The Bottineau courant. (Bottineau, Bottineau County, N.D.) 1895-1929, 1913-07-11
The Better Man
By N. QUAD
Copyright. 1914. by Associated Lit
erary Press.
By N. QUAD

er1 0augnter jacob AnSOn.
son. removed to town and opened what
he proudly termed q commission house.
It was In this way. 1t was an old
building at the railroad depot, and
Jacob bought butter and eggs Of the
farmers for a price and shipped them
to the city and sold them for a higher
one. He made as much as 4 cents q
dozen ON eggs and 6 cents a pound on
butter. Jacob Arson had always said
that he wanted to be q business man
when he grew up. and here he was.
He had q place, and he had a sign and
l%etterheads and cards. he did "a worth
Of advertising in the country papers.
and the whole town congratulated him
on his business enterprise. Jacob had
always patted himself OF the back as
some pumpkins. and Nv he became
very chesty. One day when be had
shipped enough butter and eggs to re.
turn him a profit Of Sc he went home
with his head held SO high that it was
two minutes before he saw his wife.
II am glad business is so good" she
said, but there are other things need
ed in the city besides butter and eggs
You have the room to store them and
the time to handle them. and why not
add potatoes. beans. turnips and other
things?"
''This thing was my idea in the first
place. wasn't it," be half demanded
In a voice not at all pleasant
"Of course"
"Well. l believe l have the gump-
ton to carry 1t through to success
without advice from anybody"
But 1t was a suggestion. Jacob"
"Yes. I get lots of them and would
make q failure in q week II l needed
them. Leave business to men. Mary"
THAT is to say that the women have
no brains?"
"There isn't one in a hundred that
can take care Of herself when she be-
comes a widow"
There was no further talk Of bust
ness between husband wife. but In her
~earnestness Of belief the wife did .
rather foolish thing that caused some
neighbor now and then to say:
Jake, that wife Of yours has some
smart IDEAS"
"Oh. I dunno"
"she was telling my wife the other
day that you could handle more stun
Just ~ well 40 not and thus increase
your income"
And do you think 90 YOURSELF"
why. I've thought It over and feel
sure you could"
And Jacob went home to dinner to
say to 10 wife:
80 you are still determined to med
die with my business. r youT"
II have said to two or three women
that I thought you could increase It."
SHOULD there be a separation you
would probably 60 into the commits.
sion business yo~urself?"
II might"
And show me bow to make q small
fortuneY"
THAT might come too"
Foolish talk, Of course, but every day
Reno produces something Just a. fool
ish. 1t was a bone that was gnawed
at until separation finally came.
Ten days after Mrs. Arson went
home to her mother Dame Fortune
smiled on her. A relative died and left
her $4,000. Her husband said to every.
body that he was glad Of her luck and
at the same time sorry for the ukeli-
hood that she would lose every dollar
Of It in some wildcat investment.
"Got ideas and no experience. you
know" he added in a ~patronizing way.
Before the wife had decided just
what she would do It was the talk Of
the town that 1t would be something
foolish. whatever 1t was. One day she
went to the city. and all the knowing
ones whispered, "Millineryw
Mrs. Arson didn't 60 to the shop
ping districts nor enter any Of the
wholesale houses on Broadway. On the
! contrary. a carriage took her to the
produce commission district. and she
made many inquiries and transacted
considerable business. Her husband
had never ever seen the merchant he
shipped to. and a few inquiries proved
| lAU0S uC 0oO q pOVb OSouOAAk 40 W S00S
acter and amount Of business done.
Not q word of explanation when Mrs.
Arson arrived home. The villagers
had selected the store she would rent
for her stock, but she passed it by.
Opposite her husbands place Of bust
ness was an empty building much lar.
ger than his quarters. When the vii
layers came to know that It had been
taken on q Owe years lease they al.
most shouted out: =.
lis Mrs. Arson crazy7 What a 10
cation for q millinery store!"
While the building was being put In
shape Mrs. Arson drove about the
country for q distance Of six or seven
miles in every direction and had a talk
with farmers and their wives. She
gave them information that astonished
them. She signed contracts with many
Of them that made them see lots Of
money ahe"d.
"She IL drumming up trade for bel
millinery = 20" was the general yer
dict. and sn.,,e went so far as to say
| 49, 80 $50 -. A.~~<1c~ N~~ Wnnenfn1