The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1883-03-23
Hard is HE Lot.

All trades and professions have their
disadvantages that are known only to
those belonging to the said trades and
professions. The farmer envies the cd
itor. and rice rcTsa. Because neither of
them know how many disagrceab!r
things there are connected with the
trade of the other; and so il is with all
other professions. 1t. however. must
have frequently occurred to the man Of
limited means. that the proprietor Of the
small corner grocery has less trouble
with the cares of this life than almost
any other mortal. When his wife says
the coffee is out, all he has TO do is to go
to the coffee barrel and help himself.
When the children bother him for candy
all he has to do to quiet them is to take
down the candy jar and tell them to
help themselves. We are aware that the
proprietor of the corner grocery has to
pay for his goods. but whenever his cX-
penses are heavy, he can even things
ont Ivy using lighter weight, or by
giving back insufficient change to u
child. and pretending that it lost the
money on the road home. Ii seems,
however, that even the small grocer has
his woes.
We noticed, n few days ago. that
Peter Cooper. an Austin grocer. was sit
ting on his doorstep in II gloomy atti-
tude.
Whats the matter with the eminent
merchant prince" we asked. in tone
of real concern. punching him in the
abdomen with our gold-headed cane
IL am feeling little bad this morn
ing. have got the blues from eating
some Holsters in cans that were bulgcd
out al the ends. The lobster was spoiled
little, think, and now am labOring
under sense of encouragement. l
will have 10 get a partner who can assist
me in eating up the unsaleable goods"
That's a very ridiculous idea. Why
don't you throw the spoiled goods into
the street,
81 tried that last summer when water
melons were in season, and 1 was so
heavily fined that il took away all the
profits on the watermc!ons for the whole
season. After that | eat them up.
Every day. after that. | felt it duty
owed my family and myself to eat up
from three to fifteen stale watermelons
that had been left over. every night be-
fore going to bed. My liver got I'M
hinged, or tangled up. somehow. and
I've never really rcllshed ripe fruit
since
why don't you keep a pig to help
you eradicate the unsaleable goods?"
Il tried that. too. but there il an or
dinance against it. SO l found out when
| paid my line. 1t seems to me as if the
city authorities wanted to either run me
out of town, or fill me up with second
hand vegetables,
Yours is hard lot in life"
ut is" sighed Peter. "hard, hard
"Why don't you give the unsuitable
slug away''
II tried that. too, but it gave me
away. | thought it might make me
popular with the laboring classes if
gave them the supertluous garbage. i
even dreamed of being elected to some
high position of honor and trust on the
popularity ! would acquire from old
cheese and the like. but [ was fOiled, rs
usual. A can of old oysters ] gave the
wife of II laboring man caused him to
work on me with dray pin until he
raised $l5-doctOr bill on me. No. sir.
l tell YOU the life of the grocer has its
dark sidca. its shadows ~ well as its
lights. All, here comes the doctor TO
tap me for the dropsy caught while
trying to dispose of barrel of second
hand pigs feet.
The unhappy man ambled into the
store, and as we watched his retreating
figure, we thought how much happier
was the editor. who rarely gets enough
to eat. compared with that of the grocer,
who rcvels in abundance. and is fed on
dainiies. - 7enLS SittinQs.