The Intermountain Catholic. (Salt Lake City [Utah] ;) 1899-1920, 1905-09-02
Bankers EXPRESS.
AUNT BUSY.

MIS-. barkers Spectacles were pushed far up on
her gray HAIR and her forehead was drawn into the
ODD little pucker that it always wore when she
trled to make up her grocery list and hold Sans
attention at the time. Either would have
been an engrossing occupation, for the purse which
must be made to supply the groceries was limited;
while Sam attention was even less limited
Iea-lemme see, this is Thursday-well, bout
half pound of tea, l guess. Sugar. spose we'll
have to get dollars worth anyhow. A hank of
yarn-now wait Sammy, till get a bit of that gray
yarn | want you to match"
Sam waited uneasily. shifting his weight from
one bare foot to the other There were a dozen
things he would have chosen to do this bright sum-
mer morning than drag his clumsy, homemade
wagon-a soap box mounted on wheels-a mile and
a half down the road to the country store.
Il wish | didn't have to 60" he said, complain
ingly.
well, you have TO-" replied Mrs. Barker, pa
hently as she had done many times before. "As
long as people keep needin things somebody'II
have to keep on gettin' EN-, to the worlds end I
spose. And if you'd just stop frettin' over what
you want and what you don't want Sammy and
make business of doin what's to be done"
The sample Of yarn was already In Sans pos
session. lie dropped the carefully counted coins
in his pocket and did not wait for the conclusion
of the remark that be had heard so often.
Aunt Mary's always sayin' that!' he muttered
L
travelin off to that old store every time think I've
got d chance to do something else. Make bust
ness of it! I'd like to know what kind of a bust
ness
Then sudden thought struck Sam so forcibly
that he almost stopped in the road to consider it,
"Whz-er-zee!" he half whispered half eiacu-
lated. "Just pose now that ] should"
1t a bright head under the worn straw hat
and the idea that had taken possession of it speed
lily drove out all the plans for fishing and fun with
which il had been occupied. His eyes sparEed
and smile grew and broadened on his face partly
at the thought of taking Aunt Mary so literally at
her word, and partly at the prospect that his boy
ish fancy was painting. At the next house of the
widely scattered settlement Sam turned his wagon
up the path of the door
want TO send to the store for any groceries,
Mis- Bates y he called
A porty figure appeared in the doorway, and a
hearty voice answered:
Indeed do, and l was just wondern' how I'd
get EN- Going for your Aunt Mary you,
and stopped to ask me, too! That was real nice
and accommodating Sam Barker"
'Yes'm, hope It'll be an accommodation but
its my business" Sam explained, promptly. Pm
goin' to make business of it. Five cents for two
or three packages ten cents if you want considerable
Of load It's quite piece to the store, and folks
don't always want to go themselves"
Indeed they don't, specially if it baking day,
like It's with me- ! hadn't soul to send and was
just thnkin' I'd have to get ready I'd ever SO
much rather pay you five or ten cents than to
leave all the work I've got to do and go rushing
mile through the hot sun. Here, wait minute,
and I'll tell you what ! want"
So Sam carefully wrote out list under the di-
rection of Mrs Bates, and departed. At the next
house he repeated his visit and his statement, and
so on through the struggling neghborhood, with
varying results but on the whole much to his sat
isfaction. 1t was taking longer time than the
ordinary trim 70 the store but Sam decided that
under the circumstances an extra hour on the road
was matter of small consequence.
Aunt Mary didn't say she was in any hurry.
Pm sure she doesn't need the tea and sugar till
supper time and she only lnits in the evening
anyhow"
The storekeeper viewed the different orders with
surprise, but with evident approval Sam, Sam,
if you'd Just keep and drum up business this way
/ might"
He checked himself abruptly. It might not be
wise to say anything about commission but he
added bag Of raisins and nuts to Sans lone
wa a