Goldsboro weekly argus. [volume] (Goldsboro, N.C.) 1885-1909, 1899-09-21

some inquiry aboutthem, and tt
say some gentle thing to them
and to make comparisons with
some child that he knew at ol
near, his home, in North Carolina,
There was no man in Baltimore
who knew so many men from The
South as Best. For several years
be had not been a traveller, ht
coming to Baltimore in service
merely to exercise his persona
influence over visiting trade in the
Interest Of the establishment by
which h was employed. Nol
would he sell goods himself. Mer.
chants fy2ked to see him at his
place Of slslRess. bet he would in.
variably 'atroduca t1em to some
salesman q the store with ins:ruc,
tons to I'll them,
In 1892, he WIS sent by the
Merchants and Manufacturers
Association to South America,
under instructions to make an ex-
hibit of goods OF Baltimore ard
Mary land make In the leading ci-
ties OF tho equatorial and sub
tropical States. He made the ex-
hibit and talked the goods through
lineuist familiar with the Latio
dialects of South America. But be
sold no goods, and | do not think
he made an effort to sell any. When
he returned, after stay shortened
by governmental urheavals in
Brazil, 1t was thought that his trip
was a commercial failure. How
ever he cast bread upon the waters
that returned with the most mar
velous increase on tho tide Of af~
ter years. After bis return orders
began to come to manufacturers
from South America for goods
never seen in those Latin coun-
tries until Best made his exhibit; j;
and to- daY, the fourishipg export
business of this city with South
America is largely the result of
his quiet work, seemingly indolent
at the time.
| know that it will surprise you
to know that this plain man, Mr..
Best, who rode into Goldsboro
from Greene county, joked and
laughed with his friends, and then
took the train for Baltimore, was
exercising an influence to a meas
ureable degree, at least, over the
traffic of the two continents of this
hemisphere.
He was philosopher with an
accomplishing spirit. His last
years were passed mot in poverty,
but with bare competency, The
earnings Of his life, without any
fault Of his own, passed from him,
But none Of his friends in this
city ever heard him complain, nor
upbraid. Sometimes be would say
TO me, 81 am very poor now. All
has been lost, but l reckon it, all
right" +" Then, for q moment,
shadow would pass over his fea-
lures, but only for moment,
then, 10 an instant, he was the
same old familiar Jim, detailing
some comical experience, or re-
Iating some quainC story.
Since his death his last day on
earth intensifies with mem ories.
1t was day full cf premonitions
to him. On that dey, the 18th in
slant, be said to me, "Johp, |
feel very bad to-day, and | believe
that l will give up here and go
back home" There were no out
ward aspects Of sickness, and L
said, Jim, you look well; how
ever, if you are troubled with
your heart, you are just as we'll
off here as at home ;? He replied,
Eyes, that's SO; bit | want to be
buried in Snow ELL, and at home
| will be closer to the grave yard
and, therefore, less trouble to my
friends. -
About ten days ago, in the es-
tablishment where lam in service,
there were some rather passionate
words between him and one of his
friends. The differences were not
so marked as to estrange tho two;
but the last day that Jim lived he
went to this old FREUD aad said,
s.Bill, l won't be here long, and [
don't want to leave the world with
any bad d,feeling toward anybody.
Give me your hand, BIZ" That
night the message came, and came
SO suddenly that he had no time to
say farewell. The next morning,
when l entered his room, the for
giving hand, which in the after
noon had grasped the hand of Bill,
was still and pulseless in the hand
of the embalmer who sought by
his art to preserve the conceit of
life.
It was all over. In the after
noon the old drummer, Jim Best,
was in the baggage car, fast asleep,
going back home, and while l
write he is home--home in the
grave yard where he said to me
81 want to be buried"
1 JNo.- Z. NORRIS.
No CURE-No PAY.
That Is tae way al1 druggists sell
GROVES FAST 81 .E2S CuIII