Freeland tribune. (Freeland, Pa.) 1888-1921, 1901-04-19

~ south side relates a horrible
| NJ experience that she had the
other day with one of her
husbands debtors.
The debt had been of long standing,
and the man who owed the money had
been paying it off in regular Install
ments by mail sometimes inclosing a
postoffice order and sometimes a bill
The last time it had been a bill and the
| letter never came, so he wrote to say
that he would make trip to Chicago
and bring the money himself. The
day appointed the womans husband
had to be out of town, and he asked
her if she wouldn't for once forego the
| joys of shopping and stay at home and
act as cashier, and she agreed to do so
In consideration of reasonable COM
mission on the payment.
"You can give him a receipt for it,"
said the man, whose name is Parker.
"I'll fill it out before | go, and it won't
be any trouble to you at all. Treat
him nicely, although l needn't tell you
to do that-only he's an odd sort of
| genius and has peculiar little ways
Some of the people out at Waukegan
/ have got the idea that he is a little out
! of his head, but he isn't, and l will
/ say that there isn't one man in mil
lion that would act as square as he has
done. Ask after his son in New York
and how he is getting along with his
corn-shucking machine. That will
please him. Well, goodbye; I've got
to hustle"
The Waukegan man arrived on time.
He was large, loose-jointed and eld.
erly, with wild eye and a timid, hes
itating manner. The fashion of his
clothes was decidedly rural and he
wore heavy cowhide boots. AS he ex-
planned the object of his visit he
fingered his long, wispy beard nerv-
ously and seemed unwilling to look
the lady in the face. She invited him
in, and after carefully rubbing his
boots on the door mat he followed her
into the sitting room, where he seated
himself on the extreme edge of a
chair and gazed earnestly at a crayon
portrait that hung over the bookcase
"Mr. Parker told me to tell you how
sorry he was that he couldn't be here
to see you" said the woman, with an
engaging smile, as she seated herself
opposite her visitor
"Yes'm," coughing behind his hand
and transferring his gaze to the clock.
but he thought as far as the bust
ness was concerned that l could attend
to 1t just as well as he could
There was an embarrassed silence.
! Mrs. Parker felt the contagion of the
mans nervousness. She thought that
he certainly was odd-almost alarm
ingly so. She caught his eye in the
course of its wanderings around the
room and noticed that he colored
! slightly. She coughed and he coughed
rasping echo.
HE left me the receipt" she said,
at last.
"Yes'm."
Another silence. The man shuffled
his feet uneasily and the woman began
to feel desperate.
! 1t was too bad that your last remit
tance was lost, but Mr.. Parker told
me to say that he would give YOU
credit for half the amount. or all of it
If you thought that he ought to-"
That wouldn't be right" said the
man. Il don't want him to lose any
thing by accommodating me. But
you've got a pack of darned thieves
here in Chicago-a lot of rascals that
ought to be hung. l would help hang
them if l had the chance" He spoke
with great Vehemence and looked at
her so angrily that she quailed and
wondered if her servant was within
call.
"A mans money isn't safe he
added. Then in a gentler tone: Have
You got a bootjack!"
"a bootjack?"
"Oh, well; may be 1 can manage
without, but they come off trifle
stif." He pressed the toe of one of
his boots against the heel of the other
and pushed with it; it slipped and his
right heel grazed his left instep, and
he uttered a cry of pain. The woman
started up from her seat with an ex-
clamation o. alarm, but her eccentric
visitor wa" between her and the door
and she feared that he would Jump at
her and strangle her before she could
reach 1t. She was, moreover, con-
scious of sudden weakness in her
limbs. Perhaps, she thought, he
wasn't really dangerous and she could
| humor him. 1t would most likely ex-
cite and anger him if she should cry
out.
He looked up and said: Excuse
me-" then took his boot in his hand
and pulled at it violently. Mrs. Parker