The citizen. (Frederick City, Md.) 1895-1923, 1899-01-20
Life on the Road.

i En- the returned drummer naQ
n shaken hands with the book
keeper, the cashier and the two entry
clerks and had deposited his sample
eases in q corner by the safe and pulled
off his sumptuous fur-lined overcoat,
which he hung on a knob of the letter
cabinet, he seated himself in the junior
partners revolving chair and elevated
his neat shoes to the plotting pad on
the desk and said: "How's tricks?"
Nothing to growl about" said the
cashier, shaking the ink from his pen
and wiping it carefully on the lining
OF his coat. We've got about all the
orders we can handle for one while. l
guess you can rest up and get acquaint-
ed with your family for the next week
or So"
"And get started out again in time
10 cat Christmas dinner at Jonesboro,
Cross Roads or in the dining-room at
Watertank Junction. see my finish
ell right. Didn't l make dandy trip,
though? What did the boss have to
say about M"
HE didn't say anything-he just
swore," replied the bookkeeper. "Yes,
he did. too. He said that If you hadn't
better sense than to sell to men like
BolSinger Bros. and THEM & Waite,
people rated u and M in Dun's last
rs long as you've been on the road, he'd
call you in and let you take up your
cd Job in the prints. He's gone home
now. but he left word if you showed
up to tell you to come in at nine o'clock
tomorrow morning" :
The drummer dropped hts feet from
the desk and started up from his chair.
"Bolsinger Bros. rated" Then he
smiled gently and resumed his seat.
pretty we'll for you" he said. You're
getting funny in your old age, Smithie.
1t hurts my eyes to look at you, you're
so bright. I'm going to take you out
with me the next time 90 to enter
tain customers"
IF you took another man along to
sell goods you'd be fixed, wouldn't you?
You could attend to the expense ac-
count yourself all right. There's where
the old man gives you the credit you're
entitled to. He says your expense &C.
counts are the most artistic things on
grand scale he ever had sent in to
him. How did you put in that over
coat?"
You're too anxious to get my job,
or | might tell you" said the drummer,
opening a penknife and beginning to
trim his nails. Have you heard the
latest story?"
81 have" said the bookkeeper. II
amt going to tell it to you for a year
or so, though. You might forget your
self and spring it on somebody, and
then they'd fall dead You were talking
about Christmas; where did you eat
your Thanksgiving dinner?"
"Porlaker, Kap.-a dollar'n a half
house, and the best in the town at that.
Oh, | had turkey, all right, and cram
berry sauce, too, to say nothing of a
side dish of warm tomato juice a la
oyster cracker. But you never saw
turkey worse treated in the kitchen
than that one was in your life. He was
black on the outside, red in the middle
and blue at the core, and he had the
sinews of heavyweight champion.
There was pie, Also" added the drum
mer, looking retlectively at his finger
nails. NO, | don't want to talk about
that pie; | want to forget it if | can.
Ills better thus.
81 met man, though, that day-a
man that was a man." resumed the
drummer. This ain no barroom talk.
I'm handing you the rectilinear, unde-
waiting merchandise. He was man"
Take him for all in all, we ne er shall
look upon his like again" interrupted
one of the entry clerks. as there any
curtain raiser to this, or do we crowd in
now and get it over with?"
We'll" said the drummer, Il want
to tell you that man knocking about
as do is apt to get cynical. His finer
feelings get the edge worn off, until
you can ride a-straddle of them with
out experiencing any sense of discom-
fort. He gets so that his ideals of the
good and the true and the beautiful get
as dim and shadowy as South Carolina
hog. BY the time he's made ten towns
in seven days and has to send four
pages of closely-written explanations
and quarter of a page of orders on the
seventh day he has often come to the
conclusion that the world is as hollow
as an Edam cheese rind two hour, after
2 free-lunch opening. He loses all his
fresh faith and trust in human nature
pnd has to look up the mortgage reg
listers at the county seat whenever he
gets good order A man might almost
as well be in politics. Once in awhile,
though, he finds one of natures un-
spoiled children, with an inch thick of
cream on the milk of human kindness
as l did on Thanksgiving"
1T was good liquor, was itP" asked
the cashier
The drummer looked at him scorn-
1ully. That's your idea of a good Sa-
maritan," he said; Somebody who will