  KEEPING STORE T THE best place for keeping store is out-of-doors, where there will be plenty of room and no fear of disturbing the grown people. Select a shady spot by the side of a house, fence, or tree, carry your supplies there and set up the store. Build the Counter by placing a board across from one empty barrel to another (Fig. 513). Turn the barrels upside down, bringing the covered side uppermost that there may be no possibility of losing articles down through the open barrel heads. Large, strong wooden boxes or two chairs may serve to support the ends of the counter if barrels are not at hand. Fig. On each end of the counter nail an empty wooden box. Stand the box on one end and let the open part face backward; put your hand inside and drive a few nails through box and counter to fasten the box securely The Scales.
Fig. Fig. These are very necessary in weighing different articles. They can be made of the round covers of two large-sized baking-powder or cracker cans (Fig. 514). Have the covers exactly the same size, and punch three holes in the rim of each at equal distances apart (Fig. 515). To obtain the exact measurements for placing the holes, take a strip of paper and wrap it smoothly and tightly around the outside of the rim of the cover. Let the paper be a trifle narrower than the rim of the lid, and be sure to fold over the long end exactly where it meets the first end (Fig. 516, A). Remove the paper, cut off the fold, and again try the strip on the cover. See that the measurement is perfectly correct, then take the paper off and fold it into three equal sections, making two folds and two ends (Fig. 517), and for the third time wrap the strip of paper around the cover rim. Mark the tin at the point where the ends meet, and where the Find a number of empty boxes in which to keep Your Supplies, and stand them in a row on another counter back of the first (Fig. 522). Fill each box a little more than half full of sand, earth, pebbles, or dried leaves, which you must pretend is flour, sugar, coffee, tea, or other things in stock. Find a large shell, a piece of shingle, or anything else that will answer the purpose, for a scoop to use in handling many of the groceries. Label each box with the name of the article you intend it to contain; then look up your vegetables and nuts. Fig. Acorns make fine nuts. Gather a quantity of them, and for cabbage tie a number of corn-husks together, or grape-vine or hollyhock leaves; any kind of large leaves will answer the purpose. Take a small, short stick and with a string wind the ends of the leaves, one leaf at a time, on the stick, folding the first leaf opposite to and inside the second, the second in the third, and so on, always allowing each succeeding leaf to overlap the last until the cabbage-head is large enough; the resemblance to the real cabbage will be remarkable. Spinach may be made of small leaves. For asparagus pick a number of long, slender seed stems of the plantain. Short, slender sticks placed in a glass jar may Fig. When selling groceries you will need Wrapping Paper in which the customers may carry away their goods. Cut newspaper into uniform sheets of two or three sizes and lay them conveniently near for use. String will not be necessary if you twist the paper into cornucopias. Hold the lower right-hand corner of a sheet of paper with your right hand and the other lower corner on the same edge with your left hand; pull the corner in your right hand forward, continue to bring it toward you until it stretches out and up from the corner in your left hand and covers well within the upper corner diagonally from it. Hold these two corners together with the right hand while with the left you roll the bottom corner, held in that hand, outside, forming the lower point of the cornucopia. Fold up the bottom point to keep the cornucopia from unrolling (Fig. 523), and it will be ready for whatever it is to hold. The top point, B, can be turned down as a cover. Flower-pots or tin cans, large and small, may serve for pint and quart measures. Always give generous measure and full weight when selling your supplies. This item is very important; remember it every time you make a sale, for the act will help to build up true ideas of justice and honesty. Now make The Money necessary to use in the store. Take ordinary white writing-paper not too heavy and lay it over a coin; hold the paper down securely with the thumb and first finger of your left hand while you rub an old spoon or smooth metal of some kind over and over the paper-covered coin. The metal end of the handle of a penknife is convenient to use for this purpose. After one or two rubs you will see indications of the print of the coin; a few more rubs will bring out the lines distinctly. Make as many coins as you will need, of different denominations. Money of any country may be coined in this manner. Fig. After printing all money necessary, cut it out ready for use and put the change into Paper Pocket-books.
It requires only a few moments to make them. Cut a piece of smooth paper eleven and one-half inches long and seven wide (Fig. 524). Fold down diagonally the two top corners until they meet (Fig. 525); fold the other two corners in the same way (Fig. 526). Fold the top point down to meet centre of folded edge (Fig. 527); do likewise with the bottom point (Fig. 528). Turn the top over and fold to centre (Fig. 529); bring the bottom up to meet the edge of the folded top (Fig. 530). Now fold back and under one of the sides (Fig. 531), fold under the other side (Fig. 532), and bend back lengthwise through
Divide the money among those taking part in the sport; then Take Your Place Behind the Counter and let your little friends call and purchase whatever they choose. Be careful in making change that there are no mistakes, and insist that each customer count the money received in change before leaving the store. If you wish to be very business-like, take account of all goods sold. Write down the articles with the measure or weight and the price received, as nearly as possible as accounts are kept in real stores. Should customers keep you too busy to put down the items yourself, let another person act as bookkeeper and cashier, and when you make a sale call out to
If you find that you need more and a greater Variety of Candy manufacture it of strips of bright-colored paper rolled into the form of paper lighters about the length and thickness of ordinary stick candy. These mingled together in a separate glass jar or piled upon the counter add to the attractiveness of the store. Hard lump candy of various-sized pebbles will probably sell well, but if upon trial the demand is not as great as desired, you might wrap each pebble in a bit of bright paper to enhance its appearance; then the customers will doubtless invest more liberally in the gay-colored sweetmeats. Small candy balls, red and white, may be made of the red and Do not forget to make bars of soap of moist clay or earth. Have the clay only soft enough to mould and cut with an old knife; when of the right consistency form the cakes, making them all the same size. Cut the edges smooth and even and lay the soap on a board in the sun to harden sufficiently to handle with ease. You might also use moist clay for butter, and cut off portions as customers call for it, weighing the butter in your scales to obtain the exact quantity desired by each purchaser. Now try and think of other supplies you can make of the moist clay. |
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