Barbour County index. [volume] (Medicine Lodge, Kan.) 1880-current, 1882-10-20
Learning the Grocer Business.

1 went to learn the grocery business
with Mr.. Ginger. and / found him the
clear ginger itself, and he found me
ditto.
was only fourteen years old, but
was lot older In my own way of think
ing. and stood right on my dignity the
first day was there. 1t only took me
about half an hour to learn the business,
anyway.
learnt the candy. sugar, apple, or
ange and raisin business in less time
than that, for knew all about it before
l got my hat off. After / had been
there about twenty minutes, and was
pretty well . through with bottle of
gum drops. the boss asked me if had
ever been In grocery store before. 1
was too full for reply-a least my mouth
was-but as soon as l got my mouth
nearly empty, said: "Often; been in
bigger ones than this. too"
"Well." he said, ''you seem to take
hold of some parts of it pretty quick."
"Oh. yes! / can learn anything quick
that set my mind to-
"See." said he, if you can learn to
dust off those lamp chimneys, wash off
those shelves, bring up some potatoes
out of the cellar and leave off eating can
dy."
81 don't think can set my mind to
do that. Have you no man to do these
sort of things?''
mo; we always make the boy do
that"
swell, where's the boyp Amt he
come yet? I'll bet you a quarter that
before I'm here long he'll have to get
here earlier in the morning than this.
"WhO?''
1.-THE boy"
what boy?"
Didn't you say that the boy did all
the dirty work? Come old fellow, you
can't fool me. If you think I'm green,
why, you've got hold of the wrong
man, and it's me that telling you
Just then there was lady came in
She asked the price of our best flour.
referred her to the boss. .'Flour has
raised" he said, land we can't let you
have barrel for less than seven dollars.
''Oh, can get it for Sc. 3d." she said
Gin your misty mind" says l.
"Hold your tongue, boy" says the
boss.
my advice to you. missus, said I,
sis if you can get as good flour as we
have for six dollars and half, you're a
tangled up monkey if you don't 60 and
| get it, if your credit is creditable''
You're an impudent puppy" re-
marked the boss, savagely.
1.-The same to yourself and many of
Them" says /, meekly.
With this the lady marched out Sc
dately.
Hold on, old lady," says /. Don't
go away mad I'll let you have a bar
rel at six dollars and seventy-fve cents,
CASH.
She kept right on out, without letting
on she heard me.
sung out, Goodbye. while you re
handyr'
AS soon as she was gone the boss
said:
"Boy, you won't suit me. You would
drive all my customers away with YOUR
sauce, besides driving me crazy
Neither one of them would be very
long drive, if I'm properly acquainted
with myself, and 1 guess ! ami
sClear out! clear outr' shouted the
boss, "before kill you on the spot"
(Which spot do you mean?' said I,
at the same time laughing heartily in
his face.
He threw pound weight a. me.
made nice catch, and said, ..out on
first base"
He looked wild.
threw it back to him. but he muffed
it, and it went out through the window.
don know where this would have
stopped had not a customer come in.
/ looked down the street and saw the
boss coming with a policeman. L quick
ly got inside, locked the door, and
busted out the back way, resolved to
give up the grocery business, and have
never been seen in that town since
4 Small Boy, IN Detroit Free Press.