The Iowa plain dealer. [volume] (New Oregon, Howard County, Iowa) 1867-1895, 1891-10-22

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THE RUSTIC BUNcoMBE.
with its open expression and exposed
pipes, conduits and canals, of the man
on the title page of the zodiac-Broad.
way, with its hurry and rush and bust.
ness and omitted dividends; its torn and
disfgured surface; its crowds of young
men who brag about being such rooeys
as the French say, when in fact they are
not or they would not blow SO much
about it; its focks of beautiful girls
with bright, new, becoming frocks; it,
gangs of patient toilers, who are putting
In the new cable at q rate which makes
the old moss covered street opener oil
New York crazy; its returning troops o!
brown and beautiful children, fresh
from the fields where the black eyed
susans and the bluebells grow, all, all
bewilder q rustic from the woods oi
Buncombe county, N. c., and cause him
to buy new clothes for himself so that he
will not so readily attract the green
goods man.
This time, somehow, when am buster
than ever, think I am more than usu.
ally annoyed by these people. A very
disagreeable thing occurred to me moi
long ago. It was different from any.
thing ! had ever before experienced. ]
was in the well known publishing house
Of the Scribners, looking at new books
in the salesroom and especially admir-.
ing a beautiful volume of "Hiawatha,
illustrated by Remington, who make.
such truthful frontier horses and-I had
almost said such truthful Indians.
While I was thus engaged / saw at .
distance Chicago gentleman who pub
lished book for me once. Imet him
when we made the contract, about five
years ago, and expected to see him every
sixty days after that, at which times ]
was to receive statement and check, but
instead of all this he began to build and
also bought team. Well, for those
reasons I did not see him any more, and
30 was not quite sure that it was HEN
fact it was not, but felt sure it must
be. However, I was well dressed and
wished to let the Chicago man know
that we New Workers are q courteous
and kindly race Of people, so, as I looked
well and had my new fall hat, I thought
! would ask him up to my club, blow
him off, as it We're, have dinner with
cake and preserves, and practically have
q time Of it. allowing bygones to be by
cones.
l sailed gayly up to him and assumed
well bred attitude which my coach
man has taught me on rainy days this
summer.
"Good morning, Mr.. Skeezix," said.
Skeezix was not the name Of the man
knew, but it ought to be. GOOD morn.
ing, Mr.. Skeezix. When did you leave
Chicago"
He looked at me as one does who has
been bunkoed only week or SO before
and whose fostering wound is torn open
afresh by new bunko man. He turned
q little pale and put his hand to the
pocket which contained his pass. With
the other hand he felt for the bright, new
and massive watch chain with the gold
horse hanging from it as charm.
"That is not my name, sir" he said.
with dry lips and husky voice. 1.-THE
maN you want is coming this evening.
He has car load Of watermelons."
NO." said, ''he is not in the water.
melon line. He is a publisher. Are you
not Mr.. Skeezix?"
mo, sir; am not MIR. SkeeziS, and
am not going to tell you vino am SC
that you can SO around the corner sod
tell ysar partner either"
Just nssa !Nr. Scribner came along
and said .'Go4a ,porning," rs he called
me by name, and We 1t.atted on pleas
antly about books, OF wAae.s nm pas
sionately fond, buying almost eyery.
thing of value that has pretty binding,
80 that cow have one Of the prettiest
little libraries in the east. ] have nc
old books. ] keep only the neat, new
ones, with kaleidoscope backs, 80 that
my bookcases are perfectly Esxplendent,
AS we talked / saw the keen stA4eut
of humanity who had done me the cruel
wrong to take me for bunko man. He
was evidently asking the salesman some.
thing. When he had gorged his curios
ity for eight or nine seconds he went out
of the door hurriediy. leaving large
eighteen dollar Bible which is had paid
for but forgot to take with him.
The above is substantially true. Once
! met = gentleman at dinner in St
Louis and we talked for half an hour,
being neighbox at the table. A year
afterward / was In New York and did
not know a single humaa ,sejng: and,
I may add, only one married osas.
Suddenly on the street one day wAsa,
I was waking-walking in imitation Of
. man who Il walking toward some
place which he has In his mind, and not
succeeding very well with the imitation
all ut once, when would have given
twenty dollars for the sight of q familiar
face, no matter whose, saw my dinner
acquaintance coming.
/ need not say that l was glad.
hailed him with q welcome that was nc