New Ulm weekly review. [volume] (New Ulm, Minn.) 1878-1892, 1885-03-04
WHAT A CENT WILL BUY.
Tho Meager Expenditure Possible With q
Solitary Copper.

Tho NIeager Expenditure Possible With .
Solitary Copper.
The man who has only cent is very
little better off than the man who is
without cent, Hardly anything of
value to life can be purchased for q
cent, and indeed the familiar copper
coin was not inaptly described by
Washington square tramp rs "a coin
of exceptional aggravatingness.' The
wandering gentleman had seen better
days, and, although there are doubtless
nose in disreputable demeanor, the po-
lite overtures and the cigar of the
newspaper man were received with SEN
fences of appreciation betraying past
which included education.
Gas take it, said he, "a cent is
Just the amount of money the street.
car people swindle OUT of every passcn-
ger-and cents in piles are not to be
despised, else you can buy an eve
ming paper with murder in it, that's
| about all Now, as don't ride in
cars, and don't care much about the
new police regulations which read IN
the paper, ! always wait until l get
another cent, because with two cents
can get dip of rum. It's bad liquor.
but don't it tickle your throat?" and
the wandering gentleman ch'ewcd for
while on his tongue.
"A cent is the mcanest coin on
carth,' he continued with vchemence
"Old ladies would always give you a
nickel, and so would benevolent old
gentlemen, only the cents. come handi-
est-of course you say thank You, sir, ;
and 'Gawd bless you, num- but you
feel inclined to chuck it back, anyhow.
What can you get for it? Nothing;
not even enough bread to kill hunger
for while-thank you, sir" and the
tramp slouched away with an eleemo-
synary dime, down Seventh street,
slumwards, and disappeared through
the portals of the Blazing Rag"
Close to that unsavory hostelrie there
are several little stores called ''gener.
| al shops" where the very poor buy
| nearly all their necessities. The news
paper man entered one of the stores,
and, finding an old acquaintance Of
former stories behind the counter, was
soon in discussion on the cent and
what can be obtained for that coin.
Il guess good many of my custom.
ers are cent ones" said the store-keep'
er, braYny Irishman, "but it's pre-
cious little that they get You can buy
this roll,'' showing a very diminutive
loaf, "but there amt more than foul
bites in it; or you can take your choice
of crackers, two of them. or four O
those, or one of them, but they'd be M
use to hungry man. You can buy {
head of cabbage for cent. but cab
bage amt no use without q fire tt
cook it. unless you're goat or rab
bit. Then you can get a bit of soap
brown, coarse stuff, which makes every
thing smell what it washes, or a cent
worth of snuff, or tobacco, or skei1
of thread, or two needles, or on
pickle, or one onion, or apple, or fiv.
sticks of wood, enough to start a fire
or short tallow candle, or paper o
pins, or two ounces OF flour, or a littl
vinegar, or some coal oil. The oil
about the best thing you can get, as
is enough to keep lamp burning a
night. Then you can buy two envel
, i opes or two sheets Of writing paper.
box of matches, six gum drops, Z
monkey on stick, shoe-lace, small
package of pepper, starch, or a goo
lump of salt, or large handful Q
soda, and that's about the list.
.It's the fve-cent piece that's tn
!, coin of the poor of this country, no
the cent. In England a penny can bu
. good meal. There are soup kitchen
all over London where you can get
, bowl Of thick pea broth or stewed eel
, for one copper, or yon can buy larg
piece of fried fish, or a bag OF fried pc
{ tatoes, or half pint OF beer or porter
or half pound or more of bread, or
, rasher of bacon, or a sleeps tongue
or big plate Of Irish stew, made {
potatoes and Australian mutton, or
Il thick slice Of plum pudding, or plate
, full Of peas pudding. You can quit
II satisfy your hunger for q penny in Lor
5 don, just as you can for fye-cer
!, piece here, but you cant do it for
Il cent, and l hope You will never have
81 try
a young woman entered the st0r
) dirty and unkempt. bnt good-lookin!
/ j and purchased cents worth Of snnt
That tho former wife Of the 81
. blind beggar. s said the storekeepe
The Ifcssswrf,f q al,ol,t llaa 4