Wheeling Sunday register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1882-1934, 1900-06-24

"Ah! thought you was Yankee by
your tongue, ma am Come over to see
what our old country's like?"
Something like that, yes. sir. Ever
been in the States?"
What, me? Law. no. But I'm just
back from Australia" (Which he called
| Awe-stralia).
"Indeed?" she smiled pleasantly, as
if interested.
Eyes. Been there for seven or eight
years, and now I've come home to
SETTLE"
"Ah made fortune, them"
He laughed.
'Bless you, no. Fortunes amt made
in the colonies or anywhere as they
| used to be forty years back"
mot lost anyhow, l hope, then?"
said Mrs. Dexter, kindly.
Thank We, no, ma am, neither that.
l may say I've bettered myself, for I
| went down on my luck, and I've come
| back with a small competence like, as
one may say, and bit over to stock
| a little business in my old neighbor-
hood, that's Islington."
Il know the name What business
are you going for?' asked Aurelia,
with true Yankee cool curiosity.
well, sort of general store, We
see."
"Ah, notion store, as we call it
over the Pond
That's you, mann. That sort pays
best in third-rate neighbourhood.
Besides, one buys up odds and ends
cheap, and can sell 'em at good profit"
80 you can. Why, you'll make a
| fortune yet," laughed Mrs. Dexter.
Got wife and family, l guess?'
Not l." returned the man with a
laugh. Its quite enough to get along
myself without encumbrances. And
the kids are sure to round on one
and disgrace one, perhaps" he added,
with sudden bitterness. Il want none
of it,
BEST not, perhaps" said Mrs. Dex-
ter, after an infinitesimal pause. But
you've got relatives, l suppose, in the
old country"
mot as l know of, and don't want
to unless they was well off. All had
was dead or lost sight of before went
to Melbourne"
Lost sight of" repeated Mrs. Dex-
ter, inquiringly, but the man only said
Yes" laconically, and turned to Pur-
| day, who now came back with a tray
full of goods. and whilst he turned
them over the pawnbroker began to
serve Mrs. Dexter.
She was not easy to please, be sure,
the moment the price of her various
| selections came to be chartered. With
a sharp New York woman ION the one
part as lawyers say, and a Jew on
the other part, it will be at once I'M
| derstood that the price of each sec
| ond-hand article was a hard-fought
battle to the last farthing; and on the
whole the fair New Yorker might
most safely have been backed to come
off first best"
Before Aurelia had quite completed
her purchases, however, the dealer had
ended his more wholesale selections,
and Purday. begging her to excuse
him minute, turned to the first Gus
toner
There was some chaffering, Of course
before a price was agreed to, and then
the seller asked where the goods were
to be sent.
ITO me-" said the customer. "Mr.
George Crewe, at IA Arkwright street,
Islington. Send EN- up quick, please"
This evening you shall have them"
"Thatll do fine. Good morning.
Good-day to you. ma'am. hope you'll
like US Britishers and our old coun-
try"
Il guess I will, sir. Good morning."
answered Mrs Dexter, and then again
attended to her purchases, and as all
things human have an end so did this
business.
Amongst the things which she had
bought was a really pretty and rather
curious pair of lang ear-drops, made of
hair. open-work, and shaped like a
fuschia petal-drop before the flower has
opened. They were set in gold at the
top, and were really old fashioned,
probably a century or more old, as
Purday had told her as he carefully
placed them in a card box and folded
them up in one of his own trade circu-
lars.
Il guess" she thought, watching him,
that I'll trade them off to some lady
who has a fancy for out-of-fashion
long ear-drops, for double the fve-and-
six he's rid OF them for. They'd never
do for my skin. Besides. short ones
are the thing. III trade them for
ten"