The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1885-03-12
A CRUEL WINTER.
The Wholesale DruDimer's Last Trip
Closing Out job Lot.

A great, gruff-looking man stepped
into 8 wholesale house on Michigan
avenue and threw open his coat that
was made of buffalo robe. YOU'RE
the boss of this here shebang, amt
you?" he asked of one who was doing
over his market reports. IL am one of
the firm; yes, sir. Who is it you
want?''
''Ef you're the man you say you are
l reckon your the one | want | came
in to tell you some news. | am from
sixty-nine miles t'other side of the cold
est spot in Dakoty. | left there thir-
teen days ago in the blindest blizzard
you ever see, and hev come here to tell
you some news"
care you country merchant?'
mo; amt nothin' to bank on. I'm
just plain mountaineer. But | must
tell you the news. You he'd man
travelin' for your shebang, or firm,
believe you call it. His name was
Henry-somethin' l have it here as
he wrote it."
The big, rough hand went into a
pocket and out came a bundle that was
wrapped with cord. This was undone
and several papers were unwrapped
until small fragment was taken out
on which was the name. He handed
it to the member of the firm, who said:
''1 es, that's his name; he is one of our
travelling men and one of the best on
the road. We haven't heard from him
since the blockade. Are you friend
of his?"
Il can't say that am that" said the
great rough-looking man. s.Nor l
ain't his enemy. Ira g;ad to hear you
say that he were a good man on the
road, though, cause | think he thought
you thought that. But Pm bettin' he is
jest as good man off the road.
won't keep you waiting. One night
when the wolves an the wind an the
blizzard all got mixed up, as they do
whar | come from, thought l heard
somethin' that was louder than the
wind, somethin' that vas hungrier than
the VOLTS cry, an somethin' solemner
than the blizzard. And l went out ov
the cabin and went looking around to
see what it was. / found him alvin
in drift ov snow an sand an a-prav-
in to somebody to let him git in his
last order. l picked him up, an his
samples, an carried him to the cabin
an lit the candle an punched up the
fire an laid him down on the robes.
After while he sez to me, jest as eff
he'd know'd me all his life, sez he:
This is job LOT, an you kin hev it at
cost. 1t closes me out, an | want to
git the order in an git back home. I'm
goin' in,' sez he, before my time is up,
an I'll 90 up to the house and surprise
the little woman an the babies, sez he.
The blizzard blow'd open the door
then, an great sheets of snow come in
an the fire went out jest like that. OF
course, mister, in our rough part ov the
country we amt got no buryin' ground
titten for white man to git into. Its
4 big buryin' ground for that matter,
for it lays IN the mountains and the
prarys. But we amt got no sexton
'cept tho God Almight hiseolf an YOU
kan never tell one grave from anoth-
er out thar. The dead with we'uns
is like the livin' all of a size, so to
speak. hope | amt trim you. I've
got his body at the de-put | fetcht it
here myself, an | think you'll find his
samples jest as he left'em with me. Eff
ennything's missin' I'll make it good.
I'll take his job lot. whatever that is.
Now, eff you will tell me how to find
that little woman and the babys that he
spoke of, I'll go an try to break the
news to her an to them ez hev tried
to break it to you. But I'm afeerd
I'll make botch ov it, so eff you'd
take the job I'll pay the expenses.
Poor things, | don't know how he left
EN-, but I'm afraid you didn't give him
enough so he could lay up ennything
for 'em, so here's a stockin' full ov as
good Californy stuff as eyerwas dug up,
an | wish you'd take it to the widder
and her babys an say ez how it's hern
and thars.
And that is why the window blinds
in great store on Michigan avenue
were pulled down the other day before
closing time. And that is why an apol-
ogy had to be made to q bank the next
day. And that is why the black ribbon
on the door knob of a little house on
one of the snow bound avenues of the
the city futtered in the glistening frost,
and that is why woman wept as if
her heart was breaking and why the
babies cries were hushed by strangers.
Oh, it has been a cruel winter