The copper country evening news. [volume] (Calumet, Mich.) 18??-1907, 1897-06-14
HE WOULDN'T SHARE.
WHY A DRUMMER REFUSED TO Dou-
BILE WITH ANOTHER GUEST.
There Was a Time When lie Did That Sort
of Thing without a Murmur. but He
swore on After His Thrilling Experience
With the Editor In CuIpeper.

manner of the CHEEKY traveller that makes
you feel as If somebody had left the door
open, "and | want 10 have a good impress
sion made on me, so III come back again.
Nothing like first impressions, you know,
my boy, To make town stay up in the
front end OF the procession, and the hotel
Is the place whore the impression business
starts. Good hotel, good impression; good
impression, good for another visit. "
The clerk looked really hurt.
I'm awfully sorry, - he said, "but
can't do as well for you tonight as would
like 10. You see, we are crowded with a
convention in town of district teachers
association, and youll have TO go in n
room with a man who is the only one in
the house who hasn't been doubled yet. ."
"Well, l won't have it, " said the drum
mer peremptorily.
"What would you say to a mattress on
the noory"
"In tho hally'
ooh, no. Better than that. In the room
with that party.
CHATS as bad as doubling.
"What do you say to taking my bed and
letting me have the mattress on the 1oor!"
~ don't know you.
This made the clerk hot
"Nor l don't know you, sir, " he said,
with indignant protest
Here's my card" laughed the drum
mer good humoredy. THAT'S ell right"
he went on. at isn't you or 1t isn't any
one else except myself. I've got preju-
dice about getting into anybodys power
/ used TO didn't have, and I'd just as soon
sleep in stall with horse as not if it
was going to accommodate the landlord
and give him chance TO pick up dollar
or two on the side. But did il once too
often, and now don't want anything be-
tween me and the four walls of my room.
You see, il was this way
The clerk submitted helplessly.
About six years ago" continued the
drummer, II was down here in Virginia
where the editors eat coons and cordwood
for Thanksgiving dinner and one night l
stopped nc "a hotel in Culpeper, / believe
the name Of the town was. Something
was on in town, and the place was full,
the only bed that had room enough in il
for me being occupied by an editor. l
never turned word, though, but went off
TO bed like good child, ana in about Is
minutes i was sOunder asleep than dea-
con on "a warm Sunday.
"What happened in the interim do not
know, being the kind of sleeper that at
tends strictly TO business. But along in
the night some time | was awakened by a
light in the room, and before knowing
just what it was / was entirely awakened
by voice which kept repeating: Il owe
the devil 81. | owe the devil So That
sounded like crazy man in the room, and
l was wide awake pretty soon, and was
correspondingly wary, for did not know
what was going TO happen next As far az
l could learn by eyesight my editorial
roommate was sitting by table with a
lamp burning on it, and he was bent low
over piece of paper on which he was
writing At the same time he kept sway
ing bacl, and forth and grooming TO him.
self i owe the devil 81. lowe the devil 81
Presently, when l had stood it as long
rs | could | coughed slightly and essayed
speech with my friend.
say, said /, If you don't owe the
devil more than that, you ought to think
you are in great luck. I'm not nearly as
bad as l might be, but III be hanged if |
don't consider my Indebtedness to the old
serpent a good deal moro than 81. Then
l thought I'd laugh the man out Of his
foolishnCss, but | hadn't more than given
one half sized smile ill nc grabbed loose
revolver there was on the table and turned
it full on me-
"'Ahal' he shouted until l could feel
the gooseacsh raising all over me SO l
could scratch a match on myself; Aha,
it's you, is it? It is delinquent subscribers
like you that never Jay their bills that
make it SO hard on us poor, long suffering
editors. It's you that never see the Y
mark on the wrapper and give no heed to
our appeals. It's you that take the paper
out of the postoflice all the time and when
we ask for pay for it the postmaster sends
IL back 20 us marked Refused or
"Moyed away" It's you that never sees
our slogan at the top Of the editorial col
umn, "S2 per year in advance. It's you
that plunge US into the vortex Of ruin and
prevent Us from Cling long felt want.
Aha, now Is the time to diel
THAT'S the way he carried on" con-
tinued the drummer, almost losing his
breath in his excited recollection, land
then began slipping over to me as If he
was gloating over the fun he would have
when he had filed me full of holes and
begun blowing tunes through me- If
wasn't scared to death, il was because
was born immortal, and l didn't do "a
thing but lie still there in an utter paralysis
and him coming nearer every minute
But, no, he Missed when he got up
till l could have stuck my head in the
mouth of that pistol and had room for
four inch washer; but no, you shall dis
gorge your i'll gotten gains before you de-
part this life mourned by a large circle Of
loving friends. Give me s. for your last
years subscription! Two dollars, do you
hearg i owe So to the devil. / can stand
the printers off another six months, for
they are my sisters-inlaw But the devil
Aha, he is Different Two dollars or your
life'
"Well, TO make n long story longer, l
Just had to get up and give the crazy Ike
81 of my hard earned money, not to men
ton the wear and tear on my nervous sys-
tenn and the uncertainty of my future
state, and when it was all over and fell
back on my pillow and began saying my
last few words on earth, I'm DANCED If the
chap didn't give a kind of nervous start
and a gasp and wake up standing right
there before me with the gun in his hands.
Where am / atf' he mumbled as he
tumbled over on the bed, and If ever did
want TO kill man In self defense it was
right then and there. The relapse was
,vorse than N he had begun to shoot, and