The Meeker herald. [volume] (Meeker, Colo.) 1885-current, 1906-09-01
A Nice Lady Book Agent
1HY HER SECOND VIE
PROVED FRUITLESs.
VISIT

I
PROVED FRUITLESs.
Thirteen young men work in .
downtown ofhce-an unlucky number.
They all sat up when the book agent
arrived, for 1t was altogether q new
kind of book agent. No brassy clothes.
no brazen speech, no furtive look Of
apprehension, no mystery as to how
the janitor was evaded. For this was
the newest thing in book agents.
| She was young, she was fair, she
had hat OF the most recent creation.
and she swished when she walked
not a vulgar swish, but the subdued.
expensive kind.
The IS young men admitted that
they were Intellectual enough to read
history. Thirteen young men saw
how easy 1t was to acquire a SO. OF
World Makers of All Ages" in the
moderate terms of rs cents week.
with years subscription to the Siren
uous Magazine thrown in. Thirteen
subscriptions in half an hour. Easy.
While she staid the office seemed
radiant. When she left 1t was as
though pervasive psychic influence h.d
departed. yet the place was still per-
meated with a subtle fragrance, an es-
sence. a spiritual sweetness and light.
a memory that lasted all day. She
was SO young. SO hesitant, SO helpless
in that sordid atmosphere of business
| and rolltop desks. and dollars! Even
the boss subscribed. Who could have
resisted her?
Fourteen sets of World Makers"
arrived promptly, and IA men received
their copies OF the Strenuous Maya
zine. Then came the sequel.
| He was short and husky, with q
brutal jaw. receipt book. and pencils
sticking out Of his pocket and behind
his ear He walked past the boss and
the once boy like an expressman. or
even gas man, and stood in the midst
of the Is with his receipt book ready.
his pencil poised. His speech was
short.
Smith. Robinson Q Coz" he asked.
It was admitted.
Strenuous Magazine-$1 apiece
he commanded. All dug it up. Even
the boss was to him simply a name
on an order book.
| Another month of the Strenuous
Magazine. the copies of which were
laid carefully on the set of World
Makers of All Ages" Then he came
again. His beauty had not improved
noticeably. He was huskier than at
first sight. his jaw protruded more, his
speech was shorter.
"One dollar apiece" he ordered. and
everybody produced.
Some more magazines on top Of the
dust covered world Makers" and
again he stood in the ONCE. uglier than
ever and speech yet more brief.
Zone dollar" he said. and there was
more digging. 1t was the third month.
and We still had nine months to serve
Of the original curse.
"One dollar!" he said. quarrelsome-
~. the fourth time.
| "Dollar!" he doomed the NTH month
and his shoulders seemed to have
grown broader. his chest thicker, his
jaw more domineering.
The sixth month he came in the
back way. This time he said nothing,
but everybody knew and went down
/ into his pocket.
There were 13 clerks and the boss.
Eighty-four dollars he had carried of,
and the score, was only half paid.
She had seemed 80 frail. 80 little
likely to keep the spark of life in her
sweet body when forced out into a
cold. merciless; mathematical struggle
for existence. She had tarried but
half an hour. They could not know
where she had gone. But everybody
hoped NO harm had come to her.
How he was hated in the seventh
month. and the eighth, and the ninth.
Only the prospect of ultimate release
enabled the clerks to bear him. 1t was
In the tenth month that his accounts
got tangled. Then he came ana spoke
somewhat at length.
| 81 amt straight on this thing" he
admitted. in growf. You'll have to
show me your receipts"
The receipts! Good Lord! Nobody
had taken care Of them. There should
| be nine apiece. but some had three
two. Even the boss was shy a rev
Only the bookkeeper had full hand
"You see that red line on the .,ot-
tom!" he asked; well, 1t goes"
Nobody had noticed the red clause
| before. It read: Subscribers wiil
carefully preserve receipts az proof in
case Of errors, otherwise they will be
| liable for payments" For each miss
ing receipt dollar. There were o, er
so missing. To complete the coll<c-
lions more digging was done.
All things come to an end. Tirns
rolled slowly. But finally the twelsth
month came. He appeared for the las,
time.
"Keno!" he said, as he received the
last dollars. Some men would Fave
hAAn rexrefful But he Was NOT Ra,