The Osceola times., 1880-07-17
STRANGE Ay0CATlONS.
Singular Ways In Which Some People Earn
Living.
Chambers Journal.

Chambers Journal.
Said witness under rcross-examination
81 am an early-caller. l calls different
tradesmen at early hours, from l till $50
in the morning, and that is how ! get
my living. | get up between II and /;
goes to bed at D and sleeps till the
afternoon. | calls bakers between and
2-the bakers are the earliest Of all.
What sort of living he made is not re
corded. pound week, we would say,
would be the outside figure, and to earn
that he would need a couple scores of
customers. The early-caller's fee is well
earned, since but for his Intervention
his clients would often lose a days pay,
if not thrown out of work altogether, by
failing to keep time.
Not so deserving OF encouragement are
the "tuppennies," carrying on their vo-
cation in those quarters of London where
pawnbrokers and poor people abound.
They are feminine Intermediates be-
tween the pawbrokers and folks anxious
to raise loan upon their belongings,
who, rather than transact such business
for themselves, are willing TO pay two
pence for every parcel conveyed to every
body's ''uncle." or redeemed from his
clutches. These go-botweens, it is
averred, also receive a quarterly com
mission from the tradesmen they favor
with their patronage; and so, one way
and another, contrive to make comfort
able living out of their neighbors'
necessities.
There are men in Paris, birds of a
feather with the chiflonier, who 60
from hospital to hospital collect
ing the linseed plasters that have
served the turn OF the doctor and the
patient; afterward pressing the oil from
the linseed and disposing of the linen,
after bleaching it, to the paper-maker
Others make couple of francs a day
by collecting old corks, which, being
cleaned and pared fetch, it is said, half q
franc per hundred.
A lady resident of the Faubourg st
German is credited with earning a good
income by Matching red, black and
brown ants for pheasant preserves
One Partisan gets his living by breedin.
maggots out OF the foul meat he buys o
the chifironiers, and fattcning them VI
in tin boxes. Another breeds maggots
for the special behoof of the nigtin
gales, and a third merchant da,ucot.
boasts of selling between thirty
and forty millions of worms every
season for piscatorial purposes. lie
owns a great pit at Montmartre, VIII, reil
he keeps his store. Every day his
scouts bring him fresh stock, for which
he pays them from five to ten cents pei
pound, according to quality, resellin,
them to anglers at just double those rates
and clearing thereby something owe
$500 year.
This curious avocation is not unknown
in England. Some twelve years ago, ",
are told, Mr.. Wells, fishing tackle
maker of Nottingham, in order to insur,
a constant supply of bait for his custom
ers, started farm for the rearing of lop
worms, cockspurs, ring-tailed brandlin.
and other worms in demand among tn,
disciples of Walton, who abound in tn,
old lace town. To keep his farm stocked
men and boys 90 out at night collectln,
worms in the meadows and pastures;
moist warm night yielding from two t.
six thousand worms. As soon as the,
are brought in they are place,
in properly selected moss-field mos
for choice-to scour until they be
become little more than skin-freshly
caught worms being too tender for th
anglers to handle while "when worn
is properly educated he is as tough as
bit of Inda-rubber, and behaves as
worm should do when put upon tn
hook" When this condition is attaine,
the worms are packed in moss and pu
up in light canvas bags for the market
This worm merchant does not entirel,
depend upon the industry of his Collec
lectors. but breeds large quantities him
self in his own garden-the componen
parts of his breeding-heap being a secre
he not unnaturally keeps to himself.