Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1889-03-29
WHAT TIM AND JESS DID


night when grand idea" came to
him. He was thinking about his
mother. Tim was different from a
good many boys. in one way He
thought good deal more about his
mother than he did about himself
He was wishing that she didn't have
to work SO hard. She took in sewing
for living. 1t was stitch, stitch,
stitch all day, and more than once he
had walked up at midnight and found
her still at work.
"Oh, mother, do stop sewing and go
to bed he would say at such times
You must be tired out.
Yes, Tim, I'm going to bed very
soon, now," she would answer. Il
JUS want to finish this seam, first"
AsI have said, Tim was thinking
about his mother as he went home
ward, and just as he was wishing that
he could do great deal more than
he was doing to make her work light
er and life less wearisome, he came to
place where some men were unload
ing a lot of sewing machines.
Must be goingto start a shop here,
he thought, and stopped to watch
them at work.
MY don't | wish / could buy one
of them machines for mother" said
Tim IF she had a machine she could
do more work in four or five hours
than she can do now in all day, an do
il easier; an Jess an could help her
lots o. times after we'd learned TO run
the thing. / wonder how much one
of 'em costs. Most a fortune, | sup
pose" with little sigh.
Here, you boy, if you hain't got
anything else to do, lend a hand and
help us get these machines inside be-
fore it begins to rain" said the man
who seemed to be owner of the stock.
''You can earn ten cents in next to no
time"
"All right, sir, said Tim, with alac-
rity. Ten cents would help a good
deal in "a poor family, and he was just
the lad to not let such chances slip.
In little while they had the ma
chimes inside, and the drayman drove
off and left Tim with the machine
man.
Il s'pose, sir, one O. these machines
costs a good DEAL don't itf' asked
Tim.
Not such a great sight" answered
the man. New ones come higher'n
poor folks like to pay, but second
hand ones, like this, now"-indicating
q machine that looked about as well
as any of the others as far as Tim was
able to judge-''this one could sell
for fifteen dollars an warrant it to be
just as good as a new one that you'd
have to pay double that for. take
old ones in trade, you see, an fix EN-
up so they're as good as ever, bein'
tinker, an sell 'em cheap. Want to
buy?n
I'D like to, said Tim, with longing
in voice and eyes. But / don't hap
pen to have fifteen dollars"
Work an earn it." said the man.
Il work an earn all | can, now,"
said Tim. II sell papers, you see, an
il takes all mother'n | can rake and
scrape to live on, so couldn't save
anything to buy machine with. But
Id like TO, all the same. Mother, she
sews. but she'd never run in debt for
a machine. l just wish could buy
her one"
DO extra jobs an save up what
you get for 'em, an you could pay for
a machine" said the man.
IL don't s'pose you could give Inc
jobs, could your asked Tim, eagerly.
well, might, now an then" was
the reply. III tell you what Ill do.
I'm one O. them folks that's always
willin' to help folks that'll try to help
themselves. I'll give you all the cho-
rim round have to have done at ten
cents job. I'll give you a credit-slip
for each one, an if you pay in ten
cents in cash at any time, Ill give you
slip for that, too, an you can keep
the slips till they come TO the price of
a machine, an when you've got fif-
teen dollars worth of 'em, you can
have your pick of any secondhand
machine in the store. What do you
say!''
I'LL do it." said Tim, with kind
of gasp. The magnitude of the trans
action almost took his breath away.
IAN right, then" said the machine
man. do you want a slip for the job
you've done tonight, or the cashf''
I'll take Slip said Tim IF I'm
going to buy a machine l might as
well begin to pay for it on the start" ="
That's business, said the man. He
wrote on a card: due to bearer ten
! cents on account" and Tim pocketed