Waterbury Democrat., 1901-02-08
GOOD BY STEALTH.

Il was chance witness the other
 day. said q New Orleans drummer.
 just in from I flying trip over his east
 e"n territory. of Q little incident that
 made deep impression on my mind.
 ana struck ne as being both curious
 and pathetic. 1 had dropped in at a
 large notion store in city at the other
 end Of my route, and while waiting to
 see the proprietor amused myself by
 watching the crowd that surrounded
 the Christmas toy counters. Presently
 my attention was attracted by ] mid
 die-agel. worn-lcoking woman. whom
 1 mentality sized up as an overworked
 clerk or stcnographer from some big
 commercial house. She was decenJly
 dressed and her face was unusually
 refined. but it was unmiStakably q
 case of genteel poverty of the extreme
 sCGt, and 1 surlnised from the way she
 was pricing cheap toys and examining
 her pocketbook that she was trying
 anNiously 10 make I very small amount
 of money go the rounds among q large
 brood Of children. After watching hsr a while I became satisfied that such was the case, and 1 was wondering how in"the world 1 could intervene as good fairy without giving otfense when q sour faced elderly man at the other
 end Of the aisle caught the eye of the clerk who was attending her and beck cned him away. The two held an earnest whispered conversation and In { few moments the clerk came back: It has just occurred to me. madam,
 said he. that we have some drummer's samples on another counter that l could let you have at bargain. Sup pose We take a look at them That | piQued my curiosity, and 1 drlfted i along behind them to see how the in cident would end. The clerk stopped l before long table heaped with nis- cellaneous toys. I believe you wanted i've presents he said: well. you may take your choice Of any live articles here for, say, So They have been car i ried in drummers' trunks, but are real 1 ly as good as new I am satisfied there | wasn't a toy on the table worth less i than a dollar, and realized, of course, l that the drummer story was all non | sense and the young man must be act | ing under private orders. The wo- mans face lit up with pleasure and re 1 lief. and she soon made her selec- 1 tions.
 After she went out l introduced my
 self to the clerk and tried to do lit- l tie pumping. l was interested in that 1 last sale you made. remarked, casu- | ally; do you do that sort of thing W
 underrone, slancing over his shoulder. 1 IT was little arrangement to ob1ige
 an old customer He wanted to help
 the lady out without letting her know i about it. That was all l could ex-
 tract from him, and the old fellow who had played Santa Claus on the quiet had meanwhile disappeared. Next l morning, however, l saw him on the | street and asked my friend who he was. Why. that's old he said, | the meanest man in the state. He owns slathers of real estate and de
 lights in grinding the very face off the poor-a regular evicting landlord, ana no mistake about it. One or two oth-
 CTS standing nearby gave him the same reputation. I know this sounds rather like a stereotyped Sunday school
 story,'' added the travelling man, and if I hadn't seen the incident l would not believe 1t. It's the first bona ade case of doing good by stealth ever encountered. d."-Exchahge