Then he gives the however many daisies he s bought to familiar women in shops and banks and restaurants and real estate offices, making them feel good and making their husbands or boyfriends look bad. And he gives out candy, making just about everyone feel good, at least until they feel queasy. He meets new people, and gives them whatever s left. Russell Clarke has done this for decades, but not for any particular reason. With pit stops, Russell s route consumes an afternoon.
People pick at the jellybeans, trying to guess flavors.
Russell folds his arms, hunches over a root beer, and settles in for a while. Russell Clarke calls himself a carpetbagger. He was born in Jamestown. He once had four brothers, four sisters, and, to help support them, a paper route. Rather a natural at the paperboy trade, he earned, in addition to his regular wages, a commission for acquiring new customers.