The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-09-12


and report my luck.
This happened on Saturday evening.
late in September.
Emily had been toelng the grass by the
sidewalk. and now she picked UP four
leaved clover and tucked 1t through my
button hole, and wished me luck
| Il left her. but hadn't forgotten how her
father had called me putty face
don't advertise my features as being very
| classic, but made up my mind IL wouldn't
take Jim Payn many days to find out what
kind of stun there Is in one putty face
Paying employment wasn't TO be had
| for the asking much more In those times
than 1t is today. AS my train rumbled
along toward home. my mind CHANGED to
| recall that institution which Is the boon
| OF every man out of Job, The next day
sent on an application for a book agency.
| wanted to put myself to a severe test.
because you know that II there's n fellow
| on earth who has tough time hoeing out
his row. it's the book agent.
When set out for my first town had
| my little formula OF sale all by heart, and
my courage fortified against all injuries
| and Ill treatment You fellows know what
has to be gone through in that line.
THE town worked first was onl yabout
eighteen miles from Theresa, and was laid
out In a single street. | should say there
were about forty dwellings. | took the
houses in order, beginning at the north
end.
my line OF goods was Bibles, especially
family Bibles. / had thought 1t would be
| greatly to my advantage to sell first TO
the biggest merchant in town. so that
could show his order to the citizens Wis.,
tied. So l sought out the proprietor OF the
village store, compounded as usual of gro
ceries. dry goods and hardware.
His name was Job Lodge. found out
that he was deacon in the one church of
| 4 hn IL, aa1s, tlal Al, 4. IA
not have family Bible in his house, but
| he wanted to make nuniberless excuses to
| get around buying one OF my books and
| placing IL there He said times were hard,
business was rushing, and he was trying to
| get a little ahead to buy pony for his
boys. ! argued the family record which
he could write in the Bible would be more
valuable to the boys thirty years from now
than the pony craze, etc
well. he finally gave me an order and
moved on up the street.
! About six doors from the grocery, on the
same side of the sweet, was poorly re-
ceIved. The woman who came to the door
| evidently had no intention of letting me
come in. She offered the customary plea.
too busy this afternoon. l opened the
| screen door and gave her to understand
that ] should come In. any how. She
treated me very coldly for time. but /
put on all the suavity could muster and
| u
| they were trying to save up enough to buy
the boys pony. / wondered II ponies
| were tho fad for small boys in this partic-
ular town. | had not heard OF 1t elsewhere.
Then ! asked her II her husband pro-
tessed religion. She replied very eagerly
that he was a deacon in the church, and
had so many calls for charity that II kept
him poor. Here was my chance. ! pic
tured as graphically as my earnestness
enabled me, q scene OF thu loving father
reading from that Bible i.eiore hi sfamily
every morning. aud how the dear old book
would be reyered many years hence By the
children. as they read to their children
from its yellow pages, all hallowed with
sweet memories OF the old home and the
parents gone before.
This touched the tender spot Her
name went down on my order book. II
read. Mrs. Job Lodge
AHA! | was obliged to laugh inside OF
my new suit OF clothes as bade the lady
good Afternoon. The deacons family was
we'll sold.
"At $50 / stood on the platform outside
the little railroad station In very happy
frame OF mind. My days work had been
a grand success. / had placed one Of my
Bibles in all but four homes in the village.
and each sale had Melted me two dollars
There was little uneasiness in my
Young conscience. however, as | paced up
and down the platform, 1est the deacon
might go home early to supper that night.
NV only hope was that Ma and Mrs Lodge
might each remember my suggestion that
the Bible would make an appropriate
Christmas present to his or her better half
1.-THE time for the arrival OF the train
came and passed
"a Young man came running down TO the
station and accosted me.
:" Won have been canyassing for Bibles
here today he said
".Yes. cir was my simple answer.
s'WeiI Deacon Lodge wants you 10 see
him before you leave town. without fail'
".oh. yes. | know ] said, running over
the pages OF nv cash book. II just occurs
10 me that he could not pay for his book
when he gave me the order, and he asked
me TO stop for the money when ! came
down 10 the station. Mr.. Lodges credit
"a good here In town, Isn't it,?
..Oh. certainly he answered quickly;
he Is a deacon In the church
z. WELL i said. hesitatingly. and looking
at my watch the train is now ten minutes
past due. and don't dare take the time to
run up there. ] can't afford to stay here
over Sunday. either. You wouldn't give me
The ak doliars, would you, and get 1t from
/ 80. ~, vour p