174 



JUVENILE GLEANINGS. 



Mak. 



thing to seud off goods. I presume a great 

 many of our boys and girls think if they had 

 the goods all ready, and the money was paid 

 for them, that they conld put them in a box 

 and mark the directions themselves. I tell 

 you, my friends, it is no small matter to 

 pick up a bill of goods in such an establish- 

 ment as ours, and have every thing just 

 what is wanted, and then have it go just 

 right. It is true, the clerk can have a pen- 

 cil, and mark or check every article as he 

 puts it in the basket; but very often, peo- 

 ple in their orders call things by different 

 names, and in all sorts of funny ways indi- 

 cate what tliey want. Besides, one who is 

 not educated io the business will be almost 

 sure to lay something down and forget it; 

 and theii when you get your box of stuff you 

 will be vexed, and may be greatly inconven- 

 ienced by tinding that the thing you wanted 

 most isn't tliere. You may siiy it needs 

 somebody old and experienced for such 

 work. The experienced part may be all 

 right ; but I have not found that age makes 

 any very great difference. JJesides, if it did 

 I can't "very well afford to pay grown-up 

 people, who can earn several dollars a day, 

 for picking up live -cent bee- feeders and 

 three - cent nest - eggs. Another troul)le 

 comes by having orders delayed. With sucli 

 a heavy drain on our stock of goods, we are 

 liable to run out before we kn'ow it. Some 

 of you sent in orders that, among other 

 things, called for alsike. When tiie order 

 was received we had plenty ; but by the 

 time the shipping clerks got around to yours 

 it was all gone. Thus you see I did you a 

 positive wrong by our being behind. 



Well, just as soon as this young friend ap- 

 plied, I thought of the goods to be sent out ; 

 but as he knew nothing of our goods at all, 

 it was out of the question thinking of him 

 for a packer. He had the strength, the good 

 will ; but who was there to be with him con- 

 stantly and show himV Another point: Yes- 

 terday one of our large strong men had a 

 heavy box of goods to put up ; and with the 

 other things was a dozen steel pens, some 

 blanket-pins, a pocket-compass, and a lot of 

 other little stuff that ought, by good rights, 

 to be done up in tissue paper, and packed in 

 a little box. something as a jeweler would do 

 it. A good many things of this kind have 

 been lost in the straw, because of a want of 

 proper facilities, or, if you choose, the prop- 

 er feminine fingers to do it neatly and quick. 

 I took the goods i mentioned to Eliza, to get 

 her to do them up ; but she was hurried 

 with lots of orders, besides customers from 

 our own vicinity who wanted sap spiles and 

 pails, little tins for sugar-cakes, and the 

 like. 



Now, I knew all the time while these 

 young friends were talking, that the wife 

 was familiar with our whole premises, for 

 she had worked for me years before they 

 were married. She said that she, too, would 

 like to work for me again, if I could llnd a 

 place for any more women. While on my 

 knees the thought came into my mind that 

 she could show him, pick up and wrap up 

 all the light goods, and that they two would 

 mutually help one another, so they could 

 make it go nicely. You know I would hardly 



want to ask a man and woman to work to- 

 gether in just ihat way, unless they were 

 man and wife ; and here God had sent the 

 two to help to my very door; nay, further; 

 inside the door, right to me, and 1 had sent 

 them away. I sent for them both next 

 morning, and they are putting up orders 

 now. Very likely there will be some mis- 

 takes, for it can not very well be avoided 

 with new hands ; but, dear friends, will not 

 a few mistakes be better than very much 

 delay V And again, will it not be better to 

 put up with some trifling errors, than to ad- 

 vance the price of goods, as I should have 

 to do, if I employed expensive skilled help 

 that would be absolutely without mistakes 

 of any kind? They gather the goods up, 

 place them on a table in a long row, just in 

 the order you call for them ; and when all 

 are ready, I just step in and call them off as 

 fast as 1 can read. To get zoom for them 

 to work we have cleared a lot of goods out of 

 the room where the great press runs, and 

 Mr. Gray is now busy making them a neat 

 little table, with shelves underneath, where 

 Mary can keep her nice paper, twine, and 

 little boxes for the small stuff; and as this 

 room is not far from the counter store, they 

 can easily step in there for goods, or for in- 

 structions from Eliza. 



I feared some little objection to my plan 

 before I got through, for you know old hands 

 are often a little' particular about having 

 their woi k-rooms invaded. But here I was 

 surprised a little to lind a hearty acquies- 

 cence ; and when Mr. Gray found out what 

 I "was up to" this time, he too gave me a 

 hearty word of approval. " If God be for 

 us, Avho can be against usV" Don't you 

 see? 



There, now, children, I am going to stop 

 right here, and give you the rest of the 

 roojn ; for I tell you there is a heap of little 

 letters this month. Remember our little 

 verse, "• If God be for us, who can be 

 against us?" And God is always for us 

 when we are for him. How maiiy of you 

 Avant always to be '■ on the Lord's side " V 



VJltGIL'S TKEATISE ON BKKS. 



CONTINITED. 



^, IRGIL suddenly " gets a bee in his bonnet " at 

 ''"' this point of his treatise. The idea evidently 

 strikes him, that we may all get to nodding if 

 he keeps on giving huge chunks of wisdom about 

 bees in a straightforward, prosy wny; thereupon he 

 brightens up, and lets off some of his poetical fire- 

 works to set us awake. The delighted commentator 

 in my book declares that nothing can he more lively 

 or animated than Virgil'sdescription of a bee-battle. 



SPRING. 



Now when the golden sun with royal might 

 Doth ope the door of heaven with summer light. 

 And conquered Winter drives beneath the polo, 

 As in their round the appointed seasons roll. 

 Forthwith the bees do wander far and wide, 

 Through open glade and waving sylvan side; 

 They reap their harvest, flowers of purple hue, 

 And lightly sip the waters of the dew. 

 Joyous henceforth they cherish nests and brood, 



