JOURNALIST AND DRAPER; OR, A NEW WAY OF PAYING THE LANDLORD.

South Canterbury Times, Issue 2370, 21 October 1880, Page 2

JOURNALIST AND DRAPER; OR, A NEW WAY OF PAYING THE LANDLORD.

Considerable amusement has been excited in a certain village at the expense of a roving retailer of cheap remnants and wearing apparel, who went to enjo} r the first slop-goods clip of the season, but was cleverly shorn by a venerable journalist. It seems that Scissors-and-paste let his store to Mr Yardstick a few weeks ago, for the purpose of facilitating the usual softgoods sacrifice. A large stock was introduced to the premises, two agents were left to conduct the sale, and the village was duly papered. Unfortunately for the soft goods man, shortly after he had taken possession, the rent for the house and store fell due, and on the eve of rent day old Scissors-and-paste decamped, taking all his property out of the house and shifting his newspaper plant to other premises. To the astonishment of Yardstick, who knew nothing of the

journalist’s difficulties, the landlord swooped down on the drapery and refused to release it till £SO, the amount due by Scissors-and-paste, had been paid. The unfortunate counter-jumper bad to “ stump up ’’ for the delinquencies of the journalist dodger, who has since returned to his home, which he will doubtless occupy in peace and quietness till next quart r-day. Smarting under his trials, Yard-stick tried to seize some of old Paste-brush’s traps,but that move had been anticipated by the wary old gentleman, who had made everything over to his son. Yardstick is now a sadder and wiser man, but he intends acting cautiously in his dealings with landlords for the future We may add that Old Scissors is generally supposed to believe in a hereafter, although he apparently takes a peculiar way of working out his own salvation —on rent day. The foregoing tale, we are assured is a true one, comment is quite unnecessary, and it is hardly to be expected that the ancient draper-trapper will “ adorn the moral ” through his own exemplary columns.