The Yakima herald. [volume] (North Yakima, W.T. [Wash.]) 1889-1914, 1907-04-03
Tale -
with a Moral

ilS sd'Su 4lOASs anu SOe W "
well off.
He bought his stuff at the store
in town and so did his neighbors.
Almost every day Henry drove to
the store with load of something
which he sold and then visited
around" with his neighbors in town
and his brother farmers who, like
him, drove in often.
The women folks came sometimes.
and it was nice an sociaole and every
body grew to know everybody else.
Henry J. Aufgang had telephone
in his house and rural free de-
livery carrier brought him a daily
paper from the big cities every day.
He could call up the doctor in town
If his folks took sick or he could
ask the storekeeper the price of eggs
over the phone and take some in If
the price was right.
One day he got catalogue from
a Email order house" and read what
it said about saving money by buying
of the big concern (Which was many
stories high according to a picture
on the cover of the catalogue and en-
ployed thousands and thousands of
people,.
Henry thought as he read the
catalogue.
Business is business" he said
and sent in an order for stove
not to his friend, the storekeeper, in
the town but to the man he had never
seen-the man who ran the mail or
der house in the big city.
Business is business" Henry
got his stove. One of the legs was
loose-wouldn't fit. His friend the
blacksmith in town fixed it. He or
dered his clothes and his hats and
his shoes and his wagons and his
furniture and his carpets and his
hardware and his crockery and his
boots and shoes and rubber boots
from the mail order house.
Business is business"
Many of his neighbors followed his
example-"business is business"
Henry had been so busy getting
in the crop and sending orders to
the mail order house that he forgot
all about going to town for some
months.
One day he thought he would take
in some dressed poultry and fresh
eggs and visit round
He called up the storekeeper to
find the price of his stuff.
Central said s'line disconnected
and Henry wondered.
Finally went out and hitched up.
Went into town; didn't seem to be
much doing there.
Drove to the store-it was closed
up!
Went over to the furniture store
closed too. So was the dry goods.
store, also the millinery store and
the hotel and restaurant didn't look
prosperous.
Nobody makes the town now,
said the hotel man to Henry, "busi-
ness too poor-town going back
stores all closed"
Henry then sought his friend, the
blacksmith-yes, he was doing bust
ness at the old stand.
whats the matter with the
town." inquired Aufgang.
''Nothin',' said the blacksmith,
Except lot of crazy people around
here have taken the notion that they
don't need any town and are sending
all their money away to the million
aires who run the catalogue houses
Course they've got to come to me
and I'm here yet because the cata-
logue fellows haven't devised ways
and means for shoeing horses by
mail. But when they do I'll have to
dit, too"
Henry was astounded.
"Why. I'd no idea" he CON-
mencei.
Course you hadn't" rejoined the
Course you hadn't;
you hadn't an idea, you don't think.
Well you better do so now. Where
are you going to sell your butter
and eggs? Can you sell 'em to the
mail order house? You can get rid
Of your wheat at the elevator, but
you won't have any fun any more
In this town visiting with your neigh
bors. Cause there isn't any town
and the people you used to know
have all gone away to some place
where they can make living"
"Pretty soon the town will all be
gone. Then your good roads will be
Uouo n And Won can't bring yotIr