WHAT BOBBY AND BETTY SOLD TO THE OLD-CLOTHES MAN
“See, Mother,” said Bobby. “I have fourteen cents.”
“I have fourteen cents, Mother. See!” said Betty.
“That is a nice start,” said Mother. “Put the money in your savings banks. Then it will not get lost.”
“I want to earn more money,” said Betty.
“What can we do?” asked Bobby.
“I will tell you what to do,” said Mother. “Father has some old clothes he doesn’t want to keep. You may sell them to the old-clothes man.”
“Good!” cried Betty.
“Hurrah!” cried Bobby.
That very day the old-clothes man came down the street.
“Any old clothes to sell? Any old clothes to sell?” called the old-clothes man.
“Yes, yes,” cried Bobby and Betty.
The old-clothes man came to the back door.
“You may sell the suit,” said Mother to Betty.
“Bobby, you may sell Father’s old shoes.”
“Any men’s clothes?” asked the old-clothes man.
“Yes,” answered Betty. “How much will you give for this suit?”
“Two dollars,” said the old-clothes man.
Betty looked at Mother.
“That is not enough,” said Betty.
“Two dollars and a half,” said the man.
Again Betty looked at Mother, and again Mother shook her head.
“Three dollars,” said the old-clothes man.
This time Mother nodded her head to Betty, and Betty said, “You may have it.”
Then the old-clothes man gave Betty three dollars and asked, “Any men’s shoes to sell?”
“Yes,” answered Bobby. “Here is a pair.”
The old-clothes man looked at the shoes. “Fifty cents,” he said.
Bobby looked at Mother, then said to the man, “That is not enough.”
“A dollar,” said the man.
“Take them,” said Bobby after he had looked up at Mother.
The old-clothes man gave Bobby a dollar for Father’s old shoes.
“Anything else?” asked the old-clothes man.
“Yes,” answered Betty. “Here is a pair of ladies’ shoes.”
The old-clothes man looked at the shoes and said, “Too small. Can’t use them.”
“That is all we have to sell,” said Betty.
The old-clothes man picked up the old clothing and said, “Good day, good day.”
“Good day,” said Mother and the children. And the old-clothes man went away.
As soon as he had gone, Bobby said, “I have a dollar. Betty how much do you have?”
“Three dollars,” answered Betty.
“Give me a dollar,” said Bobby. “Then we’ll each have two dollars.”
Betty looked puzzled. Then she said, “Yes, that is right. Here is a dollar. Now you have two dollars and I have two dollars.”
“Mother, don’t we have enough to buy roller skates?” asked Bobby.
“I think you have,” answered Mother. “How much do you have in all?”
“I have two dollars and fourteen cents,” said Betty.
“That is just what I have,” said Bobby.
“I think we can get good skates for that price,” said Mother. “We will go to the hardware store this afternoon. You may buy roller skates.”
If I’d as much money as I could tell,
I never would cry, “Old clothes to sell!
Old clothes to sell! Old clothes to sell!”
I never would cry, “Old clothes to sell!”
Old chairs to mend! Old chairs to mend!
If I had as much money as I could spend,
I never would cry, “Old chairs to mend!
Old chairs to mend! Old chairs to mend!”
I never would cry, “Old chairs to mend!”
For study and play:
Have you ever been in a hardware store?
What do you have in your kitchen that was bought in a hardware store?
