easy, and wuz wont to ask him how his debts
wuz in Louisville, but he allus laft at her
feers.
"Mirandy" wuz his constant remark, al
owe twenty or thirty thousand dollars there
really hevn't had time lately to look il
up-but what's the odds2 Goods is going
up every day, and kin stand it," And SC
Mr.. and Mrs. Peggoty went on a spendir
their money eZ gentleman and lady shooi
and runnin up their Indebtedness in Looi
vile in proper biznis-like way. 1t wuz al
this period that 1 Good borry money of Peg
goty. Wood, oh wood that it Good hev con
tinnered. John Sherman owes me a grea
deal Of money. He hez croOelly cut orr my
supplies.
There cum a change. The war wuz over
and the Government ceesed to pay out mon
ey for spawned hosses and oats TO feed EN-
The soljers had returned, and the pluwshar,
wuz beeten into a prunin hook. Then camI
the Internal idee NV payin off the debt wict
he'd bin incurred, and the Infamous noshur
NV resumpshen follered clost upon its heels
The merchants NV Looiville came down Il
Davisville, and, Shylock-iike, wantid thei
money NV Peggoty. He cooden't pay
"Where wuz the money 700 hev reseeveC
for our goods" ?" they demanded, and tn
answer wuz, the house, the furnitoor, th
bosses, and bills for the gentlemanly lik
livin Peggoty he'd INDUCED in.
With the rapassity NV feends they de
mandid and took mortgage onto Peggoty'
house, and sich Nv the goods ez he he'd left
and sejestid mildly but firmly, that hereaf
ter goods wood be sold for cash jist befor
delivery. The mizable plea on wich theN
took this mortgage wuz that the house he'd
bin bilt with their property, and the furni
toor likewise. The livin wuz eternally
gone.
Peggoty made brave fight for existence
but in vane. Sherman, the fnanshel boz
constructor, he'd him in his fatal embrace
and wuz squeezin the life out NV him. Ii
vane did Peggety appeal to the Summaries
Sekretary. "Keep on ishooin money =,
walled Peggoty. "Inhate the currency ,anC
keep inhatin till kin git shet Nv thes
goods, and kin fail with suthin in my wife
name. Don't broose the brokin reed. Yo
are wipin out the biznis talent NV the ken
try. Hev another war, ef needs be, but any
how, bid custom-house, and dig a shiI
canal here, and print greenbsx 10 pay fol
EN-, that | may keepup my biznis, and saw
myself from impendin room. Ez fast ez th
custom-house is bilt, and the ship canal i
dug, bid more custom-houses and ship-ca
nails, and keep the currency up to my wants
c. ~.
rency isn't adekate to my wants can't Dor
rer a cent, and eff l hev to buy goods 70
cash / can't do it. Shove out the mum,
and save the debtor class"
The cold-bloodid Sherman replied breehy
, He remarked that another war mite be gooC
enuf for the debtor class, but it wood b.
very bad for all other classes, and he declined
TO do it. Ez b bildin the Custom House
+ and ship canals, he wood be glad 70 do /
/ wherever Custom Houses and ship canal
r wuz necessary, but ez the people wood he
{ TO pay for EN-, finally. he must RELY decln
g TO tax the people any more than wuz neces
/. sary. In short, he didn't bleeve in bildi
e things jist for the purpns NV putin none
I into cirkelashen. And then come on a lC
J., NV correspondence in wich the brootal Shel
a man remarkt that Government, tho it wu
n trooly paternal, eoOdent RELY bolster up
, iihu wien etdltSu III Win eEUO, ana VINO na
1 lived like ftin cock for 20 yeers, and no
i owed $4,000. He sed that eff Mr.. Peggot
It had gone and lived jist ez he did afore Ii
D war, and he'd saved the money he made b
4 the rise Nv goods, he wood be in splendi
l. condshen n stand the fall Oh EN-, but ez /
t ned preferred to put his profits into purp
il aud fine linen he ought 10 be satisfied wit
e the satisfackshen the purple and fine line
a he'd given him. And the iron-sould Sekr
h tsry further remarkt that ef all the debt
IT class wuz jist like Mr.. Peggoty, their fail
s. wuz only aquestion NV time anyhow, al
u that il wuz jist ez good time for EN- 10 "a
h ez he ever knowd, and that the biznis NV Il
T. kentry wood never be on a solid basis h
at they he'd all gone to that fnanshel bourl
from wich none Nv EN- wood ever retur
or till ther wuz another war, wich he hop,
It, wood be long time hence. He absloot
m declined to consider Mr., Peggoty's case, al
III went on payin the debt, and resoomin, t
er the Sheriff came and sold Peggoty out, al
ne the Louisville sharks, wieh wantid the
IT, money got away with at leest 20 per cent.
n. il.
re Can't any one see the injustis this feel
Sherman did Peggoty2 Can't any one s
n that ef he he'd gone on inaatin and expan
le, in, Peggoty Good hev KEEP on his feet, ]
al ez long ez the expandin process was cont