Orleans County monitor. [volume] (Barton, Vt.) 1872-1953, 1886-03-22
Mrs. Browns ssGreat
Bargain

s'Oh, such a bargain as I've got,
said Mrs. Brown to neighbor who
had just come in. 81 am so glad
you called, for / must show it to you.
I bought it at Sewell's. A beauti-
full brocaded silk, as thick as board
almost, and so cheap! They sell SO
much lower at that store, that they
will soon be getting all the custom.
She unfastened the bundle, as she
spoke, and revealed to her visitor
what did at first seem a brocaded
blue silk in two shades of that color.
But, when she named the price she
had paid for it, Mrs. Armour, her
visitor, took up the fabric and began
to examine it more closely, for it
seemed to her incredible that such
silk as it appeared to be could be
sold SO low.
''Mr. Sewell said they had never
had such bargain BEFORE . volubly
went on Mrs. Brown. cit was the
last dress-pattern, too, and when |
hesitated a little, he told me | had
better take it at once, for they were
sure to sell it to the very next GUS
toner that came in.''
"Perhaps it was smuggled," said
Mrs. Armour s'that would account,
in part, for the low price" For,
though she had made up her mind
about the silk, by this time, she was
too we'll bred to openly depreciate it.
81 limited as much,' was the reply /;
''but Mr.. Sewell assured me l was
mistaken. 'Oh, no. he said, I'VE
never deal in such goods. But l
more than half think was right, for
he had a sort of conscious look. For
my part, l don't care whether it was
smuggled or not-that's none of my
affairs; my business is to get an ar
ticle as cheap as | can, and ask no
questions. Besides, don't see why
the Government should make me pay
duties I'd cheat it in minute, by
smuggling, if you call smuggling
cheating"
Whatever reply Mrs. Armour might
have made was prevented by the ap-
pearance of Mr.. Brown, who had
come to dinner. Overhearing bis
wife's remark, he said, as he shook
hands with Mrs. Armour:
You'd smuggle, if you could, you
say, my DEAR" addressing his wife
} "Spoken like true woman. l never
vet knew one that could be made tt
understand that it was as wrong tt
defraud the nation as to defraud :
private individual. Every lady seems
to be born smuggler."
"Oh, no." interrupted Mrs. All
e mour, but good-humoredly. 'Pra.
r except me. |, for one, couldn'
smuggle." And she would have add
: ed: ''Nor buy smuggled goods know
ingly," only she was too much of
lady to say it in the presence of Mrs
Brown.
.sWell, l take back my assertion,
:, said Mr.. Brown laughing. 1t wa
= sweeping, / admit. But let us loo
u at this wonderful bargain of Ellen's
We are all interested in that. Yo
d must concede, Mrs. Amour, that ev
|" cry woman likes bargain. Sh
, seems to take a wonderful pleasur
in overreaching a shop-keeper.
= "Now you are cynical and sever
. again. remarked Mrs. Amour. sc
course, we like bargain but it ism
" that we overreach the dealer; it i
he because our sex is naturally thrifty.
TO ''But what is thrift? Not buying
- low priced article merely because
is low-priced." He had taken fol
:, of the silk up between his fingers, an
?" was feeling it all this while-witho,
TO looking at it, however. Il kno
something about that. Last year,
t. was tempted tn buy a suit of clothe
d. because I'd only have to Jay abo'
10 one-balf what l generally paid.
said to myself, if the clothes on
4 lasted half as long, there could ut
d. be any loss.
1T "a very natural thought
n :'Yes. But, when l came to wei
r the clothes, / found the trousers b
gan to bag at the knees the very fir
-. day. The cloth, you see, was Il
w vilest shoddy; not so good as cor
ng mon flannel; it was without any frr
st ness. In a week, waistcoat and co
also were shabby. | got ashamed
er the suit, and gave it away. So, "
no see, apparent cheapness is not g
20 ways real cheapness the true polio
IT is to buy a good thing, and that
course means paying a good prlc
er People can't afford to work for not
to ing. First-rate material, and frs
IL rate labor in making it up, must ha'
first-rate pay. That is, when the
is fair dealing all round for if .
80 article be stolen or smuggled. tht
he even good one can be sold belo
20 price. But no honest man or woms
ad wishes to have such bargains as ths
air Or, if the article be not what it pr
ie' tends to be, then also 1t can be h
- at what seems "a bargain In tn
case, however, it is no bargain at a
, a as the purchaser soon finds out.
M 81 have had an experience, to
ills in that direction, said Mrs. Armor
,he laughing pleasantly. 1--WE though
n