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"good At Bargain."

"good At Bargain." image
Parent Issue
Day
2
Month
September
Year
1864
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

This was the praise which jMr. Hallett oftenest bostowed on liis eldeat and favorite son. When he iiröt wore jaokets, Ned proved himself an adept in small trudes, swapping off bis worn-out and diunnged toys for the better ones of his playmales. Before he was ten years old, bc bad changed knives a huif a dozen times or more, makiug a good bargain eacli time, until he was the owner of a doublébladed, pearl handled one, of the bost make, DSteud of the broken jack kmfe, bought with h3 school dinner, with which he had b'gun his trading. Of course, some persons suffered loss for his gain, but this, he profcssed to think, was nothing to him. " Look out for number one," was bis motto. If he had ever heard the command, " Tliou sbalt love thy neighbor as tliyself," he paid no attentiou to it. His eompassion was nevei" moved by the pain and regret of his vietims, thoso whom he had duped ; and when they pleaded with bini for redress, he coolly claimcd that he had made a fair bargain, that they had eyes aud ears, and could look out for themselves as well as he for hitnself. He trickcd a poor iittle f'tllow out of a silver pencil case, which he had received for a birth day present, by fascinating him with a whistle oí trifiing valué. When the first oharm of the whistle was goue, and the tender birth-daj' remembrauoes connected with the pencil had come back to bis victiiúized child, he urged Nod to receive again his whistle, and restore him his pencil. He added induccments, bnt Ned wns not to be moved. He had the best of the bargain and he kept it. In similar ways, he obtained a wealth of boys' troasures, to the admiration of his companions, and his own great delight. But was he happy ? Surely not. Has God made the soul to be sstisfied with kuives, pencil-cases, balls aud tops? Can a boy be happy when he is full of selfishness, meanness, deception, and unkindnoss ? He may laugh, he may sing, he may talk largely, ar.d walk proudly, but he must be wretched. " There is no peace, saith my God1, to the wicked." Ned was once sent by his father to buy himself a pair uf shoes. He was to buy such as ara usually sold for a dollar and a half. With his habitual acuteness, he obtained the promisc that, in case he could buy them for less, be should have the surplus money. At thu shoe store, he found such shoes as he wantod, and tried them ou ; but complained tLat they did not fit. He tried pair after pair, with the same oomplaiut. At last he found some for whicli ho thought he could make a good bargaiii, since oue of thcm had a defect in the leather in a place wbere neither strain nor wear could come. He tried them on, pronounced them a perfect fit, examined them, dwelt upon the flaw, condumne'] them, aud flung thern aside. He tried othcr shoes, but none of them Buitod him. The salesmau recommended several pairs j but no - they pinched him, Ned said, he could not endure them. At last he pretended to he discouraged, and took up the defective pair, declaring them the ouly pair that ítted him, and expressing his deep regret that they were not petfect. The salesrnan examined thoiu, and pronounced the defect uuimportant. Ned re-examined, corr.plained, and regretted agnin. The salesman growing weary, offered them at a reduoed price. Nod ofFered a still lower price, tried tbe shocs again, threw them from him, and rose lo leave the store. The salesman, unwilling to lose a customer, wrapped up the ishoes, and híinded them to him, saying, " Thcre, take them at your own price." Ned took theiu, and left the store, greatly pleaed with his cuuuing and its success, triumphant. He liad saved a quarter of a dollar for hiniself. He hud haggled, dcceived, had bten mean, bad been false, for a. quarter of a dollar, mul he was tsatisfied ! Aro good belmvior, niauliness, jusüce, houetjty, worth no more ? Whal ? Will auy oue sell his tr (i tli, his honor, his good conscience, for inoney? Noel sokl his for twenty fice cents, wcll pleused witb the bargain. "What do you thiuk of that?" he said to his f'ather, as hfl boastfully exhibitad his parchase, aud the siiver he had rotained, " You always were good at a bargain, Ned," was bid fathor's ooinplaceut answer. " I couldn't have done as wcll. These shoes are well worth a dollar and a half." Bu ho did not teil Ned that ho ouaht to have paid the f'ull prico for them; he had never taught him that every mnn sliould have a fair equivalent for his property. On the oontrary, ho had enoouraged him ia tüking idvantage of olhers, by praising his trioles in trade, coimiiending him as "good at a bargain." Ünnvn to manhood, Ned Hallett still uultivatcd and practised this, and fora time with mcuess. But he becarao known, and people wero suspieious and watohful, ani gave him few opportunities to make his good bargains, , At last, his skill aud cunuing wero employed in an insurance fraud, which was d scovered, and led to his conviction and imprisonment. Hia fath t was an anxious listeuer at bis trial, but no one could think that lio liad any s.itisfaction n the sliarpness then developed. Wlien the shameful and dread sentence of guilt was pron unced. he oovered his iace witli his hands. He could not look upon thu son wliom he liad eneouragcd in his first steps toward crime. It was a heart siokening seeno wheö father and son first rnet in the narrow prison ccll. Each looked at Ihe other with reproach. Each blamed the other for the pain and alíame he suffered " This is a bad bargain, Ned," said the old man weakly, " You've ruioed us all." " Ihiined you ! Who ruiued me ? exclairaed the prisoner, in a tone that stung the old man to the heart. " was ruined wlien you called me 'good at a bargnin," iustead of Uishonest; wlien you praised my triekery, instead of punishing it. 'Güod at a bargain,' when for knives and pencil cases, I must pay in prisou walls, couvict labor, and a felon's name ! Cali you a man 'good at a bargain,' wlien he sells even his soul for a

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus