The people's journal. (Pickens, S.C.) 1891-1903, 1897-10-14
A Tale Of Two J0kGrS.
nv CHARLES B. LEWIS.

read, "JOnn IL. Dahoi', ~ N
after this change had taken piace Una
was made head clerk, and that 1
Granger named Charles William
THOMPSON appeared in the town o
Greendale. Our business was that o
general store, and Mr.. Baker was
the owner of big wOolen mill in the
town. The rear end Of the store, with
an entrance on side street, was
divided of and rented to the govern
ment AS a post office, and there was a
door communicating from the store.
MIR. Baker had Il large safe in the
store, and in this the postmaster kept
his spare funds and stamps. We had
three clerks and a bookkceper, and 1T
was rare that any of us had an idle
hour.
Mr., Baker was a jolly, good atured
man of middle age, who dearly loved
q Joke. People used to say that his
hearty laugh was as good as tonic.
Mir. Thompson arrived in Greendalc
one afternoon to search out some long
lost relatives. He was also jolly and
good-patured and middlc-aged. by
the laws Of magnetism it was perfectly
natural for the two to come together
and Joke aud laugh. This was just
what happened. They liked each
other so we'll at first sight that Mr..
THOMPSON forgot all about his lost re-
latiyes, and MIR. Baker lost an hour Out
Of the busiest part Of the day. how
ever, as he got ready to leave the store
that evening, he called me INTO the
private Office and said
"Charles, you saw Mr.. thompson
in the store this afternoon
Yes, sir"
in,
m some relatives. Very nice man
ha ba. ha. Tells q very funny story.
and it does me good to hear him laugh.
You heard us laughing, didn't you.
Charles =
"Ees, SIR
"Yes-um Well, you may like
Mr.. Thompson, and you may laugh
and also make him laugh, but keep
your eve on him just the same. Hes
very Jolly man, but I've got an idea
that he can be very serious on oc-
casiOps. There are times when our
safe holds large sums OF money, and Mr..
Thor pson may covet those grecnbacks.
Laugh with him, my boy, but watch
him at the same time.
Mr.. Thompson soon began dropping
into the store IN an Otf-hand way and
making small purchases as an excuse
to get q general look about and engage
the different clerks in conversation.
He appeared to take to me as much
as he did to Mr.. Baker, and to make
dead set TO win my favorable 0 Union.
AS q matter Of fact, he could heat any
drummer on the road telling q story.
and ell his cOnunGrumS were new and
full OF surprises. But for MIR. Bakers
words of caution should have taken the
man az he evidently wanted me to, and
after week should not have heSitated
to seat him alone in the Office. As it
was. laughed with him. but kept my
eyes open, and after few days |
thought his object in dropping into
the store was to get a close look at our
big sale. The safe had a com bination
lock set on four letters and charged
every few weeks, and only two Of us
had the word. at that time the word
was "Jose.' After a few days, and
one day soon after MIR. Thompson had
spent half an hou: in the office with
Mr.. Baker, the latter called me in to
ask
"Well, Charles, do you find our Mr..
Thompson very agreeable man ?"
Yes, sir" replied.
"Tells very funny story in very
funny way-ha ha. ha H.. Never re-
peats himself, and never gets Off any,
thing old. Makes you laugh, doesn't
he -
Yes, sir"
Yes, OF course-ha ha ha . How
ever, keep your eyes on him Just the
same. think he comes in here TO
look at the safe, rather than to Joke,
and I'm giving him every chance to
Inspect it. | think he will invite YOU
10 pass an evening with him pretty
soon, and il so you had better accent.
Laugh with him, Charles-laugh as
hard as you can-but at the same time
DC 2e on your guard. The funny MIR.
Ihompson-ha ha . ha :"
Mr.. Thompson had the best room at
the best hotel. 1t came to pass that
ne invited me to spend an evening
WIN MIN, and he had cake and vine
anu song and story, and | never en-
}oyed myself better. by and by, as we
uugheo and jokcd, MIR. Thompson
turheo thc conversation to orthogra-
Phy and Its blundcr<, and it came to
pass that he asked me to write down
twenty words OF four letters each. |
"ro'e .John, "Hope,' dash" "Bill"
t' mu enough Others to make up the
ssWennry' s out did not write Jose"
M w. thompson knew that the safe was
see on lour letters. In asking me to
n ,Ito uo"n twenty words of four letters
each he might reasonably count on nv
n%rltlng the safe word. | might have
tion. '"Acr eau
"Yes, Charles, he was after tho
mcra-ha m'n, ha ha" laughed nv en-
ployer next day when / rcIatn1 tho
incident. Mr.. Thompson is a vorv @
ty ttHnny man, but think we are funniny
Ina onan he is. Feeling quite sure thut
one OF the twenty words is the word "s he
10 ;ntn n,'er' MS next move will be to gnt
!nto the store some night ana w ,air soo
rny Ior the contents of the safe. Wa
.nust laugh, Charles-wa must Laa0
TSSn TSns on laughing with the funny NJ
;,; oIhpson-but we must aIsn au. M .
'e,v Gnr On watching him-ha ha hu ), ),
our general custom WAS to b"or y" 10 a, =,
o.ofe open until nine o'clock at Ii nioh, Cne
ana the post Office also h"ld ~ ~ n's u,
1 nOur. Mr. Baker was the FRY fry 80. 70 that
we1a uneh the bookkeeper would 90 W nnd ,uaTe We
W;onla r. @ be followed by the cierks iy' "'u me ne
haStasmy Was my duty to hang on until .hna', anu
hat hati. past nine and set thinos u',sl' y, ABOUT
tbn tetoSe leaving. BY and Nv ~ raghts
nina ninompson began dropping n 'I;hhy an Mr.