Vermont phÅ“nix. [volume] (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1834-1955, 1894-01-12
Peter Smith and His Trousers.
a Little story suggested by American
Methods of Railroad Reorganization.


Methods of Railroad Reorganization,
The recent operations in Atchison, Read
ing. New York and New England, and nu-
merous other leading railroad properties,
suggest to an Atchison stakeholder this
little story, which he told well-known
firm of New York bankers,
"The stockholders" he said, "remind
me of my neighbor, Peter Smith, and the
re6rganizers remind me of Peters wife and
her sister and the mothcr-in-law
"My neignbor, Peter Smith, is kind
husband, and to crafty his wife took her
sister, Miss Jones, and her mother, the Wild
ow Jones, into the family. His domestic
relations, sweet at first, became sour I'M
consequence. Coming home from the
shop one rainy evening in March, late and
tired, Peter, when he drew off his boots,
felt the bottom of his trousers legs cling
ing wet to his stockings, and said mildly to
his wife, These trousers are too long
| in the leg, my dear and | will be
very much obliged if you will cut them of
and make a new hem Cut them of
yourself and do your own sewing remark
| ed the mother. in-law with severity, inter
posing to prevent Mrs. Smith from max
| ING a reply. Peter heaved a sigh and went
early to bed, pulling off the wet trousers
and laying them over the back of chair
! in his dressing-room. Mrs. Smith soon
| followed.
"When the Widow Jones went upstairs
she caught sight of the garment through
an open door, and her heart softened. Pc
ter has been good son to me for many
years., she reflected Il will fix those trous-
ers for him myself SO she took them to
her own bedroom, where she cut the legs
off three inches. As she was handling
/ them, Peters purse dropped out of peck
et and, opening it, Widow Jones found
that the contents were three 81 bills and a
2j-cent piece. Peter will not grudge his
poor old mother-in-aw one little dollar,
she murmured; and, Withdrawing one OF
the three bills, she restored the purse to
the pocket anil the abridged trousers to
their place. Miss Jones also went to bed.
But there was soft spot in her heart for
Peter, and she lay awake till all the rest
were snoring and then crept softly down
stairs, resolving to surprise him by cutting
off the long legs. She found the trousers
on a chair, lighted a candle, and set to
work with scissors, thread and needle. As
she turned them over, she felt a lump in
the right hand pocket, and drew out the
purse containing two 81 bills and a 25-ccnt
She reflected, and Peter will be glad to
help his wife's sister to some new French
flowers to brighten up her bonnet So
Miss Jones took one of the bills, and then
cut the legs of the trousers off three inches,
made a neat new hem, and carried them
back to the dressing room,
'Mrs Smith woke early in the morning,
and when She gazed at her Peter sound
| asleep on the other side Of the bed, and re-
membered her mother severe behavior the
night before, she was seized by an impulse
of feminine duty. Picking up her work
basket and the trousers and throwing on
a shawl, she sat down by a window to cut
the legs off. She cut them off three inches,
and then she turned them and the pockets
wrong side out in search for further re-
pairs. The right hand pocket contained a
purse; the left hand pocket a jack-knife,
cork-screw and plug of tobacco. THESE
last she put back without hesitation, but
she fingered over the purse Opening it,
its contents were a II bill and a Decent
piece. Peter has forgotten to give me any
pin money this week, said Mrs Smith tC
herself. So she took the bill, and then
brushed the trousers and folded them neat
~ and laid them over the back of the chair
with Peters coat and vest and under
clothes.
"When my neighbor Peter Smith got W
and dressed himself upon pulling on hi
re0reanized trousers, he found them con
verted literally into breeches, the legs bare
~ coming below the knee, and his availa
BILE cash assets for the day We're reduced t
- cents"