Fort Worth gazette. [volume] (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1891-1898, 1894-04-18

men. Handsome. gay and bright arc
they oil. and there are all types Of
beauty among them from the fine.
chiseled. hlgh-bred features and Adon,
ls-lilse form OF j. r. Terry 10 the lowest
type Of but then 1t might not b,
kind to say who stands on the other
end OF the beauty class OF course
some Of the angels are not sensation.
ally handsome but they make up for
their lack OF beauty IN their wit and
rheerfulness, so that MS safe to say
youil lind something attractive in ev.
cry drummer.
There are a number OF old drum
mers In the gatherlng-tha is. men
who are old in the service, and they are
regarded with peculiar affection by the
younger generation,
Among the older ones is ]. c. Cor
ham Of Austin. who was introduced to
ne as the oldest man on the road. /"
out Mr. Gorham protested he was
Itill young in spirit and ready to yarn"
with any Of them.
Another OF the old timers Is Joe
Booth OF Austin. who is known TO
every drummer In Texas. Mr.. Booth
has been selling hats in Texas Just
twenty years, and knows every COW
trail In the state Mr.. Booth Is dean OF
the Austin post and II is needless for
me to say that he Is immensely pop
ular. He can tell more stories than
could be crammed into II circulating
library. and when he Ia IN remin-
iscent mood you can depend on Il all
the angels win roost around him.
When Mr.. Booth landed In Texas. IN
1858. he engaged with Major Burleson
TO chase Indians. II Is suspected by
some that his hostility to the red man
was prompted by the fact that the In
dlans didn't wear straw hats with
wide brims and cable 10 keep them
from fiying away. but Mr.. Booth cites
In opposition to this inslnuation the
fact that he fought tho Indians long
before he knew anything about the
hat trade. Indeed. he didn't begin
selling hats until after he had finished
u four years engagement with Tcrrys
rangers. SO from MIR. Booths solemn
nHsoveration that he didn't fight the
Indians because they didn't wear hats.
and from the other cumulative evil
deLce, / have concluded that Major
Booths hostility to the Indians spraug
from more laudablc motive. Col
Thomas Il. Farmer, whose opinion /
sought relative to this matter. conaurs
I'm fsWunIun1.Ft o.
takes lie easier IN these latter days
than he did In the crude lonE-ago,
when he was Juggling cut-of-date straw
hats over the prnirles with un OK
team. He has n cosy little home In
Austin. where his wife and daughter
reign. and he is going down the other
Side Of tho Hill IN u complacent mood.
He takes a three months flyer over
the state twice year. dropping car
loads OF hats here and there. and the
rest OF tha time Is spent ia the bosom
OF his family. lie ls an Intimate friend
OF Governor HOgg's and enjoys the
friendship OF many politicians. lie
has sever! times boon very nearly
drawn into the vortex OF politics. and
even now lac carries telegram from
Collector Fitch Of the San Antonio dis
lrict urging him to accept the posi-.
Hon % superintendent OF the bonded
warehouse at Eagle Poss, but this, like
)ther nera OF political prefcrment. has
9ccn declined
or course all angels cum sing. but
hen there are singers and there are
fingers. At the head OF the It'll,
'laas is Holloway Smith. whose IA the
iwetest voice In the angelic choir II III
lhe proud boHst Of every travelling
man In this state that the Texas dl.
Vision has the sweetest singer OF an
the drummers In the country. and
everybody acduiesces. Mr. smith has
really "A phenomenal tenor voice, and
u he should ever grow weary OF CON
vincing the country merchant that his
groceries are the best extnnt he can
md welcome In any opera troupe
Some OF his envious confreres accuse
him OF using his voice IN song TO get
rid OF his goods, but Mr.. Smith has
convinced mo by means OF a diagram
that this is n gross libel. He con.
WINGED me that he used only three
notes In persuading the backwooda
merchant 20 buy. He further con.
WINGED mo that only one song could
be sung with three notes-ta -ra -ra.
boom-de-ay. and even sam Jones
lnows that's not persuasive aong
so. with the advice and consent or DR.