The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1911-06-25
Observation-Disclosures

"WDUWYsa1Ss
! got to know every man. woman and
child for half dozen miles about. The
men liked him. the children loved him
and the women pitted and admired
MIN The same fine manners that had
won the respect of callous Broadway
he showed in the rugged hills OF West
Virginia The same gentle courtesy
| that distinguished him in his relations
with women In New York he displayed
to the women IN the Mills. rudcly. clad
though they might be and living as
most Of them do in cabins
Simply as he lived and modest as
were his expenses Beliwether began
10 fear about the future. For the frst
'imc he found IL necessary 10 give
serious thought to earning living.
There was no employment about the
village to which he could turn. In
fact. any employment in the village
would be unwise for him to take. for
constant outdoor life meant everything
| TO him. He studied the problem long
and hard, and it was a month or more
before the idea came TO him that proved
an Inspiration. And when II came he
laughed as he had not laughed i'm
years.
| In all the mountain homes 10 which
his wanderlngs from the village too,
| him he had found the women folk en-
gagged every spare hour in one form OF
! cmployment-knitting. They knitted
socks, mittens. caps and knicknacks for
their rude homes. The yarns they used
were coarse. but the goods they turn
ed out would wear long and we'll. Mr..
Bellwether. who never had done a
stroke of work. determined to go Into
the business of buying and selling
socks. and when he thought OF what
! Broadway would say II the"people there
knew about 1t he laughed again
once the idea had taken possession
OF him Mr., Beliwether lost no time in
carrying IL into effect He purchased
a serviceable horse and buggy for a
small sum. after having journeyed to
the nearest town OF fair size, and
entered into dead with several store
Keepers there to sell the stuff on com
mission Previously he had spread the
news throughout the neighborhood OF
his village that he would buy for cash
all the socks the women would knit.
| Cash is potent argument in the
mountains of West Virginia. where
People go sometimes for months with
out sight of one of Uncle Sans silver
| tokens or paper bills. To them the
small sum Bellweiher Offered seemed
large. and they wondered how he
could afford to pay SO much. He.
aroused more by the few dollars at
Stake and more keenly interested then
he had been In anything IN all the
years he was along Broadway, started
on his first trip with a thrill and a
/ nope that were new TO him.
There were two dozen pairs In the
hrst lot Bellwether delivered to the
storekeepers, and their sale meant
gross profit of only a little more than
! 90 cents TO him. In fact. there was
loss in the deal when the feed of the
| horse, the wear and tear and the time
| were considered. And then, too, there
| was the additional item that the store
| Keepers took no risk and only paid
| Bcllwethcr after they had sold the
! goods But Bellwether was elated He
| was doing something. He was striving
! at,ieast to earn his bread and salt
! The second week MIR. Bellwether had
/ more than two dozen pairs TO take
(, 10 town. The wonderful news that The
sick gentleman would pay money!.
| real money-for their knit goods be-
gan TO spread. Women and girls were
/ eager to knit now, for that potent thing
! money would bring TO them Injuries
| they never had been able to obtain.
and which they had longed TO possess.
I. 1t meant bright ribbons. gimcracks,
Z, maybe dresses and other pretty things
J women love.
(; Bellwether. on his second trip. was
were hnding a sale for the knitted
! socks. No wonder. The price was low
and the material most serviceabIc IL
F., IT was rough. The storekaepers as
sured him there was market for ali
! he could furnish.
II was nearly three months before
9ellwether began 10 sec any real profit.
| BY that time he had to travel as far
! ahcld as twenty miles from the village
TO reach some of the people who were
! knitting for him. Every day he was
, on the road. He was getting fresh
! air aplenty. No one was more vel.
/ come visitor than ne. Better far than
! the knowledge that the business now
f; was bringing a proht above all cx-
J penses was the realization that he was
i getting stronger. He had been prudent
| In making provision against changes
/ In the weather. Rain had no terror
! for him. nor cold. either. More than
once he was thankful for the wonder
, full lot of wearing apparel he had ac-
cumulatcd In his Broadway days. and
! which his valet had packed away in
i hat squadron of trunks.
For nearly year and, half Bell
wether continued his tours of the
! mountain country and his trips to tho
town. The. first wear netted him s244.
He made almost as much in the frst
half OF the second year. but by this
me he was restless. It was apparent