Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-04

In about over now.
There is plenty of other fruit to be had.
though. and Jane Is at 1t again with all
her former enthusiasm. She already has
more than 800 glasses Of jelly. and has
act her mark at thousand. Besides, she
has n lot OF canned and preserved fruit
and later on is going to put up apple
butter in pint and quart glass jars, all
she can of It. But that isn't all Jane
has accomplished. She has sold her en-
tire output In advance.
Tho story of her deal with a Washing
ton store ia worth telling. for II shows
not only that a woman may develop first
ratio business talent. hut 1t discloses a
standard OF business ethics upon which
no man may presume to pass judgment
Sold Goods by Sample.
She took samples OF her Jelly and pre-
serves to tho merchant and invited him
to try them. He was delighted. and
agreed to take all she had to offer at a
price considerably higher than she had
hoped to obtain.
Then she brought out her sample jar
of apple butter and invited the merchant
to try that. 1t was last years butter,
she explained. but this year. would be
the same, and the fact that 1t was
year old only served to show its keeping
qualities. The merchant was still more
delighted. He offered to furnish Jane at
cost all the pint and quart jars or GER
tain make she would need. and urged
her to fill every one she could. He never,
he asserted. had had opportunity to offer
his trade such apple butter. lie ad-
vised Jane to guard carefully her re-
cipe, and wanted her to agree to hire
help and undertake and pack on larger
scale. II she needed working capital, he
said he would provide it.
Here's where the question of ethics
comes in. The sample jar of butter had
been made last year by Mrs Brown and
was a gift to Jane. But Jane insists
the transaction was perfectly proper.
Mrs. Brown has promised. she argues,
to teach her to make apple butter just
like 1t, and If the merchant gets prod
uct just as good it couldn't make any
difference to him who had made the
sample. She admits. though. that had
she disclosed that the sample was the
work of some one other than herself she
might not have gotten the order. GER
tainly not at so liberal a price.
l don't know whether the transaction
exactly squares with the highest bust
ness ethics, but l do know Jane hadn't
a thought in the world that she was
turning sharp trick; that If she could
be convinced even now that she had
been unfair she would cancel the con-
tract. But she is going ahead with the
bargain, Diminishing all possible obJec-
lions with the declaration that If her
apple butter isn't up to the sample she
tract and pay him full retail price for
the Jars. That seems to be fair enough,
and can't help but wish 1 had some OF
the business shrewdneSs Jane is dis
playing.
Dam Cause Of Trouble.
The boys dam-perhaps ] should say
our dam, for I was as keen for 1t as the
boys were-has gotten US into trouble.
1t might have been serious trouble had
the other party to it been a less neigh
horly neighbor than Mr. Brown is. We
built the dam during the long dry
spell. when the little creek was very
little creek indeed. We didn't have a
survey, for 1t never occurred to me
that it was anybodys business but our
own. When the rains came the little
creek became a torrent and the dam
filled to the top over night. Then we
discovered it was very much some
body else's business. The back water
extended into Mr.. Browns cornfield
fully 500 feet, and as his land is more
level than ours, in places it was 200
feet wide. More than two acres OF his
land. in fact, was flooded. The first
knew of it was when Mr.. Brown came
to our house, about 5 o'clock in the
morning, very much worked up The
truth is he was mad. 1 didn't blame
him when 1 had obeyed his summons to
come and see what 1 had done.
There was but one thing TO 90. Inc
dam had to go. 1 routed the boys out
and we went to work at 1t. though
there was a pouring rain. When we
finally got break through I was wet
and tired and muddy. and had to dress
and rush to the station without eating
any breakfast I told Mr.. Brown to
estimate the damage and 1 would pay
him when I got home that night: l
went over in the evening, to find that
good humor. He insisted that 1 owed
him nothing. that while his corn had
gotten good ssoaking, it seemed to be
unharmed, and possibly had o been cen
nothing for the. benefits, and amicable
relations were fully restored. We are
going to rebuild the dam. but We shall
take care that it is only to such a
height that 1t will flood no land. but
our own. The boys and 1 are glad the
thing happened when it did. for in a
few weeks more we would have mad It
stocked with young bass, and 1t would
have been heartbreaking to have al
lowed them to escape.
Boys Engage in Battle.
Jim, my oldest boy, and VIII Jarvis.
who has been living with us since his
mothers house burned down. had fight
Jims eye was blackened and VIII had
several scratches and bruises on his
face. They are about of an age and
size. and from the account given by
Ned, who was the only spectator. it
must have been rafting good mill.
Friendship had been restored before l
reached home and I couldn't see that
it was necessary that l take any action,
but Jane thought otherwise. She in
sisted that 1 conduct an inquiry, and
that the one to blame should be pun
ished. or that punishment should be in
1icted on both, if both We're culpable.
She herself had declined to hear any
particulars, being Mortified at the
thought that her son and a guest in
our house should engage in combat.
So l took the three boys to the barn to
hear their stories and sit In judgment,
though / had a mental reservation as to
the punishment, for there was no way
develop that Jim was the offender
could whip him. but should the blame
rest on Will, I could only send him
away, which ] very decidedly did not
want to do.
Ned was the first witness, and when
he had finished his story the other boys
agreed that it was correct Jim had
been the aggressor. He started things
by asserting that his mother was the
finest woman in the world. viii agreed
that Jane was mighty nice, but insist
ed she wasn't a whit finer than his
own mother. A very innocent and com
mendable dispute so far. but Jim, in
some freak of boyish pugnacity, wasn't
manded that Will admit that Jane was
Just little bit nicer than Mrs Jarvis,
and when Will refused to do so the
fight followed.
Jane Has Change of Heart.