The Anaconda standard. [volume] (Anaconda, Mont.) 1889-1970, 1899-03-02

over his nasty little bills as he did she
said. We overlooked the intimation in
our joy when she told us of an Italian
on the avenue, down cellar stairs,
who sold ice by the five-cent chunk.
We made our arrangements with him.
Every day for week he brought us
his chunk of ice. and every day we
sent his nickel down on the elevator.
On the eighth day we had nothing II
the house but $40 bill / lifted the ice
into the refrigerator and then yelled
down into the shaft to the italian that
we would pay him for the ice the next
day.
mo. you won't he said, in most
unpleasant accents. Pay now l ex-
planned again at great length, pointing
out with some eloquence that we had
never yet failed to meet our oblisL-
tons.
80 da hell said he YEARLY. but in
no gentle tones: pay now My timd
young wife restrained me from throw
ing his chunk of ice down the shaft at
his ugly head. She also reminded me
that it was too late to hunt up another
ice man that night, so | went out and
changed the $40 bill and gave him his
nickel, first showing him the $40 in
change to show him I had been telling
him the truth. He said simply:
You maka too mucha da row. Why
not pay before?
"'Well. l told him to go away to
place where his ice would sell higher
than it did in Greenwich village, The
next morning 1 found another one four
blocks away. He supplied ice very
nicely for a week. Then, unfortunately,
we went around one day on our way to
a reception, in our best Sunday clothes.
to tell him to come later that evening
than usual. We both commented, after
we left him, on the way he eyed our
clothes.
when he came that night he shout
ed up:
ono come here no more witha da
five-cent ice. Too far to walk. Must
TAXA da ten-cent chunk.
Ct was just thinking said the otner
half of the family, that we might as
well have a big piece every other day
as small piece every day So we tolc
him to bring a ten-cent piece every
other day. After four days the ten-cent
piece which he delivered was very lit
tie larger than the five-cent chunks
had been aforetime. / demonstrated
with him.
You Gala me theft he inquired.
mo I shouted back, i didn't call
you a thief
81 coma so far, da ice he melt. That
why so SMALL he said. I accepted he
explanation like the weak and crinSlng
victim that I was. But the next gay
he announced that he couldn't deliver
less than Is cents worth of ice, and
could not come less frequently 'han
four times a week Then we fired nm.
I'll tell you in a minute how we finally
solved the ice problem.
but now to go back to the groceries.
We didn't really want to go to the big
grocery store for everything we bought.
My wife discovered that the dairyman
kept small stock of groceries, and he
was nearer by a block than any grocery
store. We bought canned stuff and to-
mato catsup and clothespins of ain as
we'll as milk and cream. But one day
he sent us package OF Neuf2hatel
cheese that was stale. The boss of che
flat went down with the cheese to get
it exchanged for "a good on. She came
back crying.
Il just laid it on the counter she
informed me between weeps, and said
| thought it must have been sent IN by
| mistake. And he opened it and threw
it across the store and said that the
cheese he had sent up was good. and
that wasn't the cheese he had sent up,
and it was only five cents any way. and
he did hate to trade with cheap people.
And I'll never go into the horrid old
place again
| Il put on my hat and started cut of
| the door, but she pulled me back. No
| she said, No. l know you would kill
| him and then you'd be hung and that
would be awful Besides. there isn't
| any other dairy anywhere around. I'll
| Just go to the department stores for
my groceries.
I'VE stopped buying groceries there
| and paid our milk bills by check from
| that time on to avoid personal conflict.
| But I may tell you incidentally, that
months afterward when we had hired
| cook we sen. her down there 20 ask
! why the cream had not come one morn
! ing and she came back without the
cream and said she'd leave without no.
tice the next time she was asked to go
into the place. Then we hunted up a
new dairy.
Then | wanted newspaper delivered
every morning at the fiat door. l 1nnd
a newsman nearby who was very glad
tc do it. But of course. he died. The
man who bought the business from rhe
widow wouldn't carry the papers mp
stairs H he had too many customers, he
said, whose papers had to he cal ~ d
upstairs. If he undertook to sc We atty
| more he would have to hire another de-
| livery boy. l told that if he didn't want
to increase his business l didn t. aid
| found another noWsman. We live or
the fifth floor. ] found the people in the
| fourth-tln0r flats lad neWS!nan MIC
delivered their papers at their DOORS
went to see him.
What floor are YOU on?' he asked,
Fifth said I.
L can't deliver on the NTH he said
It's too high
But you deliver now on ;he fourth,
| reminded him. It's only one fish
| more.
=" Don't care he said. I've got t
| stop somewhere. Nowadays l don
get my paper until | go out and huV 1t
How about your meat ana NeGeta
blcs?' a.hed the victim of the talc.
LAS for butchers, we have four near
by. When ones meat is not so goot
a. it ought to be or his scales set gu
OF order or his delivery boy gets lazy
| we simply go to another on. thlln:
| him always what our grievance is Wit
lie one we have left. We don't have t.
change oftener than once in TIVE
months That's easy. But When w
come to vegetables we have III" othe
side OF the story. My wife found d -
tie Italian shop on the avenue wLeli
there was a small but clean stock o
vegetables. When our trouble vita tn