Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1880-07-01
Strange AvOcati0ns.


Said a witness under cross-examina-
ton: am an early-csller. / callg
different tradesmen at early hours, from
one until hnlf-past five o'clock in the
morning, and that is how get my liv.
ing. / gets up between twelve and one
O'Clock; | goes To bed at six o'clock and
sleeps until the afternoon. / calls tho
bakers between one and two O'clock
the bakers are the earliest Of ali u
What sort of living he made is not 70.
corded. Five dollars a week, we sb0uId
say, would be the outside figure, and IN
earn that he would need couple of
scores of customers. The early -caller,s
fee Is well earned, since but for his in
tervention his clients would often lose
| days pay, if not be thrown out OF work
altogether, by failing TO keep time. Not
80 deserving of encouragement are the
tup-pennies," carrying on their voca-
tion in those quarters of London where
pawnbrokers and poor people abound
| They are feminine Intermediates he.
| tween the pawnbroker and folks anxious
| to raise a loan upon their belongipLa
! who, rather than transact such business
| for themselves, are willing To pay two
| pence for every parcel nveyed 10 cyerv.
| Oody's "uncle" or redeemed from Ei.
clutches. These go-betweens, il is aver.
red, also receive quarterly commission
! from the tradesmen they favor with their
patronage; and so, one way and another
contrive TO make a comfortable living
out Of their neig gh bors' necessities.
There are men in Paris, birds Of
| feather with the chiffonier, who 20 from
| hospital TO hospital collecting the i'm.
seed plasters that have served the turn
| of doctor and patient; afterward press
| ing the oil from the linseed and dispos-
! ing Of the linen, after bleaching il, 20 the
paper maker. Others makes \ couple of
! francs a day by collecting old corks
which being cleaned and pared. fetch
it is said. half franc per hundred.
! A lady resident of the Faubourg ST.
| Germain is credited with earning a good
income by Matching red, black and
| brown ants for pheasant preservers. One
Partisan gets his living by breeding
maggots out of the foul meats he buys
Of the chiffoniers and fattening them
up in tin boxes. Another breeds mag
| gots for the special behoof Of nightin.
gales; and third boasts of selling be
| tween 80, 600, 900 and 40, 600. 900 of worms
| every season for piscatoriai purposes.
| He owns great pit at Montmartre
wherein he keeps his store. Every day
| his scouts bring him fresh stock, FOX
I which he pays them from five TO ten
pence per pound, according to quality;
reseling them TO anglers at Just double
| those rates, and clearing thereby some.
thing over G500 a year.
This curious avocation is not unknown
| in England. Some twelve years ago. We
are told, Mr.. Wells, fishing-tack,e
maker of Nottingham, in ord sr 10 insure
"A constant supply of bait for his customs
ers, started n farm for the rearing of
| lobworms. cockspurs, ring-tailed brand
| linRs and other worms in demand
among the disciples OF Walton. who
abound in the old lace town. To keep
his farm stocked, men and boys go out
| at night collecting worms in the mead
| owe and pastures. a moist warm night
| yielding from 1000 to 5000 worms. A
soon as they are brought in they ,are
placed in properly-selected moss, fed
moss for choice, TO scour until they be-
come little more than sk:n-freshly-
caught worms being too tender for an
glers TO handle; while when a worm
is properly educated, he is as tough as a
piece of India-rubber, and behaves as
worm should do when put upon the
| hook" When this condition is attained.
the worms are packed in moss and put
up in light canvas bags for the market.
This worm-merchant does not entire.y
depend upon the industry OF his col
lectors, but breeds large quantities him
| self in his own garden-the component
parts of his breeding-heap being a secret
he not unnaturaliy keeps TO himself
Chambers Journal.