The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1900-02-22

to her and to be talking to her now
he sat there in the old house:
"And then ! got to the next town.
and my horse was tired, SO could go
no farther and looked for work. A
shopkeeper agreed to hire me as a
salesman. He made me sign promise
to remain six months, and he gave me
a little empty room at the back Of the
store to sleep in.\ had still f3 Of my
own. and when you have just come
from the country f3 seems a great deal
when l had been In the shop three
Gays. l wanted to 60 away again. A
rlerk in a shop has the lowest work
to do of all people. 1t Is much better to
break stones. You have the blue sky
above you and only the stones to bend
to. l asked my master to let me go,
and l offered to give him my f2 and
the bag of mealies / had bought with
the other pound, but he would not.
II found out afterward he was only
giving me half as much as he gave to
the others. That was why. l had
fear when l looked at the other clerks
that would at last become like them.
All day they were bowling and smirk-
ing to the women who came in, smil-
ing, when all they wanted was to get
their money from them. They used to
run and fetch the dresses and ribbons
to show them, and they seemed to me
like worms with oil on. There was one
respectable thing in that store-it was
the Kafir storeman. His work was
70 load and unload, and he never need
ed to smile except when he liked, and
he never told lies.
'The other clerks gave me the name
Of old Salvation but there was one
person l liked very much. He was
clerk in another store He often went
past the door. He seemed to me not
like others. His face was bright and
fresh, like little child's. When he
came to the shop, l felt l liked him.
One day l saw book in his pocket,
and that made me feel near him. l
asked him if he was fond of reading.
and he said yes, when there was moth
ing else to do. The next day he came
to me and asked me if l did not feel
lonely. He never saw me going out
with the other fellows. He would
come and see me that evening, he said
"'You've got rummy place here he
said
'You see, there was nothing in it but
packing cases for furniture, and it was
rather empty. While l was putting the
food on the box he looked at my books.
He read their names out aloud-'IIle-
mentary Physiology First Principles
"'Gollyn he said. I've got a lot of
dry stuff like that at home l got for
Sunday school prizes, but l only keep
them to light my pipe with now. They
come in handy for that Then he ask
ed me if had ever read book called
the Black Eyed Creole That is the
style for me- he said-there where the
fellow takes the niger girl by the arm
and the other fellow cuts off. That's
what like
"But what he said after that don't
remember, only it made me feel as if
were having bad dream, and
wanted to be far away.
AFTER he was gone my little room
got back to it's old look. l loved it so.
l was so glad to get into it at night,
and it seemed to be reproaching me for
took the gray mare. On Thursday he
did not bring her back, and on Friday
/ found the saddle and bride standing
at my door.
'In the afternoon he looked into the
shop and called out: Hope you got
your saddle, Farber. Your bag of
bones kicked out six miles from this
Ill send you couple of shillings to-
morrow, though the old hide wasn't
worth it. Good morning.
But l sprang over the counter and
got him by his throat My father was
so gentle with her. He never would
ride her up hill, and now this fellow
had murdered her. l asked him where
he had killed her, and l shook him till
he slipped out of my hand. He stood
in the door grinning.
"'It didn't take much to kill that bag
of bones, whose master sleeps in a
packing case and waits till his compa-
ny's finished to eat on the plate.
Shouldn't wonder if you fed her on
sugar bags he said. And if you think
Eve jumped her you'd better go and
look yourself. You'll find her along the
road by the "aas-vogels" that are eat
ing her.
81 caught him by his collar, and l
lifted him from the ground. and l
threw him out into the street, half way
across it. heard the bookkeeper say
to the clerk that there was always the
devil in those mum fellows. but they
never called me Salvation after that.
81 am writing to you of very small
things, but there is nothing else to tell.
1t has been all small, and you will like
it. Whenever anything has happened
have always thought would tell it
to you. The back thought in my mind
is always you. After that only one
old man came to visit me. / had seen
him in the streets often. He always
wore very dirty black clothes and hat
with Grape round it, and he had one
eye. so l noticed him. One day he
came to my room with a subscription
list for a minister's salary. When l