St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-01-26
OLD SILVER.
How 1t Accum ulates in Shop Tills
and Out of the Way Places.

How 1t ACCumulateS IN SnOp Ills
and Out of the Way Places.
Down near Cape Cod, the other day.
spry little man jumped out of dilap-
idated buggy, and ran into country
store.
"'Morn'n. Any plugged or clipped
silver to sell to-day?" he asked of the
merchant.
Oval, I'd mo; hain't got time to look
it up. Next time you come along.
mebbe."
ooh! amt in no hurry; look round
some, will We, an I'll hang round a
SPELL"
"Wal, Tn see."
"Do you find the old silver business
profitable?" asked young man who
sat on soap-boX. smoking.
Eyes, yes" answered the spry man,
sitting down socially and picking his
teeth with Taunton herring. "My ole
man was Calyforny forty-niner, but L
find more of a bOnanzy round these
parts than he ever fetched hum. This
boss an buggy O. mine heZ put up at
every tavern in Eastern Massachusetts,
and make pretty fair thing out ont,
year in an year out. l buy, this ERE
SLul ny llOy tWClShts OH cCii
it to the bullion brokers'"
How do you fix the pricc?'
"'Cordin to market rates. said the
little man pompously. "Then get lots
of old teaspoons an things that's bent
or broke from some o. the farm houses.
'Tether day Teller thought he's goin'
to play smart on me. He'd lot of sill
yer odds and ends, and weighed en- on
avverdepoy scales fore cum along. L
weighed 'em on these Troy scales and
told him the ounces. Hold on seq he,
there's moren that, cause weighed IT.
an | couldn't make the crltter believe /
warn't tryin' to stick him.
Ever get any antique silver that
isn't broken up?"
"Sometimes, but folks gently hold
onter them old 'eirlooms. faint long,
though. since got big long chased
spoon with twisted handle that looked
as though it come over in the May
flower, and oncet l got a silver por-
ringer. or christenin' cup, the Teller
called il wnen sold it to him.
my biggest holt is cut to them big
piggerles round Dedham and Hyde
park. The hogs are fed on city swlll,
and lots o forks an spoons gets chuckcd
in bv careless help. good deal on'ts
pldlCu Oluus tili liioI Nch hes'o Nv
call to NEEDLE with l know an ole
woman that owns piggery that's got
half Darrell full O. plated forks and
spoons. She can't sell 'en, and she's
too mean to give 'em away: Sometimes
rings an things gets in. Then again |
buy old watch cases, and pins an rings
with stones knocked out, or anything
that's gold and silver.
Say" continued the spry man. in
fit of confidence. "I'll let ye look into
my box if you want to-"
He had curious collection-pieces OF
little. thin, old-tashioned teaspoons,
quaint, time-hlackened jewelry with
deep chasings, old Spanish milled dol
lars and pistarcens; a Heterogeneous
heap of worn, battered, clipped and
perforated coins; the lid of silver
snuff box and tho handle of a gold
headed cane.
"Should think you'd be afraid Of get
ting robbed" suggested tho adniring
young man.
Lord there hain't no hlghwaymen
about here" said the bonanza mali. re-
provingly. "a Teller stopped me oncet
down in Plymouth woods. but told
the durn fool ter git out, an he did. |
guess he'd been a-drinkin' rum, an cal
culated TO skeer me little"