The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1896-09-17
tales. He knew the hospitality and
the cooking at that place, and in my

the cooking at that place, and in my
heart I was grateful to him. After
supper l talked to the family for a
while, and they we're the quaintest
people l ever met. Finally they told
Sal to show me into the shed room
where was to sleep. l had to climb
upon small ladder to get into the
bed, and after l did get in l went
down, down, down. At first l thought
it was a moonshiner's continuance, but
bless you it was nothing but feather
bed nearly four feet thick. 1t was an
August night; but never mind.
Il slept as 1 had never slept before
and never will again, I'm afraid,
can smell those white sheets and pill
low cases now. They had been done
up in sweet herbs. Those people
couldn't read, but innate refinement
was there. Next morning after a
breakfast even more delicious than the
supper, the boy geared up his horses
and we we're about to start on.
"'What's my bill?' I asked, and
that of the driver
"'W-a-l, I scarcely KNOW answered
the old man. You had two meals O
cook'd victuals, bed, and keep fur
the colts. Hit soun's like heap O.
money, l know, stranger, but call hit
Is cents
"tMek hit 10, ole man. put in the
old woman.
"Really, tears sprang to my eyes.
I had been unusually successful that
year, so slipped a five-dollar bill in
to the old woman's hand and told her
to buy herself and Sal a new dress.
They actually didn't know what it
was, and when explained left both
women crying and the old man cough
ing and blowing his nose. To my
mind that is one of the most interest
ing of my experiences.
"There's one peculiar thing about
women drummers," continued this
well-informed woman. "They have
proved perfect failures so far as the
millinery business is concerned, with
one exception, so far as know. Miss
Airline Carson sells 100000 worth OF
millinery for New York house every
year. l think there are very few
women on the road carrying millinery
Groceries seem to be more in their
line, strange to say. Dozens of WON
en- are making money for their en-.
ployers and themselves selling -four
soda, cocoa, baking powder, buck.
wheat and other things. The woman
drummer has this advantage over the
man in handling things. She stops
in small town a few days, sets up an
impromptu kitchen in a grocery store
and invites all the women in town to
call in and see a demonstration of the
merits of her goods.
"She shows them what delicious
biscuits can be made from her -four OF
with her baking powder, she let's them
taste cocoa more delicious than they
ever dreamed of, and her batter cakes
made of the buckwheat flour that she
carries are SO light and spongy that
even the men are tempted to go in
to try them. What man drummer
can do this? He hasn't been found
yet, and best of all, the local papers
gives the dear girl drummer a puff
every day, and incidentally her goods
and SO is it any wonder that her sales
are large?"
At this juncture the clerk yelled "all
aboard for the Northwestern going
east" and gently pushing the news
paper man to one side he ushered the
young lady drummer off to the bus
with more chivalry than you read
about regarding the knights of old.