Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1880-03-03
WITH A JERSEY PEDDLER.

Adjourned.
WITH A JERSEY PEDDLER.
How Shrewd Spectacle Seller Paid His Board.
IFron the New York Times.l
For ways that are dark and tricks that
are not vain the Yankee peddler can give
the heather Chinese points. A bright
young fellow who was driven not long ago
to travelling country roads with basket
over his arm, selling little article ON
which there was just a ittleover2 2, 900 per
cent. profit, fell in, down III the wilds of
New Jersey one day, with one of these M
teresting specimens "That man." says
the young fellow, "taught me more about
peddling in the few days we travelled to-
gether than | ever knew before. He
could turn iack-knife into horse
and wagon. Late one afternoon we
were making for a little tavern, kept
by an elderly woman, where we intend
ed to pass the night. The Yankee, as
we passed little pile of pebbles, stopped
down and picked up two round white
ones, one about twice as large as the
| other. s am going to pay for my sup
per and lodging, said he, with these
two pebbles He put them in his peck
ct, and / thought no more about them
till, after we had eaten our supper, we
were seated in front of comfortable fire
the Yankee, the landlady and /. He
was spectacle peddler, and carried his
wares in little green box. He had
charming habit of saying topeople when
ever he got chance, Your eyes are in q
bad way. They won't last you long.
a thIC 70 tho tonI1oIx- o1,I 1o
piled that she was afraid that was true,
or they had been troubling her good
deal lately"
"Then the spectacle man brought on
the larger of the two pebbles. Look at
that, madame, said he. What do you
| think of that %
"The landlady said she thought it looked
like any other white pebble that could be
picked up anywhere. The spectacle
man, laughing at the poor woman's ig-
norance, said if she could pick up few
stones like that she'd soon make her for
tune. 1t was a genuine eye pebble i'm
ported from Germany. 'Imake an eye
water from those pebbles, said he, that
strengthens the eye and restores the fail
ing sight. That stone will dissolve to
| nothing in ten minutes in salt and wa
| ter. The old lady was incredulous, and
/ for some time nothing more was said
/ about it. Presently she asked: is that
| eye water of yours. very expensive?''
No. he said, mot very expensive. ,
Then, said she, I guess I'll have to
get you to make me bottle of it,
"The peddler told her to bring in a
tumbIerful Of lukewarm water, with a
tablespoonful of salt in it, and a tea
spoon. The articles were soon brought,
and the peddier, dropping the larger
pebble into the glass, began to stir it
with the teaspoon with great deliberation.
For fully five minutes he continued to
stir, the pebble of course showing no
signs of dissolving.
'''I thought said the old lady, 'that
that there little stone would not dis
! solve.
1T does seem little stubborn,
that's fact, said the spectacle man,
but the trouble is you haven't put in
quite enough salt. Just get me tea
spoonful more salt, and it will soon be
all right The old lady left the room to
get the salt, and the peddler quickly
whipped the large pebble out of the
tumbler and dropped in the small one.
Il declare said she, when she returned
and saw the diminished size of the peb-
BILE, it is takin' hold, after all, amt it ? ,
Certainly said the spectacle man,
looking very wise, and pouring in the re-
mainder of the salt, it will be ready,
now, in about five minutes, and you'd
better have bottle handy to put it in,
for it spoils it to stand in the air.
The landlady had him this time, for
the bottle was standing on the mantle
shell. 1t was necessary to get her out
Of the room once more to remove the
little pebble, so he asked: Haven't you
colored glass bottle?' She said she
hadn't one In the house. "Then,' said
he, you'd better paste some dark paper
around this one, for the light weakens
the eye water, and in time spoils it. ,
The old lady went to the kitchen to
hunt some thick paper, and out came
the pebble. The eye-water was made.
Rub your eyes well with this three
times day, said he, as he corked the
BOTTLE and by the next time [ come
! around you'll have new pair of eyes in
your head
Next morning, as we were about to
pay our bills, the landlady inquired how
much she owed for the eye water.
SIS 1t will be dollar for the pebble.
Just what it costs to import it from Ger
many said he. Il won't charge you
anything for making it.
So dollar was just what he owed tie.
hotel. He and the landlady were
square
Egyptian Cats.