The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1900-07-07
: JobSon Goes to Market I


II SUPPOSE when you go to the mar
ket, Mrs. Jobson," said Mr.. job
son. after he'd been running over the
semi-monthly household accounts
with a pencil and pad the other even
ing, you just walk up to the first stall
nearest the entrance, glance sidewise
al any old thing you see on the counter
that you think you want, say Gimme
that to the man, without ever asking
him the price. and let it go at that, eh?"
Well" replied Mrs. Jobson, Il don't
believe your way of putting it could
be called an exactly accurate presenta-
ton of the way l do my marketing; on
the contrary"
Il don't know how you're going to
account for these figures. then" inter
rupted Mr.. Jobson. Il find that you've
been paying about AZ per cent. more
for the truck that you put on your
table than the market quotations. /
know I'm right, for I've been keeping
careful tab On the thing without say
ing anything about it. I've been read
ing the market quotations on truck in
the Washington papers and comparing
'en with your figures, Mrs. Jobson. and
in every single item the comparison
shows that you're being trimmed some
how or another, and that you're paying
about double what you ought to be
paying for your table supplies. The
only way l can accoun for it is, as |
say, that you soar too high when you
go to market to ever think of pricing
things or of trying other stalls when
you think you're being done. It's plain
thai you pay the first marketman ysu
run into the first price he asks and tell
him to wrap the stuff up and send it to
your address. That's all right for peo-
pie that've got about a million a yea
or so. Mrs. Jobson, but it isn't the
thing for the Jobson family, and it's
going to stop. One by n all of the
duties in connection with the manage
ment of this household are devolving
upon me. Now, l suppose I'll have to
do the marketing myself. I'll begin to-
morrow morning. Just you wake me
up early, so that | can be back in good
time for breakfast. If at the end of
two weeks I'm unable to show you
that I've cut our market bill in two I'll
buy you the SWEETEST hat that a mill
liner can glue together for money"
For the hats sake Mrs. JobSon hoped
that he would succeed. but she felt that
the hat was a great distance away. Mr.. |
Jobson didn't look particularly cheer
ful when she poked him awake a bit aft
er sunrise the next morning and told
him he had the marketing to do, but
he got into his clothes. picked out the
biggest basket he could find and went.
The basket was stuffed to the brim
when he returned, wearing n superior
smile. Mrs. Jobson overhauled the
contents of the basket.
why. what a huge roast of beef"
she said, holding up a tenderloin roast
weighing fully seven pounds. What
shall we ever do with it?"
do with it?" said Mr.. Jobson.
'What dye want to do with it-make
raw beef sandwiches? VIII you be
good enough to inform me what you
generally do with a roast of beef, Mrs.
Jobson?"
But this is enough for a boarding
house," said Mrs. Jobson.
rs, hey?" said Mr.. Jobson. 81 sup
pose you think we've got to eat it all
at one meal. or GO to Jail? Did You
ever hear or read of cold roast beef,
Mrs. .Jobson? If we ate about three
pounds of that at dinner. would you
throw the rest out into the alley, or
would you hang on to it SOS l could
a mouthful of it cold before 60
ing TO bed, %supposing I wanted it? Or
90 you figure that it would be out of