The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1914-03-17
As MAN TO MAN..

A long time ago there was a little prince
and a princess who lived In a Kingdom
over the sea. And one day their mother,
the queen. gave them each a sixpence to
spent just as they pleased. The story OF
how they spent their money has long
been classic that many Children have
read with pleasure and profit. But there
is little boy in Topeka who spent
sfxpence (six penniesi as royalty as either
the prince or the princess of long ago.:
This boy was nine or ten years Old
He came down town the other day with
a nickel and a penny and he went into
the Rosser drug store to spend his money.
He passed by the clerks and called on
one Of the Rosser boys to wait on him.
He looked at few different things and
asked for prices. This little boy did not
question the prices cited to him He
disc. Finally he decided to buy pack
age OF chewing gum. The price was five
cents. The boy took the gum and laid
his nickel and penny on the counter.
The proprietor OF the store took the
nickel and called the boys attention to
the fact that he had paid penny more
than the price Of his purchase.
You keep the penny for a tip. replied
the boy. and he waved his little fat hand
in royal fashion and walked out of the
store.
Rosser was too dazed to stop him.
The druggist put the nickel in the cash
register and the penny in his pocket and
then bowed with humility to the depart
ing form OF the boy who had appreciated
and paid for service as wen as for goods
1t seems to the newspaper man, who
has watched ladies In silks and jewels
stop their electrics in front of stores
while they went inside to look and figure
and haggle and scold at weary clerks,
that this boy spent his money like
prince. His judgment may have been bad
but his heart was good.
The newspaper man has seen many peo-
pie. rich and poor, old and young, buy
goods in Topeka stores. And he knows,
in his heart, that he would not be worth
p week as a salesman. He knows. too.
that he would lose his job the first week.
These people who buy, they look and
look and they hammer on the price like
Thor smote the rocks with his hammer.
Thor clenched his hammer. 1t IL said,
until the knuckles of his hand were white.
the clerks face is white with pain and
waiting. These people who buy, they
nave two or three brands of the same
article sent home for further inspection.
Ihat Is, the ladies do. And the store
Keepers heart is heavy as he hires anoth-
or bookkeeper to keep track of his goods
that are scattered over the town.
The ladies'. bless them, they shop and
shop. They dissect goods, prices and
clerks. 1t Is probably all right, and the
newspaper man knows nothing Of the in
tricacies and necessities OF shopping or
the buying or selling Of goods. But the
way that boy spent his sixpence did seem
to be a very fine thing to have done. He
looked gravely and quickly at a few diff
1erent articles that were beyond his pile.
He passed on without comment or dicker-
ing to an article within his resources and
this he bought without question. And then
he tipped the owner of the store . penny
and went away. 1t was the last penny
ne had In the world. that sixth cent that
went Tor the tip The storekeeper bowed
cents in his store. And the storekeeper
did well. The boy had honest injun-trJ1ly
spent his money like q prince. C.