The Cambria freeman. [volume] (Ebensburg, Pa.) 1867-1938, 1880-10-01
THE PAPERLEsS MAN.
by sYLvANUs COBB. JR-

mo sir 1 doa't want nothin' o the kind.
In the first place, ha got the money and
in the next place, if | had the money, L
wouldn't have nore O your papers.
So spoke Titus Closely in answer to man
who had called to see if he would like to
subscribe for a newspaper Said man kepta
store in the neighbOring village, and was also
! the postmaster; and he had made arrange
ments to add to his business by establishing
| a newspaper agency. +
81 can furnish you with any paper you may .
/ like" he explained to Mr.. Closely, land | .
/ can furnish it cheaper than you can get it in .
/ any other way, because by buying of me you
/ will save the postage. ! shall have papers /
] devoted TO the interests of the Family; pa I
pers for the Farmers, papers for the Me
chanic and papers for both young and Old ;
and, in short l assure you that one of them
I would be worth far more to you than what /
Z propose to ask. Ask your wife what she
{ thinks You have no idea what a vast
amount of valuable information you viii
find"
Nancy Closely wanted paper; but her
husband said
go, bother don't want it, I tel; ye I've
got as much as l can do TO look arter my
farm; and, if Nancy and the children want
t. read they can get tracts from the minis
ter"
''Your neiohbor Deepwater has subscribed
for two papers," said the agent ''IIe will
take a pleasant high-toned literary paper for
his family and paper devoted to Art, Sci
! ence and Agriculture for himself"
'''The more fool he - cried Titus Closely,
contemptuously. John Deepwatcr can't
afford it more than can. Ny farms bigger
an better'n his is; ana / tell yc, fiat ard
square, that l ha'nt got no three dollars to
throw away on a newspaper"
"But-Titus-'
sShur up Nancy! tell We, don't want
it,"
And Nancy closed her lips, and the agent
went his way and Titus Closely went forth
to plow his ground with the great old wooden
pIow which his father and his grandfather
had used before him.
And time passed on The newspaper
agency was established at the village post
office; but Titus did not patronize it. He
felt that he had principle at stake. lie had
said he wouldn't and he wouldt! But in
one thing he was consistent; he would not
allow his wife or children to borrow papers
of his neighbor Deepwater if he knew it.
One evening Titus Closely and his wife
took tea, by invitation, with neighbor Deep
water.
Il declare, Nancy" said Titus, on their
way home, Prudence Deepwater beats all
creation for cooking, don't she? I'd no idea
she was such hand at it. | wonder where
she got them fresh Strawberries"
''She preserved them herself" answered
Nancy.
''O-git out Them wasn't presarved-
they were fresh as new-picked.' %
at is the way they were fixed, Titus"
'.Eh can you do it ?'
81 could it l had her paper"
"IIer papeT?"
eyes. She found the recipe in the news
paper. And that's where she learned how
to do most all of her nice cooking"
Titus changed the subject of conversation.
Autumn came, and the Agricultural Fair
was held in an adjoining town. Titus went
over with yoke of what he considered very
fine oxen but he found, when the exhibition
came off, that he was very far behind the
times. New breeds of which he had heard
nothing had been introduced, anG his own
animals were not deemed worthy of notice.
"Whew - whistled Titus, as he sat in his
kitchen, with crumpled report of the
Awarding Committees i'm his hand. a friend
had given him the printed document "Johu
Dcepwater has got the premium for sheep
BY hockey I'll bet l clip more wool than he
does next season.
because you We got mere Sheep suggest
ed Nancy. bat wait ami see. The new
breed which he has procured is a very valua
BILE one"
- "Bah, Think what it cost him; fifty dol
lars for rair of 'em -
And" added Nancy che sold two If hi,
spring lambs to Mr.. Thompson for eight,
dollars
''Git eout -
prudence told me so. John Deepwate
l saw so many flattering accounts of thos,
( sheep in his paper that he knew it would b,
safe to invest"
Titus referred again to the report
"HeIo! I'm blessed if Polly Downer hasn-
, got the first premium for cheese-fve dol
:, / lars -
''Ycs,'' said Nancy. ''She was telling III
about her cheeses. She found out how {
\ make them in her paper. tell We, Titus it.
- a good thing to have good newspaper.
wish you'd
bah Don't talk to me - And Titu
threw down+he report, and retired from tn
kitchen in disgust.
C' The winter passed and the springs worI
crs was done and the time for sheep-shearin
E a came. Titus Closely Sheared one hundred
mt and fifty sheep, and obtained therefrom no
. quite six hundred pounds of WOOL being les
than an average of four pounds to the sheer
Titus, didn't l tell you that neighbo
Deepwater's sheep would prove by far tn
most profitable? 1t costs no more to kee
one of his splendid animals than it does I
keep one of ours. And then his lambs ar
> heavier; and his mutton is
stop yer CAB, Nancel l know what yer
pitchin at It's one of them 'tarnal pa pers
2 Let John Deepwater go it, if he wants t.
~ I've got more wooPn he has"
"And you wintered more than twice a
{ many sheep as he did"
'Shet up will ye?''
Nancy was silent. But the end was no
Il, yet
Aftef the haying had been done, Mr.. Deer
, water and his wife called over and took te;
and spent the evening with Titus and Name,
NJ In the course of conversation Prudenc
told to Nancy many new things wkich sl
had learned of household mysteries wh
; Mr.. Deepwater talked to his host of the gre;
improvements which were being made in a;
II riculture. And Titus was interested in spi
d, Of himself, though he tried to appear othe
wise