Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1888-09-21
THE LAST STRA W.
by JAMES FRANKLIN FITS.

single spies, but in battalions. j am
Il married woman, q housekeeper will,
family, and yet have time and taste to
read Shakespeare; SO ! naturally turn to
him for brief description of the con-
,'ition Of things at the house on that
unfortunate morning.
Ny kitchen-girl had left. I had no
help but that. ola small child for make
shift. and was very busy. just lit
tie vexed, it may he. that Bridget
should quit in this sudden way, with
out notice, and very much determined
to get along and do my own work, in
some way, till the vacancy could be sup
piled.
II hope I shall be let alone, was my
observation, as I plunged into the
work.
The words were hardly out of my
mouth before the door-bell rang. 1
wiped my hands, smoothed my hair,
put on clean apron, and went to the
door. A stout, rosy. German with a
mahogany case confronted me, and in
stantly began his attack. In the tor
rent of broken Dutch and untranslatable
English that he poured out, I learned
t,at he wanted to sell ME an eye-glass,
opera-glass, reading-glas pair of spec
tacles; one and all of them.
Il don't want any of them," 1 pro-
tested. Go away.
He fingered. he expostulated; he
tried to enter the house, but I barred
the way. Discouragement, rebuff only
fred him with the noble determination
to sell me something. He jabbered
faster than stenographer could have
taken down his queer speech, and he
set his case down on the doorstep pre-
paratory to opening it. I banged the
door, locked it, and returned to the
kitchen. 1t was not polite, but the sit
uation did not call for politeness.
I fell to again with q will. I was
stirring up pudding when the bell
pealed again.
go to the door. JESSIE" I said.
eff anybody wants me, tell them
that must be excused. If it is book
agent, or any person with anything to
sell, say that don't want to buy"
The girl departed, and shortly came
back with the report that it was a man
who was selling needles for IS cents a
gross.
"Why didn't you tell him to &c
away?" asked, sharply.
Il said you didn't want anything,
ma'am; but he kept right on talking,
and wouldn't pay any attention to what
said. And, please ma'am, 1 don't be.
heve I can ever get rid of him.
In the very worst of tempers I started
for the front. The vendor of needles
had entered the hall and opened his
cases on the table.
you can put up your traps and go, y
was my forcible salutation. Il want
none of them"
Was he angry? Not in the least. He
was as bland and smiling as though l
had ordered four gross of his wretched
wares.
1.-THE supreme recommendation OF
these goods, mem, aside from their
marvellous and phenomenal cheapness,
is the elegance of their finish and the
durability of their manufacture. Now,
the ordinary needle"
Il don't want. your needles. Haven't
minute to waste with you"
ANSWERS a certain purpose; but it
is SO far excelled by this article, which
is patented by our house, that"
"WiN you leave the house,"
"-competition is useless our needle
is aeplus ultra. 1 can convince you in
three minutes that"
IF you don't go Immediately I will
send for policeman.
He looked at me, saw that meant it.
gathered up his goods, and departed.
No occasion to get mad, mem,
was his last shot, Anybody would
think you'd had needles for breakfast. n
Devoutly did I hope that this was
the last of them; but my sufferings had
only begun. What mysterious law is il
that governs the comings and goings Of
pedlers and itinerant agents, that upon
some days they leave us thankfully
alone, and upon others they come al
most in procession? That pudding had
not been compounded when another
ring was heard, and Jessie shortly re
ported that this time it was book
agent, soliciting subscriptions to Gen
Van Kettledrum's military memoirs, or
the installment plan.
I vowed to myself that this maj
should not get sight Of me. The
girl was instructed to go back and tel