Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-06-09
JOBSON GOES TO MARKET

other evening, you just walk UP to the
| first stall nearest the entrance, glance side
wise at any old thing you see on the coun-
| ter 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, II don't be-
! lieve your way of putting 1t could be called
an exactly accurate presentation of the
| way do my marketing. on the contrary"
81 don't know how you're going to ac-
count for these figures. then" interrupted
Mr.. Jobson. Il find that you've been pay
ing about AZ per cent more for the truck
that you put on your table than the mar
ket quotations. know I'm right. for I've
been keeping careful tab on the thing with
out saying anything about 1t. I've been
reading 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 somehow or another,
and that you're paying about double what
you ought to be paying for your table sup
plies. The only way l can account for it Is.
as say, that you soar too high when you
go to market to ever think of. pricing
things of trying other stalls when you
think you're being done. It's plain that you
pay the first marketman you run into the
first price he asks and tell him to wrap the
stun up and send 1t to your address Ihat
all right for people that've got about a
million year so, Mrs. Jobson. but 1t
isn't the thing for the Jobson family. and
It's going to stop. One by one all of the
duties in connection with the management
Of this household are devolving upon me.
Now, 1 suppose I'll have to do the mar
| keting myself. I'll begin tomorrow morn
ing. 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
mlliner can glue together for money.
fhn hat sol lnbS0n hnnpd
that he would succeed, but she felt that
the hat was a great distance away. Mr.
Jobson didn't look particularly cheerful
when she poked him awake bit after sun
rise 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 superior smile. Mrs
Jobson overhauled the contents of the bas-
ket.
why. what huge roast of beef she
said, holding up a tenderloin roast weigh
ing fully seven pounds. What snail 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
roast of beef. Mrs. Jobson"'
But this is enough for boarding house.
rs. hey?" said Mr. Jobson. Il suppose
you think we've got to eat 1t all at one
meal or go to Jail? Did you ever hear or
read of cold roast beef, Mrs. Jobson? II
we ate about three pounds of that at din
ner, would you throw the rest out into the
alley. or would you hang on to 1t sos l
could have a mouthful of 1t cold before
going to bed, supposing / wanted it? Or do
you figure that it would be out of the
question to make hash out of what's left
from dinner?"
said Mrs. Jobson. THAT would hardly
pay. would 1t? l suppose you paid quar-
ter pound for this"'
You're pretty good on the guess" said
Mr.. Jobson. That's exactly what | paid
for it, and it's the swaggerest piece of meat
I've seen for
did you like the roast of beef We had
last Sunday?' interrupted Mrs. Jobson. Il
remember you enjoyed it greatly. Well, L
paid IS cents pound for that
Did. eh?'' said Mr. Jobson. and how
much to boot, Mrs. Jobson? l suppose
you"
Why what in the world is all this?"
interrupted Mrs. Jobson. pulling out another
large package Of meat. What shall we
do with four pounds of veal outlets!
Donate EN- to the ice trust. l suppose.
said Mr. Jobson sarcastcally. '1f not, why
not bread 'em, and put EN- on the table
and let's eat 'em for breakfast this morn
ing. Dye think l was going to let bar
gain like that get away from me. when
the man only asked me - cents pound
for them?
twenty-five cents a pound!" exclaimed
l
best veal outlets in the market for 10 cents
pound. Besides putting the outlets
away little hurriedly. Il am afraid these
are just h.on eoansd hIa Forehead tugrsa
at his collar. and looked exceedingly warm
as Mrs. Jobson pulled the rest of the stun
out of the basket.
Five boxes of Strawberries" she said
pulling them out, box by box. Il have
two boxes in the refrigerator now. These
look nice on top. but
Here Mrs. Jobson deXterously turned a
box Of the berries out on piece OF paper
that she spread out on the table. The box
was a whited sepulcher. as it were. 1t had
an artificial bottom, and another bottom
about midway of the box, and the berries
on top were Selects" The ones below the
top were understood. over-ripe and all run
together.
"Well, l got EN- two boxes for a quarter.
anyhow" said Mr.. Jobson. hopping his
forehead some more, land it's little late
for 'em now, and
"Why, this is the height of the straw
berry season. put In Mrs. Jobson. land ]
only paid 10 cents for the two boxes l have
in the refrigerator, and they're all twice as
big as these.
Mrs. Jobson ran to the refrigerator. got
out one of the boxes. dumped the berries
6ut on another piece of paper and showed
them to Mr.. Jobson. They certainly were
fine berries.
Fifteen cents for two boxes like that.
eh?" said Mr.. Jobson. II suppose you con-
These are nice egg plants. though"
"Oh, they are, hey?' said Mr.. Jobson.
you've finally run into something l
brought home that you thinks nice Ell?
1 suppose you usually pay about dollar
apiece for that kind? Well. 1 got those
two for a quarter. and Mr.. Jobson looked
exceedingly complaisant with himself until
Mrs. Jobson remarked:
II paid a nickel each for the last egg
plants I bought.
Mr.. Jobson threw his golf cap into a cor
ner of the room. pulled up the sleeves of
his coat, took off his cuffs. mopped his
forehead some more and glared at Mrs.
Jobson.
"a nickel. eh?' he said "Well, you won't
pay a nickel for 'em any more, Mrs. Job
son. There's going to be no more market
ing by either member of this establish
ment! When the mistress of a household Is
too naturally born tired and weary to do
her own marketing, and hectors and bully
rags and bulldozes her husband into doing
1t for her, and then criticises and ridicules
and heaps vituperation and scorn upon the
articles that he purchases In fultilment of
the task that Is rfghtfully hers-then it's
time for that establishment to take to the
exclusive consumption of cereals and box
ed-up health foods. and that's what's going
to happen in the Jobson establishment from
this time on. madam, beginning with to-