The Pascagoula democrat-star., 1898-01-14
HE WOULDN'T SHARE.


so III come back again. Nothing like
first impression, you know, my boy, to
make town stay up in the front end
Of the procession. and the hotel is the
place where the impression business
starts. Good hotel, good impressions;
good impression, good for another
visit"
The clerk looked really hurt.
"I'm awfuIly sorry" he said, "but !
can't do as well for you tonight as |
would like to. You see, we are crowd
ed with convention in town of
district teachers association, and you
will have to go ia room with man
who is the only one in the house who
hasn't been doubled yet."
"Well, l won't have it," said the
drummer preemptorily.
what would you say to mattress
on the tloor?"
''In the hall?"
"Oh, no. Better than that. In the
room with that party"
"Thats as bad as doubling"
"What do you say to taking my bed
and letting me have the mattress on
the tl0Or?'
81 don't know you"
tl,o n
"Nor l don't know you, sir" he said
with indignant protest.
"Hcres my card" laughed the drum
mer good humOrcdly. "That's all
right" he went on. SIT isn't you or
it isn't anyone else except myself. |
have got prejudice against getting
into anybody's power. used to didn't
have, and Id just as soon sleep in a
stall with horse as not il it was 60
ing to accommodate the landlord and
give him chance to pick up IA dollar
or two on the side. But l did it once
too often, and now | don't want any
thing between me and the four walls
OF my room. You see, it was in this
way"
The clerk submitted helplessly.
"About six years ago" continued the
drummer, II was down here in Vir-
eina where the editors eat cOons and
cordwood for Thanksgiving dinner,
and one night l stopped at a hotel in
Culncper, | believe the name Of the
town was. Something was in the
town and the place was full, the only
bed that had room enough in it for
me being occupied by an editor. l
never turned Il word, though, but went
of to bed like a good child, and in
about Is minutes was sOunder asleep
than deacon on a warm Sunday.
"What happened in the interim l do
not know, being the kind OF sleeper
that attends strictly to business. But
along in the night sometime l was
awakened by a light in the room, and
before knowing just what it was | was
entirely awakened bya voice which
kept repeating: L owe the devil $2; !
owe the devil 81 That sounded like
a crazy nan in the room, and ! was
wide awake pretty soon and cores.
pondingly wary, for l did not know
what was going to happen next. As
far as l could learn by eyesight my
editorial roommate was sitting by 1
table with lamp burning on it, ant
he was bent low over a piece OF papel
on which he was writing; at the SAM
time kept swaying back and forth ant
Z. cooning to himself: i owe the deyi
: 81, | owe the devil So
"Prescntly, when l had stood it a
r long as l could, l coughcd slightly ant
= essayed speech with my friend.
e Say said l, III you don't owe tn
e devil more than that, you ought t
: think you are in great luck. I'm no
! nearly SO bad as 1 might be, but ~
o be hanged II | don't consider my ir
l dcbtcdness to the old serpent grea
c deal more than 81 Then l though
!. I'd laugh the old man out Of his foo
n ishncss, but hadn't more than give
1t one half sized laugh till he grabbed
h.lf N u
h and turned 1t full on me.
ID "'Ahar he shouted until l coul
20 feel the goosehcsh rising all over n
ID so l could scratch Il match on mysel
IT AHA, it's you, Is il? 1t Is delinQueI
e. subscribers like you that never p;
)t their bills that make 1t 50 hard on
n, poor, long. suffering editors. It's "
I'd that never see the X mark on Il
be wrapper and give no heed to our a
3, pcals. It's you that takes the pap
he out Of the Office all the time and whit
sc we ask pay for 1t the postmaster sen
&c. 1t back tn us marked Refused"
ut "Moved away" It's you that ncv
sees our slogan ut the top OF the ed
orial column, "s2 per year IN advance
Or It's you that plungcs us into the vt
'st tex Of ruin and prevent US from fllliI
me u long felt want. Aha, now Is :
n time to die
er' "That's tho way he carried on, ," CO
81. tinued the drummer, almost losi
T. his breath In his excited recollectic
ed land then began slipping over To
rs II he was glcatinY over the run
AtsFS4
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