American citizen. [volume] (Canton, Miss.) 1864-1890, 1875-03-13

your children honest and safe in their
morals and their practice than all the
Sunday-schools in York State. You've
got to own it."
"Get out with your bookr' exclaimed
Button, slapping down the cover of the
book and giving it slide SO angry and
vicious that it flew quite over the edge
CT the table.
JacoX caught it neatly in the air, laid it
right back where it was before, open just
the same, and went straight on in exact
ly the same tone, barely making a semi
colon at the interruption.
AS l was saying; now, for instance,
your daughter hears somebody say the
Bibles humbug; she's a young, innO-
cent girl, and don't know good and evil.
Or your son, and he thinks it smart to be
an independent thinker But when they
come home and ask you or their mother
about it, you just look up the points in
this book and you set 'em all right and
save "a fine young fellow that you have
set your heart on from going head-tirst
into infidelity and all the wickedness that
generally goes along with it."
"You see," broke off JacoX, all of a
sudden, "this is no fair shakes.
haven't studied up the book. l don't
know anything about it at all. can't
sell book that / don't understand.
Neither could you; nor anybody. ] can't
preach at random"
you've done very well, Mr.. Jacox,"
said Button, with a smile; {" that's jest
what l was waitin' to hear we say. l
was lookin' to see how long you could
run your mill without any grist int.
You're the man l want, / guess. You
amt afraid, and you don't get upset, and
you'd had the fax about that book well
in your mind, how long would you have
hung on to me?"
A fell look of bulldog tenacity
settled in the queer, light-blue eyes of
the little man as he answered with his
teeth set together:
eth had your name down for one
or more copies, unless 1 died first
oval" said Mr.. Button, "that's ex-
tremely satisfactory; now 1 must go; can
you come in here tomorrow morning at
nine exactly"
Jacox said he could.
Then FL make an arrangement with
ye thatll suit ye, l guess. l want to
give we some partiklers about sellin',
TOO, that'll be of service to We. And see
here; wish you'd master this here"-he
took printed thing like a sort of hand
bill or broad sheet off the table and gave
it to him" and see how good an ac-
count ont you can give me in the morn
H. AuTldu, you ttht oHC, too -Hc
handed him one accordingly-"I want
We to see how these things are done.
Good-day, Mr.. Jacox.
And with more cordially than he had
yet shown the great man arose and gave
his new agent hearty farewell shake of
the hand.
When Jacox was gone Button sat
back in his chair with an air of weari-
ness that rather surprised Adrian, and,
wiping his forehead, he asked the lat
ter:
What dye think o that?'
&C didn't know there was so much gen
in the business" answered the
young man.
g There is, though, and it uses up the |
general, too. Tell we what it's, it spends
a mans life to put force into things like
that. I've got that Jacox, but I'm tired |
I've grown kinder shaky, nervous a
woman would call it. l can't stan it as
well as l could fifteen years ago. l feel |
a queer kind o. dizziness every once in a |
while, and sorter pains in the back o my |
neck. i only wish my son Bill would
take to the business; really, I'd bought |
my own book o. JacoX if 'twould a sot
Bill on the right path" continued Mr..
Button, with a queer, painful smile" L
couldn't help a thinkin' ont when he
made them pfnts about a mans children.
But it's too late now, | reckon. He must
graduate at the law school, ! s'pose, and
ravel, and be soraethin' or other, Pm
ure | dO'nO' what"