The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1902-09-02
possible to save the day and the cincinna


why don't you concentrate on one or
the others?' Shacklett asked.
Cant touch either of them; both are i'm
movable; can't persuade them that my
books are the best with that principal on
the other side, and you know I'd run the
risk of being shot if 1 limited at buying
them"
why don't you buy somebody who can
influence them?' persisted Shacklett.
Cant find a soul who can influence them
except preacher, who might work one of
them" the agent replied quizzically.
Might buy the preacher. eh?" he laughed
That's it,' exclaimed Shacklett. LAS
safe as robbing that safe when everybody
knows there's nothing in it. l could blow
that safe open some night. and If you swore
you saw me do it nobody'd believe you
The agent looked up with an expression
that said the subject was too serious for
joking, and Shacklett kept on very quietly:
Now. how much is there in 1t for an
other director for your side, collect on de-
livery in current funds and no checks?'
The agent took his leg off the side arm
of the chair and turned straight to face
Shacklett. After glance he replied:
sim the second man sent here; I'm
forlorn hope, you see. / don't know but
the house'll kick. but it's worth something
to me to beat the other fellow, especially
when the house pays it. I'd give hundred
for another director"
'I'll get you one for seven hundred, pay
able after the vote. and you to let me
alone" Shacklett almost drawled in his de-
sire to seem only slightly interested in the
puny efforts OF an unskilled hand at a fine
art and to have the agent appreciate that
this was what he thought him.
"I'll do it," casually replied the agent,
land I'm perfectly willing for you 20 prac-
tice on the director. for the goose is cooked
brown already. and you can't make it
worse"
Shacklett went out that evening to find
the preacher at the postoffice 1t was the
Methodist preacher. he knew, who could
| persuade one of the directors if anybody
| could. Having caught the minister, 1t
would be easy to catch the director. Shack
| lett knew the minister well. 1t was the
same one who had talked to him about
| feeding the starving by ravens and by get
| ting them up early in the morning to lift
mortgages. that day in the road during the
| campaign. This minister was one preacher
in the county seat that Shacklett knew to
| be sincerely and devotedly a follower in
his actions and thought of his religion and
his creed. He lacked worldly wisdom be-
cause he was so thoroughly and completely
| pious himself that he had no conception of
| many sins that bother other people He
had never thought concretely of bribery
| because that to him was like some of the
| crimes mentioned in the Bible and the re-
vised statutes, but practically never prac-
| ticed. Shacklett walked home with him.
carrying a bundle under his arm.
I've got something here I'm taking
home" he said, land I'll go in and show
| 1t to you. Here on the porch will do. It's
/ a complete set of books you and 1 used to
handle at school; l suppose you studied
| them. got a chance to pick them up from
| friend for nothing, and they're to me like
! drink from the old schoolhouse we'll
| And L tell you these new-fangled books
| aren't in it with them yet. Now, look here
at this old question: When 1 first met Mr.
| A I was one-third as old as he, and twelve
| years after l was one-half as old as he:
how old was l when / first met Mr.. p
| These new books are easy compared with
| arithmetic like that. And here's Pinero's
| old grammar, with its"
| 1t was half an hour later that Shacklett
| was saying:
I'm glad you think about IL as I do; /
| think we ought to do something to keep
| these books in the school. Those New York
| fellows are trying to put theirs in, of
| course. and the directors want to do what s
right, but they're not posted. of course.
, IL you're real sure that you think as 1 do,
| that these books ought to be let alone in
the school where they are, 1 believe can
| accomplish it. I didn't want to mention
| anything about that, of course, for I've a
| deep feeling on it, and thought maybe I'm
prejudiced; but 1 was thinking to-day that
1 wished you could conscientiously accept
an offer that was made to me. L declined
it because l knew l couldn't do any good.
Its this way. The publishers of these
books want to hire some subagent here to
| keep them in. They offered me So a day
| and expenses for one. Now, if you're sure
| you think the old books are really the
best get them to make you an agent
something like being agent for the Central
| Christian Advocate, you know-at 50 a day
and expenses. They'll want you to talk to
| one of the directors a little every day about
these books. and try to get him to favor
keeping them In the school. They won't
| take chances, and want each agent to work
| until the very night of the meeting, and
that's about ten days off. Now, why can't
| you take the agency and do what you can
for our old Rays Intellectual and Pinned
and the rest of them, and make what
they're willing to pay all their agents?"
Fifteen minutes later Shacklett was still
doing most of the talking, and was saying
to the minister:
It'll tell him, then. you'll do 1t, and con-
graduate him on getting you. If he's offer
fng or paying any more salary by that time
I'll get ii for YOU / don't think he will,