Staunton vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1860-1896, 1890-06-06

were truly bright looking things and fin
ished with care and neatness
"Jest look at yer face in that" ttII .cc 80.
dIer said, holding one of the g.itIering
things up to the good woman's eye.
could see that Mrs. Dowley was caught
'How much did you say was the price of
these?" she asked -
six dollars Il dozen-three dollars for
half dozen-an' you may depend ont,
they'll outwear any silver spewn in crea-
ton. Meow wait"
From one corner of the other trunk the
peddler brought up IA glass spoon cup. 1t
was all figured off and clear as crystal.
Then he proceeded to arrange six of the
spoons in it placing them at equal dis
tances from each other, with the bowls
up. The handles glittered through the
figured glass most beautifully, and the
polished bowls of the spoons, which just
rested over the rim of the cup, reflected
the light from their polished surfaces in
all directions.
''ThereW uttered the peddler, triumphant
ly, who's got such a set as that reound
these diggins?"
Mrs. Dowley's eyes fairly sparkled
whats that glass thing worth?" she
asked.
hdlI d uOlldf
"But a tumbler'd do Jest as well to set
'em in"
"But 'twouldn't look so well, whispered
Rachael, into her mothers ear
At this juncture the peddler arose and
went to his cart, and when he came in he
had piece of delaine in his hand.
81 don't want we to buy this" he said, as
he sat down and gathered one end of the
al Ivy ;,,h ;c
the other end fall gracefully upon the floor
"Only as I was noticin' your daughters
countenance an complexion, / couldn't
help but think of it. Where put up last
night there was young lady, jest abeout
this young lady's age; an she wanted this
piece drefful bad, but We see she was rather
plain lookin' an dark complexioned, an
such a figur' as this wouldn't match with
such face. But jest look at this piece for
such a complexion as you darter has. Amt
it splendid"
Rachael's red face grew redder, but she
was greatly pleased. l can give the ped
dler's words, but can't give the soft, win
ming looks and smiles he bestowed upon
those two females. But | could see that
Rachael was now caught. Her eyes de-
voured the delaine, and she was all excite
ment. And then the flattery she had re-
ceived added not little to her emotions.
The cloth was pretty, if color and figure
were all, but could see that the texture
was far from firm.
"What is this yard?' Rachael asked.
"Only two shillin's ma'am. Now only
think, they'd make We pay half dollar at
the store for that, and ye'd have to take
jest what they had, too. Ye see got this
of my brother, who imports his goods right
from France, SO l got it cheap. There's
jest ten yards in this piece-jest pattern.
Meow 1 don't like to cultivate pride in
young folks, but at the same time it docs
appear to me that when our Heavenly
Father has given handsome face to a gal
ian admiring glance at RachaeI she's a
right to treat it decently by matchin' a
handsome dress to it. Them's my opin-
ions. Don't you think so, ma'am?"
Mrs. Dowley said yes, and then she asked
the peddler if he couldn't take twenty-five
cents yard for his delaine.
II mustn't" he said. II love to sell
cheap, but faint reasonable to lose money
outright. Howsumever-look here" tax
ing up the spoons, which stood temptingly
in the glass dish, ''say three dollars for the
six spewns; three dollars an thirty three
cents for the delaine-and-an'- Well, T'll
give ye the glass dish, eff yell promise to
make present of it to this young lady
when ye've done with it. There!"
Mrs. Dowley looked up at her husband.
AREN'T them NICE" she said. "How
handy when we have company"
But the old man said nothing
1--WE got three dollars and half now at
belongs to yeou," said the peddler, who had
been figuring on the top of the spoon box
"Take eout the pay for the delaine, an that
leaves seventeen cents. Then, for the
spewns, I want jest two dollars an eighty
three cents more. By hoker, hadn' It ought
to sell so but will"
81 ken pay that out of my own money!"
said Mrs Dowley; and waiting until she
found her husband would make no re-
monstrance, she started off and brought
just the change.
The peddler saw that it came hard, and
he offered no more of his wares; and not
long afterwards, he was after the next
farmer, where he would probably have
"just one more left'' of the farmers
magic land measurer," and where he
might find another girl just fitted to u
dress pattern, and SO on. l examined the
spoons after he was gone, and found them
marked with a makers name in New York
They were well plated, and worth, per-
haps, 81 per dozen. The measuring tape
could have purchased at any store for Is
cents, and the delaine would have been
reasonable at 1914 cents per yard. But
held my peace, and wondered how my
friends would treat the next "good for
nothing" who might honor them with a
visit Sylvanus Cobb. Jr., in Yankee
Blade.