PADDY'S MARKETING

Dominion, Volume 11, Issue 7, 3 October 1917, Page 7

PADDY'S MARKETING

SMILES AND SURPRISE PACKETS

(By "Eose.") It was the' first du'y "of Uctoljer, and I met Paddy"' oil'.liaiiibton Qua-y. intli a broad grin on His. lace. -.. ■ ... -'!\Vhy, Paddy," said. I, "fcoyr. on can you afford to go on smiling alter the reckless, way in which you spent your money at .that marfcot qt your. L Saturday? It can] the becauje its pay day-you are smiling. Now-vou distinctly, told, me that you had mor-ga-ed your." whole month's wages bid- & for those flowers and cakes auctioned by Ada'Eeeve." : , • ''I tould you that, now, <Ud l< Vy.eu, well, I didn't.tell you-that Ihw moH ; lJuKed my, whole month's erapiles biddin to pay tUi W ith', BfMy.*? JW ko are coming home blind will not Tie ■ deaf and tomV and they wHI kear bow you didn'f forgot them -»to they weie out fighting for-you, end they J Ji grateful to you, and they'll tell you so. "Mnko your moind aisy, now! says he - "Shure," there's uo gratitude about it at all, at all. 'Tis lucky I amjo > able to spina me money and snoilc. Divll a smoile I'd have spihd, if them good lads didn't go out Si*, those foreign din s .occupiea « bombs in the Wnmbk. while I ettar aVhome exchanging, coins and fimoiles a pretty Slmrt-, His glad I am- to be here, I .am, but, be jabersi.it wouldn't 1». here Id be if I were twenty, years r.ounge.r-male t Wiseto spend all your money like thaß lop didn't even leave yourself, a bam fare, I hear you walked all tho way tq NeivtOJ? Oh! you heard that,did you? Well, wellrlobk at that now.. Well, inaji. I did -walk home; it was a fome night for it, but,' begorrah! I had a little shillin' tucked away in mo wescut pocket -"But Xt'on earth did you want Hie KTiillin? for' Paddy?" I asked."Oh? «!? /aid . he, --aiayeu-t' y.er ' lnird r about- thinV wonderful surproise packets the- commercial tliravellers are selling'for the blind bhoyson Saturday next? Gh, such pro.zes \ou never did hear the loike of them; and they tell me tfom-ttaavdlera.'ud .steal the oive out -of needle!' when they. $t selling- for those .-bhoye; and begorrah, I-was afraid they might shae me' WMtout "if I didn't have a, -little shillin' -in the pocket.to give them for Paddy," I protested, Uraving him out, "f 3on't believe in those silly surprise packets/ Fancy giving'ivehilling: for a parcel, and perha-p getting something: you don't want. People must be awfully tired of these surprise packets.' I don't think they will stul many, do yoH?" : ' ' ' T. ~ Paddy'looked at me.'. Somehow I felt ciueer'When lib'looked like that.- I knew I had said something wrong, and I was kind of-soiTy I "ppoke. ~"'."... „.." "Dd'vou know," lie said, quietly, that out at" Trentham there are men. buyin? little' parcels; it isn t the contents pt those parcels thats the suinrbise. Oh, no! they know whats in tlierh, right enonsli. Jiist a grey woollen shirt: a : pair of'{blue denims,' and a pair of Massey's hoots; "but it's the price they've got to pay'for th;.t- parcel that s tho Giirproise-sbnißof •them have to pay dear enough,' poor lads. They know that many of their comrades have paid Willi life mid limb". And eyesight, and ; yet these brave fellow.s' go on buying witn-oiit-'counting tho "cost, 'O!' , . they must be", very tired of these surproise parcels, but they haven't said so. -Diyil • a .maw. of thim. And do you mean to tell me that any inaii.is going..to s«y he.6 tirw of buying- parcels to help these bravo bliovs just' because they, arc asked tn give their shilling without seeing the contents of the' pai-cel-, when that shilling moans so much to those dear bnoys, who will'nivor eeo Ihq loig'.it playin' or the grass again;"who will niver sec tho moonlight on the water; the gold of tho sunset; the blue of a colleen's oyo? ■ ho a-way'-M-id you. I-don't belavo you! "Ah. Paddy!"