Frostburg mining journal. [volume] (Frostburg, Md.) 1871-1913, 1889-03-02
TRAVELLING DAYS OVER.

Morgan had been on the road for one
| louse about twenty years. This is Il long
period of travel In less time than that
most men work up or work down. No
nan can continue on dead level a Il
| salesman during that time even If his
habits are good. If Tic has ability he is
sure, with raro exception to work himself
off the road. If he is mediocre no one
house can afford to carry him for twenty
Years. Morgan was the rare exception
lust mentiuIc,!, lie was an excellent
salesman, and his ability and success but
serve to weld him the closer TO his work
The house had made him partner lolg
| since but the business he controlled was
so large and So Profitable that they nll
knew, and he best that to withdraw him
and experiment with Il new man would be
| but playing with fire over . magazine of
powder SO he went on his way year
after year, making no plans for the future
that would change his work OF his life.
But his family, consisting of his wife
and their one daughter, Mary, a romping
girl of twelve, was not of his disposition,
| These two could not see husband and
father start off without Il protest. The
wife had always on her heart 4 burden of
anxiety about him; Of dangers on rail
roads of his possible robbery and murder;
of the tliScomfoltS of hotels, and the fear
Of his falling sick among strangers. She
was naturally n tmil woman, and the ~
sponsibilty of the house weighed upon
her. The wboic burden of Marys growth
in body and mind her training her com
panions. and her pleasures We're matters
the mother would gladly have shared with
the father, but she was generally COM
| PEELED to decide them alone
The fathers continued absence was n
constant pain and grievance to Mary
There was never week but that she felt
| deprived of some special oIting because
he was not at home to go with her Sat
nrday night and sunday if H. was where
he colld run home, were % many solid
hours of happiness to them all, but to
! Mary they wcro fun of perfect bliss.
| Morgan was known 10 all his fricn Is as
Il man who never worried. ii tcain was
late he sat down and waited; if a customer
failed he always signed a compromise; if
he didn't get the Lest room in the hotel
he took VII 1t he could get: and h, lost no
sleep III picturing how his competi.o :
might get ahead of him. He always left
home with the assurance that everything
would go on all right until he returned.
and when he went away he thought of the
two he loved as being happy and we'll.
But as he stated on the trip he could
not shake off n slight feeling of anxiety
that had possessed him all the night, and
had grown since he awoke Their talk the
previous day had been about the entrance
of diphtheria into the neighborhood, and
of the fatal case but two blocks away from
their door Mary had complained Of
slightly sore throat, but on Monday morn
| ing declared it was entirely well aglin
kissing him good-by with more spirit than
usual, as if trying to convince him of the
truth of her words, and send him away
assured and happy.
| When he was seated in the cars the
shadows came ovyr his spirits again and
began TO torture him with doubts and pos
sibilities. 1t might he, he thought, that
her sprightlineSs of the morning WAS due
to fever, rather than health. He wished
! he had looked into her throat and he le-
GREETED that he had not cautioned his wife
about her. He l.drscd these fears until
he felt himself becoming wild with alpra-
henSion and then he reSOlu ely put the
| thoughts aside, declared he was foolish
and would have no moro of it, and devoted
himself to Il cOmpaniOl AID to h. papers.
Men cannot always govern their minds
These are king1om, that frel9cntly rebel
against all government. Several times
during the day Morgan caught himself
gong back to his morning thoughts and
he resolutely changed tie current But
at night try as he would he could not
conquer them. Even his dreams took mp
the forebodinge of the dav, exaggerated
and intenS fed them. and tortured him
Next morning found him ont of sorts.
nervous and miserable. He had long
drive to take il the country, hut he shrank
from it rs if he saw danger in the tra k
All his intuitions seemed to ho CRYING to
him to go home but what he thought was
his common sense kept insisting that he
should go on with his business and not
cross the bridge of trouble until he came
to it
The day wa one Of III, ioyeliest Octo-
Der days he had ever seen. His drive was
mough twenty miles of the best corn land
in Illinois. The black road was as dry as
II board, and as level as only prairi can
be. The first effect of the Ieautiful day
and pure air was invigonting He cl-
ioyed the drive through the street into the
country road. Then the h,oed fields, the
pleasant farm houses. the herds OF horses
and c tile. the long Usage hedges. the
perpetual but always surprised rabbit ut
the road side, all these attracted and en-
tertained him, and his ride was successful
in driving away his blues. His customer
seemed especially glad TO see him; took
him to his house to dinner; talked with
him of important personal matters, and
gave him large order for goods. lie
turned back to the railroad feeling as
happy as Ee had ever Gone: took ont his
order-h book and fgued mp the amount of
the bill and the plofit, rs was his custom,
aud then began to sing.
Suddenly there Clme ac' OSS him Il wave