The gold leaf. [volume] (Henderson, N.C.) 1881-1911, 1891-12-24

wEich Won never will, and why not: De-
r.,se I've made my fortune by selling my
goods on a large scale for - per cent. les>
than give for EN-. and am consequent,
" to be elevated TO the house OF peers
next week by the title OF the Duhe "a
Cheap and Marks Jackaloorui- NOW
let's know what You want tohit,ht Suu
Won shall have it. But. first OF all, SNAIL
tell Won why / have got tins little Slri
round my neck: You don want to Know!
Then YOU shall She belongs 10 the fal-
ri.s She's a fortune teller. She can tell
me all about YOU in Il whisper, and can
put me up to whether You re a-solnS 10
buv "A lot or leave it. Now do you want
a saw. No. she says You don I, because
you're too clumsy to use one. Else heres
saw which would be a lifelong blessing
to a handy man. at four shillings, at
three and six at three. at two and SIX, al
two, at eighteen pence. But none OF You
shall have it at any price on account
of Your we'll known awkwardness, when
would make it manSlauShter. The same
objection applies to this set OF three
planes, which l won't let You have
neither, so don't bid for EN-. Now | am
going to ask her what YOU do want
CTnen | whispered. Your head burns
- that am afraid it hurts You bad, my
ret" and she answered, without open
i|y her heavy cN~5, Just a httle,
tatherO OH This little fortune teller
saws its a memorandum book You want.
Then why .hlin't You mention II: Here
it is. Look at it. Two hundred super
l.,r
Won don't believe me, count em-ready
ruled for yudr expenses, an everla>tlnS-
" pointed pencil To put 'tln down with,
double blalei peulllte 10 scratch EN-
out with. Il book of prlnted table. 10 cal
cul:;te your income with and camp
stool to sit down upon while you give
your mind to it! Stop. And an UNI
brella to keep the moon off when yo1
give your mind to 1t on pitch dark
night. Now. | won't ask YOU how much
for the lot. but how little: How little
are YOU thinking of: Don't be ashamed
to mention it. because my fortune teller
knows already" (Then making believe
to whisper | kissed her and she kissed
me.) why, she says you're thinking Of
as little us three and threepence! l
unless she told me. Three and three
pence. And Il set of printed tables in
the lot that'1 calculate your income UP
to forty thousand "a year! With an in
come of forty thousand Il year You
grudge three and siXpence. Well, then,
Ill tell you my opinion. | so despise the
threepence that I'd sooner take three
shillings. There. For three shillings,
three shillings, three shillings! Gone!
Hand 'em over to the lucky man.
As there had been no bid at all very
body looked about and ;,rinned at every
body, while l touched little Sophy's face
aud asked her if she felt faint or giddy.
Not very, father. 1t will soon be over"
Then turning from the pretty patient
eyes, which We're opened now, and see
| ing nothing but grins across my lighted
grease pot went on again in my Cheap
! Jack STYLE '.Where's the butcher" (my
| sorrowful eye had just caught sight of a
fat young butcher on the outside of the
crowd. "She says the good luck is the
| butchers. Where is he:' Everybody
handed on the blushing butcher to the
| front, and there was a roar, and the
| butcher felt obliged to put his hand in
his pocket and take the lot. The party
| SO picked out, III general does feel obliged
to take the lot-good four times out of
! SIX. Then We had another lot, the cOun-
terpart of that one, and sold it sixpence
cheaper, which is always very much en-
joyed. Then we had the spectacles. 1t
| amt a special profitable lot. but put
'em on, and l see what the chancellor of
the exchequer is going to take off the
taxes, and / see what the sweetheart of
the young woman in the shawl is doing
at home, and | see what the bishops has
got for dinner, and Il deal more that sell
dom fails to fetch EN- up in their spirits,
and the better their spirits the better their
bids. Then we had the ladies lot-the
teapot, tea caddy, glass sugar BASIN half
a dozen spoons and a caudle cup-and
all the time was making similar excuses
to give look or two and say a word or
two to my poor child. 1t was while the
second-ladies lot was holding 'em en-
chained that I felt her lift herself little
on my shoulder to look across the dark
street. What troubles you, darling?''
Nothing troubles me, father l am not
at all troubled. But don't l see pretty
churchyard over therey Yes, my dear -
kiss me twice, dear father, and lay Inc
down to rest upon that churchyard grass
so soft and green" l staggered back
into the cart with her head dropped on
my shoulder, and | says to her mother:
Quick! Shut the door! Don't let those
laughing people seer' What the mat
ter she cries. ''Oh, woman, woman"
tells her, you'll never catch my little
Sophy by her hair again, for she has
flown away from you
Maybe those We're harder words than
meant EN-; but from that time forth
my wife took to brooding, and would
sit in the cart or walk beside it hours a,
stretch. with her arms crossed anG
her eyes looking on the ground Wher
her furleS took her (Which was rather
schooner than before) they took her in ;
new way, and she banged herself abou
to that extent that l was forced to hold
her. She got none the better for a littl.
drink now and then, and through SOM
!, years l used to wonder, as | plodde,
along at the old horses head whethe
there was many carts upon the road tina
held so much dreariness as mine, for al
my being looked up to as the king Of tn
Cheap Jacks. SO sad our lives went o.
TILL one summer evening, when we wer
coming into Exeter out Of the farthe
west Of England, we saw woman beat
ing a child in cruel manner, VIII
, screamed, Don't beat me. Oh, mother
mother, mother Then my wife stoppe
her ears and ran away like a wild thing
and next day she was found in the rive,
Ne and my dog We're all the compan
, left in the cart now, and the dog learne
to give a short bark when they wOuldn
! bid, and to give another and nod of hi
head when l asked him, '.Who said hal
crown: Are you the gentleman, sill
that offered half CROWN" He attaine
to an immense height of popularity, an
u | shall always believe taught himself er
i tirely out Of his own head to pr0wl 2