The Bamberg herald. [volume] (Bamberg, S.C.) 1891-1972, 1902-10-02
....THE....
RACKET DRUG STORE
AT BEENO.

city a graduated, 1ull-neoSeo pudTud
cist and Or. Poppitz employed him
in the drug store. The Racket Drug
Store, Beena, Ark" that was the sign
over the door, but on little tin sign
near the side entrance was the legend
Herr Poppitz. Apotheke." The ad-
vent of Harold Updike lent new glory
to the drug store. He wore PINK
shirt and silk garters to hold up Is
sleeves. He parted his hair in the
middle, and kept it drooplng, name
like, over his eyes after the manner
of the college football hero. HE was
the envy of all the young men in town,
because he ruled the soda fountain,
and every girl in town called him
Hal" and quit buying stamps at the
postofTice. Meanwhile DR.. Poppltz.
who, by the way, wasn't a doctor at
all, was disabled almost entirely by
accelerated diabetes. and Harold
came pretty near running things IN
the store.
Would you like cooling beverage,
Miss Sue?" asked Harold one evening,
when pretty Miss Clayton, who had
got into long dresses within the year.
had bought a box Of note paper and
some stamps. with me, you know.
My treat"
And while she was nibbling daint-
lily at it. he eyed her admiringly and
stammered: Two years have MADE
quite a change in you, Susie"
They've changed you, too, Hal.
We're all glad to see you back-there
aren't enough boys round. you see,
and-you know Dan Atterbury-
"Oh, that's so. forgot about Dan!
Where is he?"
He hasn't come back from the
army yet" she said, getting deeper
into the confection, but blushing. too,
'I-that is. we, have been expecting
him. He said he'd be here for the
Fourth, and I'm hoping
AHA, Miss SUSIE simpered Updike,
$50 he's been writing to you, eh? He
always was little sweet
"He was schoolmate with us, with
you too," she said frowning, with quite
a serious attempt at severity, and
l think you ought to be glad to see
him too, Hal He's been wounded and
sick, and suffered ever so many things
over there in the Philippines. And he
was in China too!"
But Updike didn't care whether his
old schoolmate ever came back, for ne
had some plans of his own with re-
gard to Susie, and he knew that even
a pink shirt and football hair are not
special advantages over blue uni
form and a bolo wound.
But Dan came back, just the same,
and the girls made quite hero OF
him-for a few days. He had some
presents too, principally for Susie,
but he proved his generosity with
gifts of a Filipino mat and a Chinese
ring to Updike. He brought great
carton of Manila cigars for old DR..
Poppitz, and they lay open on the
little table by his bed the night the
good old apothecary died.
After the funeral was over and the
good old doctor was forgotten Har-
old began to cut quite a figure in
Beeno circles. The store owed money
to the Hot Springs wholesaler, and Hal
was acting manager for it's creditor.
Meanwhile he was paying the most
ardent court to Miss Susie. She
might have bathed in costly perfumes
and feasted interminably On bonbons
and ice cream soda without infringing
az inch upon Updike's gTandiose hos
pitality. He sent her presents of
every kind of note paper, fancy toilet
articles, soaps, novelties, combs,
brushes and the rest Of drug store
fancy goods.
Dan Atterbury's star, on the con-
trary, was On the descent. He had
put aside his weather-stained cam
paign suit and was loafing. A soldier
out of his regimentals and out of
Job is not usually heroic spectacle.
Some of the good people of Beeno be-
gan to hint that "soldierin' allus did
make fellers no count and Atterbury
was commencing to be aware of his
questionable position in the commun-
ity, when at her gate one night Susie,
fixing a poppy in his buttonhole, said:
Danny, what are you going to do?"
L don't know yet, Sue," he hesitat-
ed; 1--WE got over two hundred saved
up, told you, and if sell that loot
brought home I'd have a pretty good
stake-perhaps eight hundred or a
thousand. We could get married on
less than that, Susie
''No, we couldn't, Dan. Not unless
you had a position, or some business or
something ahead. 1t doesn't take long
to spend a thousand dollars, DAN
We'll, what would you do?" he
asked, boylike, ''Im willing to do any
thing. Would you go to the city and
study law, or medicine, or-or--"
s'Pharmacy?" she laughed, helping
him out, mo Dan, don't study phar-
macy if it's going to make you like
Hal. He's"
II don't think you ought to backbite
him, Sue. You ought to send back
his presents or at least tell him to
STOP"
"Oh, I don't know. He gives them
to all the girls the same as to me-"
Il know, Sue. But he's beginning
to talk like he owned you. don't like
It."
And Updike wondered that Susie
quit buying trifies at the store and he
became quite enraged when she asked
him, kindly, to send her no more gifts.
THE drug store is for sale, Sue"
Dan was saying one night few weeks
later. Il heard the man from Hot
Springs telling Hal to look out for a
purchaser. Seems it hasn't been max
ing money, or they don't want to be
bothered with it. Too bad, isn't it.
Hal will lose his job"
why don't you buy 1t, Danny
II was a bold idea and they looked