The Birmingham age-herald., 1914-05-24
Visiting Grandn1an1a a

was when the Rag-man would come up the alley calling out Any rags rags-ole rags-any,rags today?"
 Hurry, Arthur" Grandmama would say, hurry to the back gate and stop him before he gets past. We've a lot of rags to sell-I've been saving them ever sinceAyour last visit''
 And Arthur would go scurrying down the walk and fling open the back gate. Presently the Rag-man would come along with his big. mysterious bags in which he carried his rags and old paper and Arthur would rush back to Grandmama who, in the meantime had taken the "rag-bag" down from its nail behind the door to the garret
 Then, Juggling it proudly upon his back, just as the Rag man always car ried his bags, Arthur would return to the back gate and the sale would begin. And how anxiously he and drandmama would stand by and watch as the old Rag-man emptied the rags into his own bag and then weighed them on his little hand scale With it's long sharp hook Sometimes he would pay as much as ten whole cents for them--it requires an awful lot of rags. you know. to bring ten cents from rag man.
 once-indeed, it was on his last visit to Grandmama-Arthur discov- cred something about rag men that at first made him very very angry and later, when Grandmama had praised him for being very smart little boy, made him feel quite proud of himself.
 On this particular occasion Grand mas rag-bag had been stuffed to over- nowlng-fuller in fact than Arthur had ever seen it before. And yet, after the Rag-man had emptied it's contents into his small bag and had hung it on his scales, he announced that 1t amounted to only twelve cents.
 Grandmama was amazed, and so was Arthur. Why. any number of times in the past the bag had been not nearly so full and yet had brought nine, ten and eleven cents There was something wrong
 Arthur stepped up close to get a better look at the scales and to see for himself how much the rags weighed.
 
 Rag-man to such an extent that that grimy individual all but lost his bal ance. And when he strengthened up the scales registered three pounds more than they had at first
 The Rag-man quickly lowered the bag so that it's bottom rested upon the ground.
 Now you all watch this time when I weighs them,'' he said. "'Deed I wouldn't cheat you, not for nothing.'
 Then, slowly, he raised the bag so that it swung clear of the ground and the scales registered exactly what they had at first.
 But Arthur's eyes were sharp.
 Yes, you old cheat.' he cried, but take your foot from under the bag! Grandmama, look, he's holding up the bag with his foot-so it won't weigh so much! Look He's cheating us!'
 Of course the Rag-man instantly disavowed any intent of perpetrating such a mean trick and insisted that his foot must have just slipped there by accident. All the same, when he held the scales and bag at arms length so that it swung clear of his body en- sirely, the scales showed that the rags weighed enough to be worth sixteen cents.
 Then indeed did Arthur and Grand mama have grand celebration. They bought candy and cake and pickles and goodness knows what at the corner grocery store--and. you may be sure, they never again sold rags to that Rag-man.