The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1885-11-13
WHAT A CENT WILL BUY.
The Meager Expenditures Possible with a
Solitary Coppcr-Tran.ps and Beggars
Object to It, Street-Car Owners Like
1t, but Hunger 1t Can Not Ap.

Illlic UcIteE OH IIldu luc llau VINO Is
without cent. Hardly anything of
value to life can be purchased for
cent, and indeed the familiar copper
coin was not inaptly described by a
street tramp as "a coin
of exceptional aggravatingness. The
wandering gentleman had seen better
days, and, although there are doubt
less times when his mouth can equal
his nose in dsrcputable dcmeanor, the
polite overtures and the cigar of the
newspaper man were received with
sentences of appreciation betraying a
past which included education.
GAS take it, said he, ga cent is
just the amount of money the street.
car people swindle out of every pas
senger-and cents in piles are not to
be despised,-o else you can buy an
evening paper with a murder in it,
that's about all. Now, as l don't ride
in cars, and don't care much about
the new police regulations which l
read in the paper, always wait until
l get another cent, because with two
cents l can get dip of rum. It's bad
liquor, but don't tickle your throat?"
and the wandering gentleman chewed
for while on his tongue.
GA cent is the meancst coin on
earth,' he continued with vehemence.
"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. mum, but you
feel inclined to chuck it back, anyhow.
What can you get with it? Nothing;
not even enough bread to kill hunger
for while-thank you, sir and the
tramp slouched away with an elee-
mosnyary dime, down Seventh street,
slumwards, and disappeared through
the portals of the Blazing Rag"
Close to that unsavory hostclrie there
are several little stores called general
shops" whore the very poor buy near
ly 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.
81 guess a good many of my custom
ers are cent ones,' said the store
keeper, a brawny Irishman, 'but it's
precious little that they get. You can
buy this roll showing very diminu-
tive loaf, 'but there amt more than
four bites in it, or you can take your
choice of crackers, two of them, or
four of those, or one of them, but
they'd be no use to hungry man.
You can buy head of cabbage for Il
cent, but cabbage amt no use without
fire to cook it, unless you're goat
or rabbit. Then you can get bit of
soap, brown, coarse stuff, which makes
everything smell what it washes, or a
cents worth of snuff, or tobacco, or a
skein of thread, or two needles. or one
pickle, Or one onion. or apple, or live
sticks of wood, enough to start fire.
pins, or two ounces of flour, or a little
vinegar, or some coal oil. The oil is
about the best thing you can get, as it
is enough to keep a lamp burning all
night. Then you can buy two envel-
opes or two sheets of writing paper, a
box of matches, SIX gum drops, mon
key on stick, a shoe-lace, small
package of pepper. starch, or a good
lump of salt, or large handful OF
soda, and that's aoout the list.
"1t's the five-cent piece that is the
coin of the poor in this country, mol
the cent. In England penny can buy
a good meal. There are soup kitch
ems all over London where you can gel
a bowl of thick pea broth or stewed
cells for one copper, or you can buy {
fried potatoes, or half a pint of beer OF
porter, or half pound or more o
bread, or rasher of bacon, or 8
sleeps tongue, or u big plate Of lrisl
stew, made of potatoes and Australia,
mutton, or a thick slice of plum pud
ding, or plateful of pease pudding
You can quite satisfy your hunger TO
q penny in London, just as you can TO
a tive-cent piece here, but you can't d'
it for cent, and hope you will neve
have to try"
A young woman entered the store
dirty and unkempt but good-looking
and purchased a cents worth of snuff
That's the former wife of the oil,
blind beggar," said the store-keeper
''Ihc Press wrote all about the mar
riage three years ago, She's left hin
now, got divorced, she says, and nov
she's taken to snuff and a young ma
as mends umbrellas. 1t was all on &C
count of the yellow dog"
"How do you mean?'
"Why, when the baby of the blin
man was christened last winter. as yo
remember, cause you was present
Mrs Flannigan, the mother-in-law
threw Il Aat-iron at the yellow dog an
broke its skull, just because the poo
animal felt deserted that evening an
took to bowling. The blind begga
valued that dog an awful lot, loved il
so to speak, and wouldn't believe bu
what his wife had egged her mother o
to killing of it and they never wer
friends again. The baby died and h
he made over the body of the yello,
dog was trying. You see he and tina
dog had trampcd lots Of miles togethe
and quite understood each other. H
took the dogs carcass with him to
vacant lot some where near Manayunl
and there he got a fiend to dig hol
and drop the dead animal in It, II
tramps up, they say. to the place, no,
and then, where the dog lies, and
heard us how more than once last sun
mcr he gathered big lunches of pansi'
in the park just to place on the spo
They are building over the lot nov
and l should not be surprised if the ol
blind brggar has the remains dug Il
and put somewhere else guess /
regrets he hasn't no family vault. StIl
human nature goes out to dog SOM
times-even q yellow dog. No 0o
would be customcr), I'VE don't NAL
20 cents worth ol ham. -Ptitadepn
Press.
Church Fellowship.
The Rev. D. Nwm in r
cen sermon "' tn 81 ,jcc', s'id: L