The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1899-07-30
A SUCCESSFUL BOOK AGENT.
Nv HELEN f. GARDNER.

/ mo, l don't want your poOh' an ~
tired an sick o havin' you come her
trim 10 sell me books. I told you the las
! time. Phineas Rankin. that hadn't no
money TO spend in any sech way"
There was asperity expressed in every
line of Miss Spencer's grabbed old fa9e
/ In the tones Of her harsh voice. and even
in her attitude. as she stood with one hand
| holding the screen door open a very little
way.
The boyish-looking young man on the
doorstep only smiled amiabiy. instead. of
retreating as she had hoped an expected
He leaned against the door casing, looking
up at her conidentially as he turned the
| leaves of the book in his hand.
If YOU would only look at it, Miss Spen-
| Ger, I'm sure you would be interested. JUST
think what an addition 10 your library
| The Lives of the Apostles would De! ii
| Is beautifully gotten up, with TINS green
cloth binding, and all the lettering IN glls.
| There are quotations from great many
| authors besides the Lives, as written py
| Gleason himself. There are fifty ilustTa-
lions and twelve of them are photogra-
| vures. Just look at this picture Of
Il tell you, Phjneas, don't want your
| book an / wish you'd stop comm here to
sell ! was way up in the attic when YOU
come. an had 10 tramp down two flights
| of stairs TO get to the door. I've got books
! enough. My brother David left a big Il
brary. an there's some o them that 1
| hain't read yet. an Ive been meanln 10
for years. There's Fox Book of Mar
tyrs.' an the Memoirs o. Hannah Crane,
an Leaves from the Diary o some one
| I've forgot who; they all look interestln',
but I don't git the time"
Il can't seem to make hit with you,
Miss Spencer, for some reason; that IS,
| remember the first book / brought mere
was Mrs. Cristine's Cook Book
Yes the idea o a woman o my years
| buyin cook book, For thrty-ive years
I've used the recipes my mother give
me. an what 1 can gee from the Christian
Standard. I guess 1 amt buyin' COOK
| books at my time o life"
Then the next book 1 tried to sell you
was 'Beauty's Secrets Revealed 1
thought you'd like that, sure. Most every
lady IN the village bought a copy o that,
Miss Spencer. 1t tells you how TO dress,
how to dye an curl your hair, and lot
more. You couldn't live without it if you
once had the book"
"Phineas Rankin, don't want your books
an you mays well go along. I'm sick o
havin' you bother me an keep me talkin'
about a lot o. nonsensical trash that l
don't want. My Christian Standard gives
me readin' enough for the present, an II
you can't earn the money to take you to
college except by maxim yourself nui-
sance to folks you'd better stay to home
an work on the farm. 1 guess our father
could afford 90 pay your expenses, any
way"
/ IAN right Miss Spencer" replied the
young salesman, cheerfully, but if I hap
pen to be selling a book that seems pc
cu.iary adapted TO your literary taste, you
mustn't mind my coming again. Good
morning, Miss Spencer"
| He bowed respectfully, showed his
Lives OF Apostles under his arm, and
sauntered down the path between the rows
of fruit trees and beds of marigolds and
phlox, whisting a merry tune.
Miss Spencer watched him depart with
considerable satisfaction. She stepped
back into the kitchen, and closed the
screen door, then glanced out again at the
boyish figure in the pepper and salt suit
sauntering along in the September sun
shine.
, Near the gate it paused, and she saw
, him gazing with great interest at the
heavily laden bOugh of a Bartlett pear
tree that reached far out over the path
Then he reached up. gave a slight spring
secured sample of the delicious fruit
and walked on indiferently, leaving The
bough shaking vigorously as though pal
pitating with the ndigna ton of its owner
well, l never!" calculated Miss Spen-
Ger aloud. Il never see sech cheek in al
the family sence his father cheated me or
that wood lot or leastways, il seemed tC
, me he cheated me. Phineas may be a good
3 enough boy, but he's mighty cheeky, an
the O. takin that pearl
l She opened the screen door. and walked
: out and down the two broad stone steps,
Mis- Perkinsr she called
Yes; what is it?' replied a voice from
somewhere the other side of the apple
Y trees There was house a short distanc,
= away and a stone wall separated the two
farms In winter the houses seemed neaI
: together but during the summer month.
= the thick foliage formed a barrier. Mis-
: Spencer knew very well that Mrs. Perkins
was standing in her kitchen doorway bu
the two women could not see each other
Has Phineas Rankin ben 10 you
: house?" asked Miss Spencer.
Cause he's jest ben her an / thinl
he's an awful nuisance. He helped himsel
to my pears, too, as he went out O tn
4 yard"
a He is sorter cheeky" replied the voic
from behind the trees.
yes, I should say so. was goin' to asl
, eff you ever see him comm here, will yol
o send Gyp over?'
g For the lands sake! I hope you ain
f a-goin TO set the dog on him?"
f no, amt, o course; but I'd Tests sool
a scare him with it; that's anr'
o There" said Miss Spencer, half aloud
as she came back into the kitchen-sh
had lived entirely alone so many years tina
she had acquired the habit of talking Il
t. herself-"Ihere now, I'll go bacl
- to the attic, an get out the silver"
;. Twice a year. on certain day in III
L months of Sentembor and March Mis-
+ Spencer cleaned her silver. During the re
l. naming 1853 days of the year it was packe.
l. away in the attic. but Miss Spencer al
lowed nothing TO interfere with the dutie
l. of those two days.
l. The dates were never changed, unles
l. they came on Sunday; neither extrem
y heat or extreme cold, equinocual storm
- or rheumatism, interfered with the antici
a pated task. Since she had lived alone
e Christmas and birthdays had come 10 b.
: less and less regarded by the solitar
spinstor, but The silver cleaning days wer
- never forgct.sn.
~ There was her grandmother's silver ser
- vice of SIX pieces; spoons that had des