Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1886-08-04
Gales aud Sketfhes.
RUrH'S STEPFATHER.
AN ENGLISH STORY.


poor people will be always miserable,
while to my experience your poor man is
often more light-headed than the man
with thousands.
| was at my wits end for something to
do. and sat nibbling my nails one day,
grumbling horribly.
Don't 90 on like that, Tom" says my
wife; ''things might be worse"
"How?' I said.
"Why. we might have Luke at home,
and he is doing we'll"
Luke's our boy, you know, and we
have got him into merchants office,
where he seems likely to stay but | was
in a grumbling fit then, and there was
cickety click noise going on in the next
room that fidgeted me terribly.
Things can't be worse" | said angri
ly; and | was going to prove myself in
the wrong by making my wife cry, when
there was a knock at the door.
Come in" | said, and fellow lodger
put in his head.
"Are you good at work, Mr.. Smith Pr
he said.
"What work ?" said; fireworks-gas-
works ?"
"Oh, no; | mean works of things as
goes with wheels and springs"
"Middiing," said tor | was fond of
pulling clocks to pieces and trying to in
vent.
II wish you'd come and look at this
sewing machine of mine for can't get it
to 60"
Sewing machines were newish in those
days, and got up to look at it, and after
about an hours fiddling about it, | began
to see bit of the reason why-the pur
pose, you know, of all the screws and
cranks and wheels; found out, too, why
our neighbours wite--she was dress
maker and had just started one could
not get it to go and before night, and by
thinking, and putting this and that togeth-
| er, had got her in the way of working it
pretty steadily, though with my clumsy
| fingers, | couldn't have done it myself
| had my bit OF tea and dinner with
these people, and they forced half a
crown upon me as well, and went back
feeling like a new man so refreshing had
been that bit of work.
There" said my wife. II told you that
something would come"
"Well, so you did, said L." but the
something is rather SMALL
'uI lHN fCi hSAt ~bo VIC WGlC NV
| ing in the midst of the people who were
fast taking to sewing machines-if the
| folks from the next house didn't want me
| to look at theirs and then the news spread
ing, as news will spread, that there was
somebody who could cobble and tinker
machinery, without putting people to the
expense tina. makers would, if the jobs
didu't come in SO fast, so that was
obliged to get files and drills and vice
regular sets of tools by degrees; and at
last was as busy as bee from morn till
night, whistling over my work, as happy
as a king.
| OF course every now and then | got a
breakage, but | could generally get over
that by buying a new wheel or spindle or
what not. Next we got to supplying
shuttles and needles, and machine cotton.
Soon after | bought machine of a man
who was tired of it. Next week sold it
at a good profit; bought another, and
another, ana sold them then got to taking
them and money in exchange tor new
ones; and one way or the other became a
regular big dealer as you see.
| Hundred? Why. new, second handed,
/ and with those being repaired upstairs by
the men, I've got at least three hundred
on the premises, while if anybody had
told me fifteen years ago that | should be
doing this should have laughed at him.
That pretty girl showing and explain
ing machine to customer That's
Ruth that is. No, not my daughter-yet,
but she soon will be- Poor girl, always
think of her and of bread thrown upon the
waters at the same time.
| hot Mill hut
will tell you why.
In our trade we have strange people to
deal with Most of 'em are poor, and
can't buy machine right off, but are
ready and willing to pay so much a week
That suits them. and it suits me, if they'll
only keep the payment up to the end.
You won't believe me, perhaps, but
some of them don't do that. Some OF
them leave their lodging, and | never see
them aga n; and the most curious part
is that the sewing machine disappears
with them. and | never see that again.
Many one, too. that that has disappeared
like that, | do see again-perhaps have
them brought here by some one to be re-
paired or exchanged for a bigger, or tor
one by different maker; for if you look
around here you'll see I've got all kinds
new and old, little domestics. and big
traders--there, you name any maker, and
see If don't bring you out one of his
works.
Well, whenever | ask these people
where they got the machine-for always
know them by the number-it turns out
that they've bought it through an adver.
tisement or at II saleroom or maybe out OF
a pawnbroker's shop.
But I've had plenty of honest people tc
deal with too-them as have come straight
forward and asked me to take their ma
chine back. when I'd allow them as much
as thought fair and 'twould be an end OF
a pleasant transaction.
The way have been bitten. though. BY
some folks has made me that case-hard
ened that sometimes I've wondered
whether I've got any heart left, and the
wife had to interfere. telling me I've beer
spoiled with prosperity and grown un
feeling.
1; was she made me give away abou,
Ruth for one day, after having my bris.
ties all set up. by finding out that three
good sound machines. BY best makers
had gone nobody knew where, who should
come into the shop but lady like looking
woman in very shabby widows weed
She wanted machine for herself and
daughter to learn. and said she had heard
would take the money by installments
Now lust half an hour before by our shor