leffcra
0tttHtl
The whole art ok Government consists in the art of being honest. Jefferson,
VOL. 3.
SXROUDSBURG, MONROE COUNTY, PA., WEDNESDAY, DECEMBER 28, 1842.
PRINTED AND PUBLISHED BY
THEODORE S CHOC II.
tphMS Two aoiiars per annum in auv.uiti; i u uuu.
U a quarter, nai yean v-aiiu " "S. V,"
ho VC ir TWO UOliarS :mu iinuii. -iiiif
l,,nprs'bv a carrier or stage drivers employed by theproprie-
U will'be charged 7 1-2 cts. per year, extra.
P": :,ntmmH until nil nrrnnrarres arn r:ud. exennt
o papers uiauiin""' . - o 1
Lt'the option of the Editor.
I lr"?" Advertisements urn uawwuis v, r(i..ii. iouhui
iilb'e inserted three weeks for one dollar: twenty-live cents
' ..,,ciiirnt insiiion- larccr ones in nroDortion. A
Ueral discount will be made to yearly advertisers.
J All tellers uumua.u w v.. "- "v- Vuv
JOB PRINTI?TO.
irrin" a jrcneral assortment of large elegant plain and orna
I mental Type, we arc prepared to execute every des
cription Ul
jcards, Circulars, Bill Heads, Notes,
islanu. lceccipis,
JUSTICES, LEGAL AND OTHER
BLANKS,
PAMPHLETS, &c.
rrinted with neatness and despatch, on reasonable terms
AT THE OFFICE OF THE
.Tcffcrsonian Republican.
BR. ItAKEVG,
SURGEON DENTIST,
mjas located in Siroudsburg. Office one dooi
W west of Dr. W. P. Vail's.
lAugusi 3, 1842. II.
From the Philadelphia Saturday Courier.
PERSEVERANCE :
r, Peter PunctiiaPs way to Collect
BY SEBA SMITH,
Author of "The Original Jack Downing Letters."
New York, December, 1842.
Messrs. Editors: -The little story I am about
o tell you, is none the worse for being true;
mil 1 trust none the less interesting. While
mnnv of vour nleasanl and graceful writers are
amusing and instructing your readers by rela-
ung events and circumstances that mtgni nave
occurred: inculcating many a lesson by pre-
fj W mm
senting pictures that bear a resemblance j to
truth! allow me for once to hold your readers
by the button-hole, a few minutes, and seej
whether a salutary lesson, in a small way, may
not as well be drawn from events that have oc
curred. The names I shall use are of course
fictitious, but the circumstances actually occur-
red very much as 1 shall relate tnem, ana tne
actors are respectable gentlemen now living in
this good cityof Gotham.
I Some few years ago, Peter Punctual, an
IlUIiesi ami Miuuaiuuuo juuug icuun ui"" ..-
kee land I say Yankee land, Messrs. Editors,
hut I freelv confess that is merely an inference
of mine, drawn from the circumstances of this sto
ry itself; and if your readers, after perusing it, do
not come to the same conclusion, they may set
him down as coming from any other land they
please; but for myself, were 1 on a jury, and
under oath, I would bring him in a Yankee.
This same Peter Punctual, some few years ago,
came into New York, and attempted to turn a
penny and get an honest living by procuring
Mibscribers to various magazines and periodi
cals, on his own hook. That is, he would re
ceive a quantity of magazines from a distant
publisher, at a discount, and get up his own
list of subscribers about the city, and serve them
through the year at the regular subscription
price, which would leave the amount of the
said discount a clear profit in his pocket, or ra
ther a compensation for his time and labor.
There are many persons in the city who obtain
a livelihood in the same way.
Peter's commissions being small, and his cap
ital still smaller, he was obliged to transact his
business with great care and circumspection, in
order to make both ends meet. He adopted a
rule therefore to make all of his subscribers pay
their year's subscription in advance. Such
things could be done in those days, when busi
ness was brisk, and people were strangers to
"hard times." In canvassing for subscribers,
one day, through the lower part of the city, and
in the principal business streets he observed a
store which had the air pf doing a heavy busi
ness, and read upon the sign over the door,
"Solomon Sharp, Importer" of certain wares
and merchandize. The field looked inviting,
and in Peter ivent with his samples under his
arm, and inquired' for Mr. Sharp. The gentle
was pointed out by the clerks, and Peter
stepped lip and asked him if he would not like
la siil)srribvfor some magazines.
"What sort of jones have you got there?" said
Mr. Sharp.
..BAA
I "Three or four different kinds," said reter,
laying the specimens on lite desk before him
"please to look at them and suit yourself."
bharp tumbled them over ana exammeu mem
one after another, and at last took up "Buck
inghatii's New England Magazine," published
at Boston.
"What arc vour terms for this?" said he: "I
don't know but I would subscribe for this."
Five dollars a vear in nrlvanrp " snid Pfiter.
f "to be delivered carefully eyerv month at .your
i t 3 -1 r , ' -
oiuru or nuufc v.
"But I never pay in advance for these things,"
said Sharp. "It is time enough to pay for a
thing when you get it. I'll subscribe for it, if
you have a mind to receive your pay at the end
of the year, and not otherwise."
"Thai's against my rule," said Peter; "1 have
all my subscribers pay in advance."
"Well, it's against 'my rule to pay for any
thing before I get it," said Sharp; "so if you
havn't a mind to take my subscription, to be paid
at the end of the year, you won't get it at all.
That's the long and the short of the matter."
Peter paused a little, and queried with him
self as to what he had better do. The man was
evidently doing a large business, and was un
doubtedly rich a wholesale dealer and an im
porter there could not possiblybe any danger
of losing the subscription in such a case; and
would it not be belter to break over his rule for
once, than to lose so good a subscriberi
"Well, what say?" said Sharp; "do as you
like; but those are my only terms. I will not
payfor a thing before I get it."
"On the whole," said Peter, "I have a good
mind to break over my rule this time, for I don't
like to lose a good subscriber when I can find
one. I believe I'll put your name down, sir.
Where will you have it left?"
"At my house," said Mr. Sharp, which was
about a mile and a half from his store, away up
town.
The business being thus concluded, Peter
look up his magazines, bade Mr. Sharp good
morning, and left the store. No further person
al intercourse occurred between them during
the year. But Peter, who was his own car
rier, as well as canvasser, regularly every
month delivered ihe New England Magazine
at Mr. Sharp's door. And in a few days after
the year expired, he made out his bill for the
five dollars, and called at Mr. Sharp's store for
the money. He entered with as much confi
dence that he should receive the chink at once,
as he would have had in going with a check for
the like sum into the Bank of the United States,
during that institution's palmies.1 days. He
found Mr. Sharp at his desk, and presented him
the bill. That gentleman took it andlooked at
it, and then looked up at Peter.
"Oh! ah, good morning," said he, "you are
the 3'oung roanwho called here on this business
nearly a jGSflup). Well, the year has come
round, has itr
"Yes, I believe it has," said Peter.
"Well, bills of this kind," said Mr. Sharp,
"are paid at the house. We don't attend to
them here; you just take it to the house, any
time when you are passing and, it will be set
tled." "Oh, very .well, sir," said Peter, bowing, and
left the slore. "Doing too largo a business at
the store, I suppose," he continued, to himself,
as he walked up the street, "to attend to little
things of this kind. Don t like to be bothered
with 'em, probably."
But Peter thought he might as well make a
finish of the business, now he' was out; so he
Went directly to the house, and rung at the door.
The servant girl soon made her appearance.
"Is Mrs. Sharp within?" said Peier.
"Yes, sir," said the girl.
"Jest carry this bill Jo her, if you please, and
ask her if she will hand you the money for it."
The girl took the bill into the house, and pre
sently returned with the answer, that "Mrs
Sharp says she doesn't pay none of these 'ere
things heie you must carry it to the store.
"Please to carry it back to Mrs. Sharp," said
Peter, "and tell her Mr. Sharp desired me to
bring the bill here, and said it would be paid at
the house."
This message brought Mrs. Sharp herself to
the door, to whom Peter raised his hat, and
bowed very politely.
"I havn't nothing at all to do with bills here
at the house," said the lady; "they must bd car
ried to the store that s ihe place to attend to
them."
"Well, mam," said Peter, "I carried it to the
store, and presented it to Mr. Sharp, and he
told me to bring it to ihe house and you would
pay it here, and that he couldn't attend to it at
the store.
"But he couldn't mean that I should pay it,"
said Mrs. Sharp, "for he knows I hav'n i the
money."
"But he said so," said Peter.
"Well, then there must be some mistake
about it." said the lady.
"I beg your pardon, mam,' said Peter, "it's
nossible there mav be." and he putthe bill in
his pocket, bowed and left the house. ,
"It is very queer," thought Peter to himself,
as he walked away a little vexed. "I can'i
conceive how there could be any mistake about
it, though it is possible there may be. 1 here
couldn't be any mistake on my part, for I'm
sure I understood htm. May be he though;
she had money at the house when she hadn't.
I guess it will all come out right enough in
the end.
Consoling himself with these reflections, Pe
ter Punctual thought he would let Mr. Sharp
rest two or three days, and not show any
anxiety by calling again in a hurry. He would
not be so unwise as to offend a good subscri
ber, and run the hazard of losing him, by an
appearance of too much haste in presenting hi.
bills. Accordingly, in about three days, he
called again at Mr. Sharp's slore, and asked
him in a low voice, so that no one should over
hear, if it wasconvenient for him to take that
little bill for the magazine to-day.
"But 1 told you," said Mr. Sharp, "to carry
that bill to the house; I can't attend to it here."
"Yes, sir, so I understood you," said Peter,
"and 1 carried it to the house, and Mrs. Sharp
said slftfccjjnidjjitjiay it there, for she had no
money, and I must bring it to the store."
"Oh, strange," said Mr. Sharp; "well, she
didn't properly understand it then. But I am
too much engaged lo attend to you to-day; you
call again, or call at the house sometime, when
I am there.
Upon this he turneil to his desk and began to'
write with great earnestness, and Peter left the
store. The aiiair oegan to grow a nine vexa
tious, and Peter felt a little nettled. Still, he
supposed that people doing such very large bus
iness did find it difficult to attend to these little
mailers, and doubtless it would, be set right
when he should call again.
After waiting patiently a couple of weeks,
Peter called again at Mr. Sharp's store. When
he entered the door, Mr. Sharp was looking at
a newspaper; but on glancing at Peter, he in
stantly dropped the paper, and fell to writing at
his desk with great rapidity. Peter waited re
spectfully a few minutes, unwilling to disturb
the gentleman till he should appear to be a little
more at leisure. Hut after waiting some time
without seeing any prospect of Mr. Sharp's
completing the very pressing business before
nm, he approached him with deference, and
asked if it would be convenient for him to lake
that little bill for the magazine to-day. Sharp
turned and looked at Peter very sternly.
"I can't be bothered with these little things.
said he, "when 1 am so much engaged. I am
exceedingly busy to-day a good many heavy
orders wailing you must call at the house,
and hand the bill to me or my wife, no matter
which." And he turned to his desk, and con
tinued lo write, without saying any thing more.
Peter began lo think he had got hold of a
hard customer; but he had no idea of giving up
the chase. He called at the house several times
afterwards, but Mr. Sharp never happened to
be at home. Once he ventured to send the
bill again by the girl to Mrs. Sharp, who return
ed for answer, that she had nothing lo do with
such bills; he musi carry it to the store.
At last, after repealed calls, he found Mr.
Sharp one day at home. He came to the door,
and Peter presented the bill. Mr. Sharp ex
pressed some surprise and regret that he had
come away from the store, and forgot to put any
money in his pocket. Peter would have lo call
some other day. Accordingly, Peter Punctual
retired, with a full determination to call some
other day, and that not very far distant; for it
had now been several months that he had been
beaten back and forth like a shuttlecock between
Mr. Sharp's store and Mr. Sharp's house, and
he was getting lo be rather tired of the game.
Having ascertained from the girl at what
hour the family dined, he called the next day
precisely ai the dinner hour. He rung at the
door, and when the gul opened it, Peter stepped
into the hall.
"Is Mr. Sharp in?" said Peter.
"Yes, sir," said the girl; "he's up stairs. I'll
speak to him if you want to see him."
"Yes," said Peter, "and I'll lake a seat in
the parlor till he comes down."
As he said this, Peler walked into the parlor
and seated himself upon an elegant sofa. -The
parlor was richly furnished with Brussels car
pet, the best of mahogany furniture, a splendid
piano, &c, &c; and in the back pallor, to
which folding doors were open, every thing ap
peared with corresponding elegance. A table
was there spread, upon which dinner seemed
to be nearly ready. Presently the girl return
ed from the chamber, and informed Peter, that
Mr. Sharp said "it was jest the dinner hour
now, and he would have to call again.
"Please to go and tell Mr. Sharp," said Pe
ter, "that I must see him, and I'll wait till he
comes down." -
The girl carried the message, and Mr. Sharp
soon made hts appearance in the parlor. A
frown passed over his brow as he looked at
Peter, and saw him sitting so much at ease,
and apparently so much at home, upon the sofa.
Peler rose and asked him politely H it was con
venient for him to take that little bill to-day.
"No," said Sharp, "it is not; and if it was, I
wouldn't Jake it at this hour. It's a very im
proper time to call upon such an errand just as
one is going to sit dowti tolinner. You must
calLagain: but don't como at dinner time; or
you may drop into the store some time, and per
haps I may find time to attend to it there."
"Well, novv Mr. Sharp," said Peter, with
rather a determined look, "I can't stand this
kind of business anv longer, that's a fact. I'm
a poor man, and I suppose you are a rich one
I can't afford to lose five dollars, and I'm too
poor to spend any more lime in running after it
and trying to collect it. 1 must eat, as well as
other folks, and if you can't pay me the five
dollars to-day, to help me pay my board at my
regular boarding-house, I'll stay here and board
n out at vour table.
" You will, will you?" said Sharp, looking
daggers, and stepping towards Peler. "If you
give me a word of your impudence, you may
find it'll be a long lime before you collect your
bill."
"It's been a long time already," said Peter,
"and I can't afford to wait any longer. My
mind is made up; if you don't pay me now,
I'm going to stay here and board it out."
Sharp colored, and looked at the dqxuyand.
then at Peter.
"Come, come, young man,'said he, advan
cing with rather a threatening attitude towards
Peter, "ihe sooner you leave the house peace
ably the better."
"Now, sir," said Peler, fixing his black eyes
upon Sharp, with an intenseness that he could
not but feel, "I am a small man, and you are
considerable of a large one; but my mind is
made up. I am not a going to starve, when !
there's food enough that I have an honest claim
upon."
So saying, he took his seat again very de
liberately upon the sofa. Sharp paused; he
looked agitated and angry; and after waiting a
minute, apparently undecided what to do, he
left the parlor and went up stairs. In a few
minutes, the servant rung for dinner. Mrs.
Sharp came into the dining room and took her
seat at the head of the table. Mr. Sharp fol
lowed, and seated himself opposite his lady;
and between them, and on the right hand of
Mrs. Sharp, sat another lady, probably some
friend or relative of the family. When they
were well seated, and Mr. Sharp was begin
ning to carve, Peler walked out of the parlor,
drew another chair up to the table, and seated
himself very composedly opposite tlie last men
tioned lady. Mr. Sharp colored a good deal,
but kept on carving. Mrs. Sharp stared very
wildly, first at Peter, and then at her husband.
"What in the world does this mean?" said
she. "Mr. Sharp, 1 didn't know we were to
have company to dinner."
"We are not," said the husband. "This
young man has the impudence to take his seat
at the table unasked; and says he is going to
board out the amount of the bill."
"Well, really, this is a pretly piece of polite
ness," said Mrs. Sharp, looking very hard at
Peter.
"Madam," said Peter, "hunger will drive a
man through a stone wall. 1 must have my
board somewhere."
No reply was made to this, and the dinner
went on without any further reference to Peter
at present. Mr. bharp helped his wile, and
then the other lady, and then himself, and they
all fell to eaiing. Peter looked around him for
plate and knife and fork, but there were none
.11 I . I . T.
on the taoie out wnai were in use. reier,
however, was not to be baffled. He reached
a plate of bread, and tipping the bread upon the
table cloth, appropriated the plate for his own
convenience, lie men iook possession oi tne
carving knife and fork, helped himself bounti
fully to meat and vegetables, and commenced
eating his dinner with the. greatest composure
imaginable. These operations on the part of
Peter had the effect to suspend all operations
for the time on the part of the rest of the com
pany. The ladies had laid down their knives
and" forks, and were staring at Peter in wild
astonishment.
4,For mercy's sake, Mr. Sharp," said the lady
of the house, "can't we pick up money enough
about the house to pay this man his five dollars
and send him off? I declare this is too pro
voking. I'll see what 1 can find."
With that she rose and left, the room. Mr.
Sharp presently followed her. They returned
again in a minute, anu mr. onurp mm a. me
dollar bill before Peter, and told him ho would
thank him to leave the house. Peler examined
the bill to see if it was a good one, and very
qnietly folded it and put it into his pocket. He
then drew out a little pocket-inkstand and a
piece of paper, laid it upon the tablo before
him, wrote a receipt for the money, which he
handed to Mr. Sharp, rose from the table,
bowed to the company and retired, thinking as
he left the house that he had had full enough
of the custom of Solomon Sharp, the importer.
Peter Punctual still followed his vocation of
circulating magazines. He had no intention of
ever darkening the door of Solomon Sharp's
store again, but somehow or other, two or three
years after, as he was canvassing for subscri
bers in the lower part of the city, he happened
to blunder into the same store accidentally,
without noticing the name upon the door. Nor
did ho discover his mistake, until he had near
ly crossed the store and attracted the attention
of Mr. Sharp himself, who was at his accus
tomed seat at the desk where Peter had before
so often seen him. Peter thought, aa he had
got fairly inio the store, he would not back out;
so he stepped up to Mr. Sharp without a. look
of recognition, and asked if he would not like
to subscribe for some 'magazines. Mr. Sharp,
who either did not recognise Peter, or chose
not to appear to recognise him, took tho maga
zines and looked at them, and found a couple
he said ho would like to lake, and inquired jhe
terms, They were each three dollars a year
in advance.
"But I don't pay in advance for anything,"
said Sharp. "If you have a mind to leave tin m
at my house, to be paid for at the end oi tiio.
jear, you may put me down for these two?"
"No," said Peter, "1 don't wish to laue nny
subscribers, but those who pay in advance." .
Saying this, he took up his specimens, and
was going out of the door, when Mr. Sharp
called him back.
"Here, young man, you may leave those two
at ny rate," said he, and here's your adutuce,"
handing him tho six dollars.
"Where will you have them left?" said Peter.
"At mV house, up town," said Mr. Sharp,
describing the street and number.
The business being completed, Peter retired,.
much astonished at his good luck. He again
became a monthly visiter at Mr. Sharp's door,
where he regularly delivered to the servant
girl the two magazines. Two or three montln
after this, when he called one day on his usual
rourid, the girl told him that Mr. Sharp wanted.
to see him. and desired he would call at tlnr
store, reter tell not a little curious to know
what Mr. Sharp might have to say to hiim; so
in the course of ihe same day he called at Mr.
Sharp's store.
"Good morning," said Mr. Sharp as Peter erK
tered; "come, take a chair, and sit down here.",
Peter, with a "good morning, sir, didfas he ,
was desired.
"Ain't you the young man," said Mr. Sharp
with a comical kind of a look, "who sat out ut
board out a subscription to the New .England
Magazine at my house two or three years ago?1
"Yes," said Peler, "I believe I'm the same
person who once had the honor of taking board
at your house."
"Well," said Mr. Sharp, "I want to give ymt
a job."
"What is it?" said Peter.
"Here, I want you to collect these hills for
me," said Mr. Sharp, taking a bundle from'hU
desk, "for I'll be hanged if can; I've triedjilh
I'm tired."
Whereupon he opened the bundle and. as-,
sorted out the bills, and made a schedule, of,
them, amounting, in the aggregate, to about a."
thousand dollars.
"There," said he, "I will give upon that list
ten per cent, commissions on all you collect;,
and on that list I'll give you twenty-five per
cent, on all you collect. What say you, will,
you undertake the job".
"Well, I'll try," said Peter, "and see what L
can do with them. How soon must I return
them?"
"Take your own time for it," said Mr. Sharp;.
"I'vo seen enough of you to know pretly well'
what you are."
Peter accordingly took the bills and entered
on his new task, following it up with diligence
and perseverance. In a few weeks he called
again at Sharp's store.
"Well, said Mr. Sharp, "have you made ouk
to collect anything on those bills yel?"
"Yes," said Peter.
"There were some of the ten per cent, list
that 1 thought it probable you might collect "
said Sharp. "How many have you collected?"
"All of them," said Peter.
"All of them!" said Sharp; "well, fact, that's
much moro than I expected. The twenty-five
per cent, list were all dead dogs, wasn't it?
You got nothing on them, 1 suppose, did you.
"Yes, 1 did," said Peler. t
"Did you, though? How much?" said Sharp.
"1 got them all," said Peter.
"Oh, that's all a joke," said Sharp.
"No, it isn't a joke," said Peter. "I've col
lected every dollar of them, and here's the mo
ney," taking out his pocket-book, and counting,
out the bills.
Mr. Sharp received the "money with the most
perfect astonishment. He had not expeetcd
that one half of. the amount would" ever be col
lected. Ho counted out the commissions on the ten
per" cent, list, and thea the commissions on the
twenty-five per cent list, and handed the sum
over to Peter. And then he counted out fifty
dollars moret and asked Peter to accept that as
a present 4,paTtly," said he "because you havo
accomplished this task so very far beyond my
expeytations, and partly because my acquaint
ance with you has taught mo one of ihe best "
lessons of my life. It has taught mo the value
of perseverance and punctuality. I have re
flected upon it much ever since you undertook
to board out tho bill for the magazine at my
house."
"Why, yes," said Peter, "I think persever
ance and punctuality are great helps in the way
of business,"
"If avery person in the community," said Mr.
Sharp, "would make it a point to pay all of his
bills promptly, the moment they become due,
what a vast improvement it would make in the
condition of society all round. That would put
people in a condition, at all times, to be able to
pay their bills promptly."
Wo might add, that Peler Punctual after
wards opened a store in the city, in a branch
of business which brought Mr. Sharp to be a
customer to him, and he has been one of his
best customers over since, paying all of his
bills promptly, and whenever Peter requires tt,
even paying in advance.