The Colfax chronicle., 1903-07-18


"Ahem." said the deacon "Expen-
sive business, those labels, Ell? can't
ford such extras myself. What's that
white, scalloped paper for, 1ongside
the boxes?''
THAT? Oh. just to make the crates
look more tasty. you know. It's called
ace-paper'-the kind that confection-
ers put in their fancy candy-boxes.
AS for the labels"
THAT paper must have cost some
thin too! interrupted the deacon.
"Yes. somethin'. pay two dollars
and twenty-five cents for thousand
strips, an it takes two strips for
each crate. The labels each cost a
fraction o. a cent, the paste in expen-
sive, o. course, an the wear an tear
on brush comes high-call it one
penny, all told, an you won't be far
from the mark. Only millionaire
could ford such extras, that's fact"
But the deacon was proof against
mild sarcasm. why exclaimed he.
you're wastin' dollar on ev'ry hun
dred crates."
Correct But you've forgotten one
little thing"
Whats that?"
I'm gettin' good many extra dol
lars in return for each dollar that /
waste on the crate that way
The deacon looked incredulous a..
this statement
Fact" continued Hank, good-nat-
uredly. as he linked a rubber stamp
and marked part of the crates "Bu-
bach" and the others Marshall"
who's your commission man?" de-
manded the deacon.
Smith & Jones, Chicago"
"Why, / ship to that firm myself"
"Good firm, eh?"
"Ye-es. But they haven't done very
well with my berries this year. They
claim the crop is big, an the berries
hard to sell. Lately 1 haven't got
more'n seventy cents a crate for
strawberries like yours. What have
you been gettin'?"
Bout doller an a quarter re-
piled Hank, cody, as he deftly insert
ed cluster of strawberry leaves ia
each end of each crate, then nailed
down the covers.
"a dollar an a quarter" ejacula cd
the deacon. Then those fellers have
been cheatin' me-"
Hanks mouth was full of nails. In
4 moment he asked, "How do you
pack your berries. deacon?"
''Oh. just put 'em in the crates, an.
fasten on the covers. / amt got time
to fuss with 'em the way you do.
Times too valuable to be a-putterin'
that way"
What's your time worth an hour.
neighbour"
"All o. twenty cents, reckon"
AN how much time do you think
I spend each day putterin', as you call
it?-
"An hour or so, mebbe-
''Call il an hour-at twenty cents.
Now, how many crates o'berries did
you ship last week? Two hundred. eh?
Well, j shipped bout the same num-
Der. / wasted durin' that week. wen
allow. "A dollars worth o. time an
two dollars worth o. extras NV
sales-checks footed up bout two hum
dred and fifty dollars. Yours allow
in your own estimate. footed mp
bout one hundred an forty dollars.
Therefore. my putterin' has paid me
one hundred an ten dollars. less three
dollars for extra time an materials.
That amt bad weeks profit, deacon,
on an hours fussin' once . day. K
haven't counted Saturday. cause we
don't pick berries on that day-nor
on Sunday, neither"
The deacon sat down. did some hg-
uring on a board. and finally admit
ted that there might be somethin' In
It," Then, less incredalous, but no
less curious, he examined Hanks
method Of packing noting the uni-
formity Of the berries; the neat man
ner in which the confsnfs Of each
qusxt box was rounded on and ~
RANGED; the careful way IN which the
boxes were put into the crates, 50 q
not 70 bruise the berries nor show
sisible signs Of juiee stains q the
wood; the absence Of hal{-ripc or
cverripe berries. and lastly the lack
= sand or dirt On Tie fruit.
Then Hank. took him out into fhe
patch and showed lin How ench
p1ant grew 81 . Hill b. ftself. and *