Kansas City daily journal., 1897-01-17
HE IS A LIVING BLUFF.
What There May Be and often Is in
Appearances.
From the Washington Star.
Again ii WAS the drummer

From the Washington Star.
Again it was the drummer.
The irrepressible drummer.
The queerest thing I've seen IN a long
time, he was saying to a group of interest
ed listeners, 4 saw in Southern town of
about Se,OoC people, when was there in
september last. have heard a good deal
about people bluffing. putting up a great
front. and the other slang expressions that
mean hypocrisy in one form or another, but
thlS one rather got away with all compel
itorS- / was sitting in the office of one of
my customers on the second floor of his
store, and as we were talking handsome
coupe, drawn by a rattling fine-looking
horse driven by eoachman in livery,
drove up to. the bank opposite, and an ele-
gantly dressed old gentleman got out and
went IN, the driver going away at the same
said I.
quite that, but he's connected with the
bank
q He must own the most of it, said l.
employe at $40 month
rhat was too much, and I began to
think my friend was guying me-
a true bill.' he proceeded to ex-
plain, and It shows what a human being
Is when he Gets a wheel in his head, That
old chap used to be a rich man In an kinds
OF business ventures, but the war knocked
MIN OUT, ana after 1t was all over he found
himself with a little farm of seventy-five
acres out in the country about two miles
anu half, and an almost shattered INTEL
lect, but with the same old desire to make
display for the benefit of the public That
bank was organized thirty years ago and
the president. who had been befriended by
I'm tnls oId fellow, gave him small job at
S4O a month This was an anchor to wind
ward, and he got relative of his to take
the farm on Shares-that Is he could have
all he made on 1t If he would board and
lodge him, his horse and coupe and board
MS coachman for the odd Jobs he would
do on the place.
Then he hired coachman at SO a
month and found and bought a fine horse
anu coupe which he paid for on the in
stallment plan: The one you saw just
a@hIle ago is the fifth coupe 1 think he
mas had, for he wants them to look well.
ana ne gets a new one when the old enc
and from the bank, and the man comes
Ior MIN every day at O'Clock, rs he
brings him in every morning / forgot,
he does drive to church Sundays The
ceachman wears a livery only about an
hour every day, and 1t lasts q long time
and so the coupe keeps its shine on long
er than one used a great deal
The horse has a little more 10 do
as the family drives MIN TO a surrey for
the sake of exercise. The old chap is a
bachelor. and the $50 he has ont Of his
salary keeps him in clothes which n ars l-s
of the best: also in tobacco a demiiohn
of Kentucky liquor and reading matter
which he gets from q secondhand man
at low rates. He will stay in the bank.
of course. till he dies. and so long rs he
Is all right in other respects they are
not going to disturb him for a little &C.
centricity like that
I'm not a curious person ordinariIy.''
concluded the drummer. but this inter-
ested me so that l was on hand at 4
o'clock that afternoon to see the old gem
tlcman drive home, and again in the
morning at stopped on my way to the
train to see him drive up like a miIlion-
aire and march with stately tread into an
establishment In which all others were
richer than he.