Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1883-09-14
THE MAN in THE TOWER.
lie successfully stands ora Female Book
Agent In the Lookout.

Agent In the LOOKOUT
Yesterday while the reporter was
standing on the corner of Main stree
and the Square, looking at the cloud.
of dust rolling in huge waves around
the corners, female with a many
colored book under her arm approach
ed him and said, young man | have
here Humbocdis' Laiest?N Madam
said the reporter, feeling as though q
cowboy had showed his gun under his
nose, ~ know Of man who would
Just delight in buying, reading
! and advertising that work
| He Is a student by nature, capacity
and inclination, Snd IL you will take
! the trouble to climb into the court
| house tower and ask for the old man,
! We no doubt but what you can sell
him not only Hun boidt's latest,
! but any other volumes you may repre-
sent. But before you 20 / will give
you pointer, play on his vanity; If
you can touch that, you will be able to
sell him u whole library
Thanking the reporter with n smile
which would have turned honey
into vinegar or its mother, she skipped
the gutter aud started for the tower
The reporter hurried around the back
way and followed her into the court
house. When he arrived at the foot of
the last flight of steps, he stopped and
heard the lady, who had just greeted
his friend, ask for the old man of the
tower.
II have the honor of being that per-
sonage, said the old man, rs he crit
ically eyed his visitor and took III the
Situation at q glance.
"Oh! N.Y. said the lady, 81 had no
idea of finding one so young and hand
some.p
This honeyed phrase had no more
effect Oh the old man than drop of
water has on duck's back.
II have here 'Hunboldt's Latest
Madam said the old fellow, in
tcrrupting her, II never read such
philosophical works. A philosopher
is an old crank who deals with the
past and future, while deligt in the
present"
"Oh!r she exclaimed, with her vim
egar smile, you like literature, i sup
pose. Well, have n work called
Cowboy Cal, or the Cattle King.'n
Don't suit men of my austere tenn
perament,n said the old fellow.
"Well, said she, growing desper-
ate, II have another called Three
days in a Sewer, or Who Stole the
Freight Train2' Perhaps you can
loosen the corrugated wrinkles of
your old brow over that -
II never read such dark, mysterious
tales said the old man, as bland as a
smiling child, "besides, am no de-
Lective, aud could never wade through |
The intricate plot by which freight |
train was stolen and secreted."
Making u last appeal, the female |
said: IL have a volume which ought |
- interest you called, Dallas, or The |
Lost Town
Madam said the old man without |
q muscle OF his face in motion, ~
never read line in my lie. When |
was a kid, revealing in all the tender
Inspirations of childhood, my parents
thought of sending me to school, but
female book agent moved
into the neighborhood and talked
them both TO death. I
took II terrible warning from them
and grew up in ignorance. They are
gone now, TO that land where repor- |
ers and book agents never enter and |
n their tombstone IS written:
ave are Comet q land, peaceful and blest;
To a land. free from all bescttng sin;
To place, where We shall at last rest
From The book agents all tormenting
chin.
The lady stood looking at him in
mute establishment and suddenly she |
slosed her book with snap and |
started below. AS she came by, the |
who was hidden under the |
she was saying:
Tom Ochiitree, Mulhatton, Dorsey
ma the whole kit are not u patch on
he eyebrows of that spindle shanked
'ld idiot. hope he will tall out of the !
over some day and that will have
he pleasure Of writing his obituary.. |