Delaware gazette and state journal. (Wilmington, Del.) 1883-1902, 1891-11-05
STORIES OF THE DAY.

The mound builders are still dong
business at Second and Monroe streets.
Somebody has cut into their first mound,
on Monroe street, probably in search of
antiquarian remains, but, nothing dis
couraged, these energetic wielders of
the pick and shovel have transferred
their operations to Second street, on
which they have already piled up still
larger mound. The Second street
mound is perhaps not quite so high as
was the Monroe street one before the
local antiquarians dug down the eastern
half of it in their probable search for
aboriginal wheelbarrows and other re-
mains, but what the Second street en-
bankment lacks in height is made up in
length, it being about fifty feet long, six
to eight feet high and filling the bed of
that highway from curb to curb. In
order to make the excavation, from
| which this earth has been taken, passa-
bic for explorers, wooden bridge has
been thrown across, and on any fine day
the observer stationed on this bridge can
see hole in the ground, as well as an
artificial hill above ground, well worth
looking at. Away down under the ex-
posed water mains and gas pipes the
work is going briskly on with no imme-
diate prospect of stopping. 1t is well
worth going to see.
Here are two little stories, literally
true, which seem to have some sort of
moral locked up in their internal ar
| engagements
MIR. c., Posey county, Indiana,
farmer, drove into the little town of
/ Mount Vernon, one day, with load of
choice apples in his light market wagon.
Apples were something of drug in
town and Mr.. @. knew that if he be-
trayed an eagernoss to sell, the towns
women would chatter and try to beat
him down in price. "I'll show them n
! trick worth two of that" he said an
4 tell them these apples are not for sale,
but that am bringing them in for de-
livery to Mr. A., the storekceper. Then
| I'll allow them to coax me into letting
them have a half-peck each as a special
favor And he did. The upshot was
that almost every woman in town, when
she learnel that the apples were en-
gagged b. the storekeepcr, was ready TO
beg. for the privilege of buying half
peck at the cunning farmers own price,
and he sold the fruit rs fast as he could
measure ii out, reserying, however, a
small quantity for the storekeeper afore-
said which no amount of pleading
would induce him TO part with. OF
course he explained the ruse to Mr.. A.,
and they both stepped TO the back part
Of the store, where there was private
bar, and mutually Smiled"
The other story is about man who
started out to buy good parlor organ
for cash. Never mind the locality of
this story Mr.. b., as we will call him,
knew no more about parlor organs than
he did about the Eleusinian mysteries,
but he counted on finding in the dealers
men OF honor who would tell him the
truth about their wares. And he did SO
find, except in one place. In that par
ticnlar store he saw an instrument that
struck his fancy, but was told that it
had been sold to a credit customer, on
the instalment plan, and was to be
delivered that afternoon, when the first
payment on it was to be made.
Have you another like it?" asked
Mr.. b.
awe have not" replied the salesman,
"but I'll tell you what Wen do. OF
course we are always ready to strain a
point to accommodate Il cash customer.
SO I'll let You have this instrument and
We'll get another for our credit custo-
mer"
"Good day said Mr.. b., aud he
walked out of that store forthwith.
THAT man couldn't sell me an organ at
any price after that" he said. "If he
would break faith with one customer,
he would with another, and couldn't
put any dependence on anything he
said. If he were to offer me the best
organ in his store for five dollars, after
this betrayal of his true character, [
would just politely recommend him to
go to the devil"
On halloween young man stood at
the corner of Second and Rodney streets
carelessly observing the antics Of a gang
of youngsters on the vacant lots op-
posite, The mischievous urclins were
busily uprooting and removing "For
Sale signboard. A humorous indiyid-
ual Of about 30 summers strolled IN
and joined the young man on the corner
"What are the boys going to do with
that sign?' queried the Ii. i.
Don't know responded the other
"Tell you what would be good
1 joke continued the h. l., "get them to
take il up and leave it in Old Man HIS
! yard;" and the funny man. slapped his
thighs and haw-hawed hilarlously over
the bright idea
/ "Would be q good joke" responded
the other. "fll see about it."
"But don't say that said anything
about it, pleaded the h. i.
', 1t is not known exactly where the belt
! ran off, but when "Old Man H.
looked out on Sunday morning he failed