Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1892-05-26
SINGLE TAX DEPARTMENT
a SeIf-Made Man.
N. Z. PARSONS.


mer afternoons to enjoy the shade O.
the trees. the freshness of the greer
grass. and the various social pleasures
such place affords.
Now. it was one year decreed by the
CITY fathers that an addition should bs
made to the attractions Of the park by
PROVIDING a free concert on the NAL
every Saturday afternoon during the
! warm season: and accordingly. me
band-stand was erected. surrounded by
rows of seats for the accommodation OF
the public The first afternoon in June,
the day the music was to begin. was
bright, warm and sunny, and as early
as o'clock, an hour before the time adj
| vertised for the opening piece By the
band, the people began to assemble.
Among the first to arrive was large,
burly individual with a keen and practi-
cal eye but rather shabby coat. His
name was Sharp-Jack Sharp. Glanc-
ing about him at the brightly-paInted
band-stand and the rows of conforta-
bic seats already filling with early-coqn-
ers anxious to secure good quarters for
themselves before the arrival of the
crowd, and seeing one block or section
of seats not yet occupied, he walked
toward it. took from his pocket a bit of
chalk, and marked in large letters at
the end of each bench. u. s." Then
taking out ball of Irvine he walked
around the square of seats tying the
cord to the end of each one. and so en-
closed the whole in a manner not to be
mistaken. This done, Mr.. Sharp sat
down in shady corner of the first row
of seats and waited. The people began
to gather thick and fast and the seats
to the right and left were filling. Now
and then some one approached the en-
closed square. looked at the cord and
the chalk letters, and walked away.
Empty seats to right and left began to
be hard to find, and more and more in
dividuals walked up to Mr.. Sharp's
phalanX, looked at it curiously and
withdrew. Finally one with a spirit
more enterprising than common boldly
seated himself on the front row of seats.
''See here, what are you doing?' said
Mr.. Sharp.
said the newcomer.
''Then you may get up and leave it, i"
said Sharp. ''These seats are mine"
Yours: why are they yours?' said
the invader. Il don't see why they are
yours any more than mine
Don't you?" said Sharp; ''then I'll
show you. Because l got here first. l
took all the trouble to come earlier
than any one else, and have sat here in
the hot sun almost an hour keeping
tramps off these seats and taking care
of them generally. I'd like to know
who they do belong to if they don't to
me?"
''Wel," said the man, seriously i'm
pressed, you might let me sit here
anyway; you can't use them all"
WELL" returned Sharp, I'll tell you
what III do with you. l didn't wear
myself out taking care of these seats,
and marking 'em and enclosing EN-
for nothing. What'l you give me for
one?"
''I'u give you ten cents" said the other.
''Ten cents?" said Sharp, contemptu-
ously. IF you want a seat with inn
pressiveness) and want it enough to
give quarter for it, you can have it. l
don't rent these seats for ten cents"
The man yielded, paid his twenty-five
cents. and took seat.
Meanwhile the people were gathering
faster and faster. seats were becoming
fewer, and by that time the. music be-
gan. Mr.. Sharp was doing a brisk
trade. Suddenly a thought struck him.
'Dunderhead that | am said he to
himself, ''to let these seats go so cheap.
Why. if / wait awhile, these people will
get SO tired standing round, they would
be glad to give double the money for a
chance to sit down." and to the next APP
plicant for seat he remarked: ''Seats
have gone up They're fifty cents
apiece"
a good deal of grumbling followed
upon this ard for time the demand
for seats fell off, but backs soon began
to ache, the sun burned hotter, and the
weary pleasure-seekers began. one by
one. to find their comfort worth the adj
vanced price. Jack Sharp felt encour-
aged; his spirits rose with the increas-
ing weight of his pockets, and his fancy
was stimulated anew. CHANGING down
the mall, he observed approaching from
the main entrance to the park new
and large addition to the crowd of mu-
sic lovers, and, without hesitation, his
ready tongue had announced Zone dol
lar" and his ready hand rejected the
half-dollar offered by the latest appli-
cant for place.
But you said fifty CENTS protested
this, a tired woman, land fifty cents is
too much. but I'm worn out standing SO
long and I'll give it But as for dol
lar. the seat isn't worth it. It's an alb
surd price,
absurd price. is it?" responded the
indignant proprietor Too much and
not worth it. You don't know what
Won are talking about, madam. The
more people there are for the seats the
higher the price must go. It's accord
ing to the natural law of supply and de-
mand. Do you see all those people
coming up the mall? They're going to
make d demand for those seats that will
make them worth any price. I'm sorry
if YOU can't give dollar. but there's no
use quarreling about the price. it's &C
cording to political economy-it must
be So"
The new arrivals were now at hand,
the traffic in seats went on for short
time briskly, and the industrious Mr..
Sharp pocketed good harvest of bills
and silver dollars. Still a great many
seats remained empty and the people
stood about resigned. preparing to en-
10Y themselves as best they might.
Meanwhile the sun blczed fiercer and
fercer, the breeze died down. and the
endowment of the music was not unal-
Logged. Jack Sharp, however, leaned
back in his shady corner and, through
with his labors, prepared to give him
self up to the pleasures of the hour.