Crawford avalanche. (Grayling, Mich.) 1879-19??, 1885-08-20

ID uOO drummer III PROFESSIONAL why,
but frequently makes trip for the
benefit of his own establishment He
is versatile genius and his travels are
generally productive of both lucre and
knowledge. i met him recently and
his salutation was:
do look like q countryman re-
piled that failed to discover anything
in his makeup that would indicate a
recent arrival from the country
swell, sir, let me tell you," said he,
"that for the first time in my life /
have been put down for q greenhorn.
Yes, sir, q veritable greenhorn and no
mistake"
"Well," said /. "did you succeed in
removing that impression?"
aWell, now, should relax my CLASH
Cal features"
And under promise of mo chestnuts"
he proceeded:
quite recently / had occasion to
run over to Boston, partly on business
and partly for pleasure. The pleasure
expected to derive from attending q
dinner given by an old army friend of
mine. We had jolly time, and 1
started the next ternoon for New
York, but afterward concluded to stop
in New London, L was sitting on the
deck Of the boat which runs between
Providence and New London, smoking
cigar and trying to amuse myself
with my thoughts and occasionally
with viewing my surroundings. / no.
ticed that nearly opposite where l was
so comfortably sitting there sat an in
dividual who was evidently sizing me
up. There was nothing very striking
In the fellows appearance excepting,
perhaps, huge diamond in his neck
tie. On our arrival at. New London
this individual kept quite close to me,
and az / was registering at the hotel
some one tapped me on the shoulder.
On turning about, recognized my
diamond-studed fellow-traveler. Said
he: Il beg pardon, sir; are you not Mr..
D., of BrooklynY No. L replied, Il
am Mr.. So-and-so,' giving him some
fictitious name.
"Ah, then, / have made a mistake.
Mr.. ID. is drummer for house in
Brooklyn, and having reason to believe
that you were he, took the liberty of
approaching you. Hope there's no
offense. BY the way, 'spose we take q
drink p
"Feeling pretty certain that my new
found acquaintance was one of Hungry
Joe's disciples, / determined to make
his experiment on me as interesting
and expensive as possible. accepted
his invitation, ordered the best brandy
and bottle of soda, after which we
smoked the choicest brands afforded at
the hotel, all at his expense. After
more affability on his part, during
which / discovered that his object was
to have me change my quarters and
accompany him to his hotel which
proposition / of course declined-we
had something more at his expense,
and then excusing myself l retired to
my room.
after supper, while / was lettering
about. along came my friend again, and
he opened up with proposition to
wine me. had no desire for the wine,
but hated to lose an opportunity to
make him spend his money, so acqui-
esced and we drank the wine and we
smoked-at his expense. Then we
strolled about, talking of nothing in par
ticular and everything in general.
Finally he exclaimed, with something
like evaporation, Say, if you want an
evenings amusement, come with me
down to my hotel. There's lot of us
drummers down there and we are going
to have little game .x-
sofi IN hrs rOraSl Jnn3S'seasf eeu to go; so
we started, but was revolving in my
mind how l should get rid of him,
when, as we were walking along, he
said quietly, DO you know, my dear
sir, that am the oldest drummer on this
roadT What, you, | said, the oldest
drummer; why, sir, it is impossible.
attended dinner in Boston last even
ing given by man who has been on
the road over fifty years.
Remembered that my Boston friend,
while eesticulatiGg, had revealed the
loss of two fingers from his right hand,
during the war, and what is more
said ], 1T is a remarkable fact that
this old drummer has but two fingers
on his right hand. WELL said my
confidential companion what has that
to do with it?'
two carrying samples. He is also
tongue-tied from talking of the skin
gamblers that tried to take him into
camp. You should see his tongue.
He has had it photographed A canni-
bal would relish that tongue picked or
smoked, All swelled up from blufing
off New London skins and smoking too
many cigars at their expense. He is a
physical wreck, | regret to state, in
every respect, from having turned him
self into walking beer vat, all at the
expense of these funny little New Eng
land skins who
"But my fiction had done its work.
/ was suddenly left without an auditor
The poker sharp, with one amusing
glance, compounded of fright, surprise,
disgust and sheepishness, had recog-
nized his blunder and fled. i stole
through the moonlight back to my
hotel, and aided by the somnolent
effects of the bunko sharp's brandy,
champagne and Reina Victorias, slept
the sleep of the just"
Brooklyn was ahead. brooklyn