The Wilmington daily Republican., 1901-12-04

OF UNIVERSAL knoWledSe.
She deity produced the volume
from the folds Of her long stylish
coat. and laid it on the desk before
Herbert with slim, elegantly gloved
hands, while he stabbed the air with
his suspended pen and breathed as II
suddenly overtaken by acute asthma.
Oh, my countrymen, what = fall was
there! At the same moment he was
aware of the subtle brushing Of an
angels wing. 1t famed his anger.
stained check and troubled the
depths of his sensitive nature. Oh,
Edna should know to what annoy
ance she had SO thoughtlessly ex.
posed him.
~ cannot understand, Miss-Mad-
am, how you obtained access to my
private Office on such an errand. cer-
tainly consider 1t an irregular pro-
ceeding' to intrude upon business
man in this way"
Mrs. Dean"
"you will please leave her name
out of this transaction. ] have said
that /"
"One moment, sir. Suppose for
arguments sake that you do not
want the book, can you not take one
copy and give a fellow toiler In the
great struggle for bread the prestige
of your honorable name? Call it
charity If you will, but suppose that
it were your widow who was trying
to earn her living and some prosper
Gus man to whom money comes cas-
lily were to refuse her as you are re-
fusing me. (Sob.) Strike, but hear
me! am giving you for two dollars
complete library just to show
such book to an appreciative per-
son like yourself is to create a de-
mand for it.. Something so novel and
entertaining 1t should be in every
house. Chapters on art, literature.
business, travel, poetry. sentiment
and song, suited to the church or the
fireside, the lullaby you learned at
mothers knee. elocntion and ora
tory, how to be happy though mar
liNiy i'SipVe ''i WAN 'I''Nas ic"
to make soft soap. No family should
be without 1t. Please don't interrupt
me. One hundred illustrations not
found in any other book, 500 large
doublr-column quarto pages. 50 half
tone photographs. eight full-pagc
color plates, not sold in any book
store, and only two dollars; religious,
realistic, tlialcctic, didactic. Oh,
thank YOU kindly, and the book is
delivered, and ! assure you ! will
never ask you to buy another, but
You will always bless me for selling
YOU the Compendium of Universal
Knowledge Thanks and good-by."
She stuffed the two-dollar bill into
tiny purse, blew a kiss from her
finger tips to the astounded and sub
sidized Herbert and whsked out of
the office with an audacious hutter
Of silk skirts and an aroma Of white
rose perfume that left the dazed
clerks simply bercft of their senses.
Herbert was the first to recover. He
called up The mite o! an Office boy
aud thundered:
"If this ever happens again out
you go and you stay out Do you
understand ?"
When NJ one was looking Herbert
took the Compendium of Universal
Knowledge" and fired 1t to the top
of the Office bookcase, where it was
last to sight although to memory
dear.
That night Mr.. Dean was so
cranky at dinner that his wife took
him TO task. "There's no sense in
visiting your ill-temper on me- she
said. "lf things have gone wrong.
tell me, and let me help you to right
them. What happened to-day? Tell
me cverything--or nothing"
"Everything is all right-but IL
think storm is coming. You know
that always affects me unfavorably."
swell, dcV, it won't be a domestic
storm. Oh, have you been getting
me some new perfume? smell
white rose. You're darling to
think of it when you must have SO
much on your mind"
Herbert looked annoyed. 81 wish
you were not so whimsical Edna.
You know I especially dislike per-
fumes"
"rhcn where did you get that?"
asked his wife, sternly.
'I must have sat by some fool
woman in the ear coming home"
Edna laughed hysterically. "Oh,
yes. BY the way, Herbert, did my
book agent lady call on you2"
This was a crucial moment for
poor Herbert. To tell or not to tell
OF his downfall7 That was the ques-
ton that perplexed his soul, Alas,
that lying should be so easy and
truth so hard.
II told you she could not get into
the Office, did not?'
Theu Edna drew herself up until
she was half foot taller than her
usual self, and in voice that made
her husband tremble and turn pale,
demanded:
"Where is the book you bought
from an agent this afternoon, and
why did yoa not bring it homc?"
"Edna"
"Oh, you dear stupid man, If had
only made a bet with you | would
have won it too easy. came so near
breaking down and telling you what
dear old goose You Were-jnst like
any other man in the same circum-
stances. And you never suspected me
through all that rigmarole?"
Edna said her husband, grayelv,