The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1879-04-11


holding il up for her husbands inspection g.
got that for a dollar yard, the trimming
thrown in"
"WhereY" asked Mr. Landers.
AT Underhoff's"
"What, that store Ialmost wonder at your
going there, Bessie; you know they do not beal
the reputation of being over and above honest
81 know il, John, and had not the least ides
of buying my dress there. / merely went into
the store to buy some knick- knacks at the 5-cent
counter, and, happening to see piece OF black
silk on the shelf, thought would just ask the
price Of it, when he seemed to take IL for grant
ed wanted to buy It. and, although in the first
place he asked me dollar yard for the silk,
he finally said il would take 1t he would give
me- all the trimmings"
"How much are the trimmings worth that he
gave you, Bessiey"
I" He did not give me all he intends to- He
said would be entitled to all my dress maker
wonld need for the dress am going to sec
her Tomorrow, and get her to cut 1t, and will
then make il myself"
During the above conversation Mr. Landers
sat examining the goods, and pulling out threads
ut the end and WAS now prepared tn give his
opinion "a tn its value; and, on looking nm Mt
his wife rather dissatisfedly, she falteriDgly
asked
well, what do you think of it, john"
Rather coarse, and not more than third
cotton" he replied.
His wife, knowing that he was good judge
of dress goods, having once been clerk in dry
goods store, felt all her fears realized; for al
though the man declared there was not thread
of cotton in the piece, she had, since the pur
chase, feared that he had deceived her. Some
how tae six looked very different in the store
from what it did after she brought it home
She had tried to persuade both herself and hus-
band into the belief that she had made good
bargain; still she all the time felt an inward
dissatisfaction, and now she could no longer
conceal it.
@Then have been duped." she concernedly
asked.
We'll, never mind; it will make you some
kind of dress, and you know you could not get
a first class silk for that price at any Of the
stores. 1t did not cost great sum any way"
Mr.. Landers said this soothingly, and with
the hope of cheering up his wife's spirits APP
preciating his motive, she rather cheerfully re-
piled:
Wen, Undertook said if did not want to
keep the silk, he would take it back and let me
have any other piece he had in the store. OF
course l would have TO pay the difference in the
price of the goods"
Don't do that" replied her husband; @in
the first place he persuaded you to buy this
piece, in view of having the trimmings thrown
in; in the next trade he would doubtless
hold forth some other inducement that would
be equally as tempting, and finally succeed in
getting about az much more money from you as
you have already paid him, without giving you
much better quality OF goods"
/ will do as you say, dear john" said Bessie
Landers. 81 ought not to have purchased the
dress without having you with me, you are so
much more competent to judge of the worth Of
goods than l am. But, as you say, must try
to make the best of the matter if / have got
cheated, and know better next time than to be-
ieve all am told"
Bessie's mind, however, was not quite at ease.
The following day she took the silk to Miss
Johnson, her dress maker, engaging her to cut
the dress
How many yards did you get?" asked Miss
johnson, as she sat examining the silk
Twenty FIVE" Bessie replied
You only need twenty for the style of dress
you say you want; the underskirt will be mostly
cambria; the priDcesse overskirt will be sewed
down to the underskirt, and only the trimmings
on that skirt will be seem"
@Then will have five yards left; oh, what a
pity got 30 much"
aAt what place did you get t." asked Miss ].
AT Underhoff's"
~Ah! 4" looking up know ingly into Mrs. Ian
ders' face, as much "a to say, Very well; that
accounts for the poor quality of the goods"
Bessie knew her thoughts; at least she
thought she did, but she ventlred to ask,
What do you think of the silk"
Il should have thought You would have
But only gave 81 yard.
dollar yard replied Miss Johnson
Here is piece that came from Adams, only
81 yard; let US compare them" Why, whata
difference; Bessies sank into utter insignifi-
canoe in comparison. There was not the least
particle of luster on hers, and how coarse it
looked beside the other piece
q But he threw in all the trimmings, or will
if you will tell me what you want, Miss John.
som This was all the comfort Bessie could
ard ~, irwin ,ant an6 aha tad
Only tell me the amount of trimmings and l
will go and get them. He gave me two yards
and half of cambria, eighteen buttons, two
spools silk, spool thread, and one yard and
half Of waist lining"
THAT is not nearly enough You want five
yards more of cambria, two dozen more but.
TONS three spools silk, and two yards instead Of
one yard and half for waist lining"
With these directions, Mrs. Landers went
over to Underhof's. Il have come" she said to
him, ito get the rest of the trimmings for my
dress" He gave her all but the buttons, and
declared If she wanted more than a dozen aud
a half she must pay for them. The extra cam
brio was given with much reluctance After
cheated her on the silk, and, now that he had
refused to give her all the trimmings she
needed, she would do all in her power to pre-
vent any of her friends and acquaintances from
trading with him, and, of course, she would
never enter his store again
After she returned to Miss Johnson's shop,
and again looked at the silk that came from
Adams, she felt more down-hearted than
ever. snow. il had bought twenty yards Of
that" she said, @then paid for the trimmings
which would have been about SO, might have
had handsome drees for less money than /
shall have paid for one that shall be ashamed
Of"
sBut you will have the five yards left"
gested Miss Johnson sug
@Yes, but the coarse, cottony stuff viii be Of
little use for trimmings, and would not think
of making a sacque or any other outside gar
ment of it," said Mrs L.
SIthought you were pretty good judge of
all kinds of dress goods" said Miss johnson.
Il thought was middling good, too, and how
that man came to blind my eyes in the way he
did is something cannot see into. 1t cannot
be he gave me a different piece from the one 1
selected, can it?"
Il wouldn't wonder in the least IL he did,"
said Miss Johnson at is a store never go
into and 1 know nothing about tho man only
what hear but do not recollect hearing any
thing greatly in his favor. never trade only
at Adams, Mills, or Barker's. At those three
stores one is apt TO get reliable goods"
II know it." said Bessie, ~and / meant to
have cot my dress ut one of those places. II
any one had told me before / got the dress
that would get it at Underhoff's, would have
been vexed. but, az my husband saws. have
made the trade, and now must make the best
of it."