Evening capital. (Annapolis, Md.) 1884-1910, 1895-09-19

taxes here
No one perceives the wisdom, and in
deed the necessity, Of accurate book
keeping more fully than your humble
servant, who can't keep books TO save
her life and who finds herself approach
ing dementia every time she endeayors
10 balance q cash account But why Ia
all bookkeeping systems. from banks 70
the smallest retail shop, is it invariably
the customer who gets cheated II any
body? Tell me, We winged winds, which
DER my pathway rolll Il is useless TO
contradict and say that ii isn't. The
one exception in thousand years does
not count against the millions of oppos-
ing instances. / have lately read the
pathetic account by some recluse, who
never goes shopping, Of the bloodthirsty
monsters who take more change than Is
due them and stalk ont, leaving no ad-
dress behind them, little rocking the
sufferings of the poorly paid employee
who has to make good the deficit ont Of
his OF her own pocket Fudge No such
mistakes occur. or, if they do, they IlTe
rarer than fresh vegetables on country
table. In all large establishments Shera
is d hawk headed Horus at the desk
waiting to pounce on a mistake IN the
customers favor Of cent. and many's
the time every one of us can testify the
little slips have been returned 70 be cor
rected of mistakes TO our credit, while
we fumed.
Thank goodness, there are Instances
in which the sharpshooters have wound
ed themselves. Once was on a "sound"
boat going from New York TO Fall River,
and the man at the desk gave me 80
bill too much in change when paying
after supper. There was something OF a
crowd, but that mistake would have
made itself evident TO me in mob.
dashed back and said, you've made
mistake in my change.
Cant help that, said the lordly
clerk. "We never rectify mistakes here. "
'Oh, you don't?" retorted the head OF
the party. well, it viii cost you some
thing this time, for you have given ms
So too much. But if you never rectify
mistakes you are the loser for once.
1t is foolish to dwell on the sequel,
and have forgotten it. ! only remem-
Der that the young man, pale and agi-
tated, danced in duplication around the
unmoyed figure Of the stern admonisher
for some minutes. suppose he got his
money, and / dare cay there was no law
upholding one in keeping it, but | hope,
ut this distance Of time, he didn't One
day; not long ago, was at furnishing
shop in State street, Chicago, buying a
tie. The price was 81. 90, and / present
ed the man with a So bill He swung
over the little birdcage on telegraph
line and it came swiftly back with 30
cent piece. Seeing another tie for that
price. / handed back the change and
was about to leave, when voice came
from the elevated desk at the other end:
"Hil This half dollar is counterfeit u
Although it was public place and !
am a retiring lady, / burst wildly forth
into clarion shout Of JOY. 1t is so sell
dom a modest customer has the chance
of beholding a natural enemy caught
with his own quicklime. The mortifica-
ton of the salesman serving me was
something to see. 1t did me good for
whole day. Sending counterfeit half
dollar cheerfully and with promptitude
in change and repudiating it ON its re-
turn the next minutei 1t was a sharp
game and little too sharp.
Everybody who shops much knows
that it is next to impossible to get a
returned article credited, or, indeed.
called for. If you take two rugs on APP
proval-I mention rugs because you
can t very we'll return them by hand
and state clearly and plainly and over
and over the price Of the one you have
kept and tho one yon wish returned,
YOU are more likely than not to find
both on your bill the next month, and
Won are likely to find the rug day after
day littering your hall unless You tele-
phone twice day and end by fiouncing
down yourself in rage and demanding
its instant removal OF course if it is
kept long you are charged with it, any
wav. The other night, when it was very
hot. some friends of lady in moderate
circumstances dining with her suggest
ed drive in the park, One Of the men
telephoned for a landau, and at the end
of the drive paid for it, The next week
the bill came into the Lady. Now of
course this was an accident But why
doesn t the other accident ever happen?
WHY should thousands of bills come in
to be paid twice, while by no oversight
or bad management does a bill ever get
forgotten or overlookedg Money getting,
grasping, greedy generation Of shop
keepersl Business is business, If you
like, but business need not be cut-
throat, bloodthirsty system Of demand
ing what is not due, need itl Must it be
IN this way that men grow richG
1t is because only one kind OF mis-
takes occur that one is justified in think
ing that only one kind is guarded
against. The customer has TO look ont
for himself and the shopkeeper too. Ths
shopkeeper only looks ont for himself.
AS for the breaking Of promises, the
calm delays and the superb independ-
ence of ''puryeyors, words fail me
when | attempt to depict their aggrava-
tions. Success breeds contempt, il seems.
and the only way 10 get thing done
promptly is to patronizea little up town
place where. they can't do it.--Mne.
Lorgnette in Chicago Post.
Head Your Letter Again.