Evening public ledger. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1914-1942, 1917-11-22
PATSY KILDARE
Money in Oranges

| THIS morning when I woke up kissed
| l. Rowdy on the nose and then got up and
| made the coffee and Topped the pancakes,
| and my father came and said: You arc
certainly the finest little girl on this side
of the street. You are getting TO be a
| regular little housekeeper" Then he ate
his breakfast and kissed me and went 10
| bed to sleep after his night watching and
| Rowdy and went uptown into "A big store.
| ] said to the man who came TO me after he
| had waited on every one else: Have you
got any California oranges?' He said :
Yes" I said: Are you sure they are
California oranges? No other kind Will
| do" He said: "Of course they are Cali
| fornia oranges" said: "Is there any
| money in California oranges this year?'
He said: IL should say There Is more
money in them this year than there has
been before for good many years. How
many do you want?" l said: 81 want a
| lot of them"
SO ! bought whole box of California
| oranges and he wrote down my name and
where ! live. and said he would send them
out Then I went home and the oranges
got there almost as soon as l did. | had
the man bring them into the kitchen and
and then | got "A dishpan to put the money
in and a tub for the oranges, After that
got a hatchet and busted open the top of
the box. IL is good thing that | am the
strongest little girl i'm town or 7 would
never have got the box busted. Then | got
the butcher knife and sat down by the box
and took an orange and cut II open.
did not see money in it, but 7 cut
1t some more and there was not a cent in It
anywhere. So | threw IL into the tub and
tried another. ! kept on cutting them and
digging around in them with my fingers till
the tub was half full and my lap was full
Of juice and my fingers were sore, and |
had not found nickel BY that time ! was
SO busy wondering whether would get my
that ] did not see my father till he said
what in the world do you think you are
doing?' There he was IN the door in his
nightie when | looked up. said: Some
friends of mine and man in the store who
is not a friend of mine told me there was
money in oranges. so | bought a box of
them and ! have opened half of them and
have not found a cent"
My father started TO laugh and then he
said Come in here and sit on my knee. !
want to tell you something" SO | did and
he said: There is money in oranges" |
said: Then I'd better get busy and cut up
the rest of them" He sld: Hold on.
Now. see whether you can understand this
There Is money in oranges for the man who
grows them II he grows a big crop and sells
them for a good price. There is money in
them for the storekeeper, too for he buys
them for one price and sells them for a
higher price. II he sold that box of oranges
TO YOU for dollar more than he paid for it
there was one dollar in the oranges for
him"
That was very plain when he explained it,
but ! was disappointed to think that my
father was not going to be rich and stay at
home nights and have an auto. If ] had
been crying kid I guess | would hay-
cried. MY heart and neck hurt for Just
minute and my father was holding me
tight and 1iowGy was looking anxious. Then
! began to laugh and then my father beg IN
to laugh and everything all right
TOOK some oranges to Jim and Maggie and
some to Bell and Lunny, and some to June.
| Then ! was happy, for Santl Claus had left
me box of candy, tied with a red ribbon,
at June's.