Yorkville enquirer. [volume] (Yorkville, S.C.) 1855-2006, 1888-05-30

handkerchief mOpped his persplrlng lace
"He remarked that he 'bleeved it was the
hottest day he ever SEEM No one seemed
inclined to dispute this interesting meteo
rological statement, and he was allowed
to 60 on tanning himself with his straw
hat, while he gazed around the Office.
"He presently unbosomed himself to the
effect that he 'bleeved he could sell sewing
Machines He had squeaky sort OF q
voice and his grammar was enough to
make Lindley Murray turn over in his
grave. It was good deal then, as it is
now; any man who fancied he had q mis-
sion to sell sewing machines was given q
chance to see what he could do, so the
manager put him through the catechism,
as customary, giving him an opportunity
to divulge certain information as to where
he had been employed last, the nature OF
the business, and his reasons for quitting
where he then lived and how long he had
made it his home; also, whether he had
ever been convicted of manslaughter, felo.
nv, arson, embezzlement or treason, and
lastly whether he were q citizen OF the
United States?
''Snively seemed to sb W up satisfacto.
rily on all these points. TIE said he had
tcanvassed for books SOM, and Flowed he
could sell machinesp
"The manager told him to call again
next day. He showed up promptly on
time, and was duly installed as canvass.
er. The clerks in the Office were not favor
ably impressed with Snively. The cash.
ier gave him one week to throw up his job.
The bookkeeper thought when they got
to hiring tramps, the business must be
getting in bad way The note clerk
thought he had better 60 out and make
his headquarters among the 'sand-loppers
in the post oaks.' But Snively was igno.
rant of these gratuitous comments and
suggestions, and during the few days he
stayed around the Office learning to ope-
rate the machine, he was happy and con-
tented, humming to himself bits of some
old tunes.
HE learned quite fast and was soon
ready to 20 on the road. He had been
out on the Nueces and the Rio Grande in
his travels, and when the head clerk ask
ed him if the people in those sections were
not q dangerous lot of people to travel
among, he said he wasn't afraid of men
mostly
"Well, as a matter of course, we sent
Snively straight out to Capt. Moody's to
sell him a machine. One of the boys soft
ened a little, to the extent of telling him
that Capt. Moody was kind of rough
old cuss, but he guessed he'd get along
with him all right Snively "lowed he
could get along with most anybody
and drove off softly singing to himself:
'Bu.ti-ful cit-e-e-e be-ilt a-bu-u-uv,-
and the boys watched him with some re.
morse of conscience as he headed down
toward the bayou.
'Snively had been instructed that one
of the principal points in effecting sale
was to get his machine into the house the
first thing that he did so, when he reach.
ed Capt. Moody's he took one out of his
wagon and carried it right on to the front
gallery and set it down. There he asked
Mrs. Moody, who had come to the door, il
she didn't want to buy sewing machine
"Of course, only novice would have
done that, and the whole proceeding
amused Mrs. Moody very much, for she
was up to the ways of the ordinary sewing
machine man, and so she told him she
would buy machine if they could agree
upon the price.
'.Snively assured her that there was no
agreeing to do as the price was Sl0O.
"They were getting along first-rate,
however, until, all at once, Moody stood
in the doorway. He was, to all appear
anceS, in terrible rage.
"Ah! what does all this mean? An
other one of that contemplate tribe OF
pusillanimous id machine men" and
for two minutes he poured it into poor
Snively like hot shot.
''Snively sat quietly with his hands in
his pockets, hiseyes fairly bulging out with
surprise, but showing no signs OF fear.
"'I'll fix you, you son of sea-cook.
Come down here, Betn
GAS his hand grasped the barrel of his
gun, a squeaky voice behind him said
quickly:
"Put 'er up! Put 'er up! wouldn't
take it down # rs you!
"This was a novel state of things, and
in wonder old Moody turned his head.
the cleaning barrel of a siX-shooter was
held steadily in his hand, and it pointed
squarely between Capt. Moody's eyes. 1t
was the perfect composure of the man be-
hind it more than anything else that
caused Capt. Moody to exclaim:
"'Hold on hold on! I wasn't goin' to
shoot; 1 was just in fun. Put up your
shooting ironn'
"Mighty queer way to have fun! I've
got the drap on We and Pm goin' to keep
it !" said Snively.
"Mebbe you wouldn't mind putin
that machine in my wagon, ne continued
lowering his weapon little, but still
keeping his enemy covered.
ut occurred to Moody that Snively was
master of the situation, and the situation
wasn't pleasant to contemplate. He would
almost as soon have been shot as to have
been compelled to carry the machine out
to the wagon, but there was q gleam on
the barrel of that six-shooter that brooked
no expostulation, and perhaps some of his
own misdeeds arose, ghost-like, before
him, as they are wont to do when we get
in close place.
"And so Capt. Moody was forced to pick
up the machine, and the procession moved
out to the wagon, Snively bringing up
the rear. When the machine was fasten.
ed in to his satisfaction, Snively got in
in and prepared to leave.
GAS Moody's scare wore off anger com.
menced to take its place. The fact was
plain that he had been beaten at his favor
ite game. 1t also occurred to him that
there was collision, and that the whole
thing was a put up job on him.
'"To say that he was annoyed would be
the merest milk and water way Of ex.
pressing it.: to say that he was angry
WOulu convey OuC tne Slightest luea VI Iue
state of his mind just then. His wrath
and frenzy grew unbounded, and he wasn'1
slow now in pouring forth torrent of il
upon the man who sat calmly in the Wag.
on. His language was not choice nol
hand-picked, and it was as full of eXplo'
sives as dynamite bomb.
"Snively did not remember to have ever
heard anything like it on the Texas from.
tier, but he sat quietly through it all, as
though he were listening to an oration
He did not seem in any hurry to go, Ell.
ther. He was not the man to engage one
in conversation, and then run off and leave
him in the midst of his peroration.
ruonld like to say that SniVelV with one