Shepherdstown register. [volume] (Shepherdstown, Va. [W. Va.]) 1849-1955, 1907-08-29
rHE sALEsMAN,s STORY.
IAN original story by Miss Grace Morri''-l

Well, landlord, you know we travels
ing salesmen have quite reputation
for "story telling" / never was much
for telling "yarns," as | haven't much
wit about me.
But I'll tell you story that was
"real" enough to, me. 1t seems that
tonight my mind goes back to GER
tain event that happened in the West.
1t was FIVE years ago last month
that I met a number of "boys" at a
hotel in large Western town, and
one evening we had planned to have
a jolly good time of it. We had sew.
eral fellows with us who could sing,
and we had arranged quite program
for the occasion.
AS is customary we drifted around
to the "joke-telling time.
/ tell you there were some good
ones told. In fact, l never saw the
"boys'' in better spirits. Presently
my "turn" came.
/ had only been on the road for
three years, did not have as much
experience as the other men, and was
generally known as the quiet man
of the crowd. I had tried TO think
of some jokes to tell, but to save me
I couldn think of one.
So l said, boys I'll tell you Of some.
thing that's dearer to me than any.
thing on earth. I'll tell you of my
home. Here lie picture of my wife
and one of my little girls. l have a
dear sweet wife, but it seems that to-
night my little girls face is ever be-
fore me. I showed the two pictures
to the men and they agreed she was
beautiful. Landlord, let me describe
her picture to yoursslf-my little
girls face.
She had face Of ofsurpassing beauty,
beauty that is rarely seen save from
the imagination of painter; a fair,
low brow over which rings Of sunny
hair lay in careless grace, with long
shining curls falling on neck and
shoulders.
But it was not go much the perfect
contour of the exquisite features, the
dainty fairness Of the skin, or the lux
urient falling hair that impressed
person; as it was the sweet, sad eI.
preston of the soft dark eyes. Why
those eyes had in them "the light
that was never seen on land or sea"
1t was the light of another world.
That's the way my little girl looked
Maybe thought too much of her.
Well, as told you before, i was tell
ing the "boys" Of my home and my
little girl.
Maybe the story was little tire.
some to them, but they saw I was
interested heart and soul in what l
was telling.
While had been talking we could
hear peal after peal Of thunder, and
presently storm burst in all its fury.
Vivid flashes of lightning now
flashed through the room; We were
seated at long table that was in the
room, and when the storm was at its
height, we heard peculiar noise at
the door, which was open. We turn.
ed to see what the rustling noise was.
They say angels rustic their wings,
don't they?
Well, it must have been an angel
we saw that night. The-face was the
face of my little girl.
Even the boys admitted that it was,
the same face they had seen in the
picture.
I threw my hands up over my eyes
to shut out the sight. and I said, "My
God, boys, am going mada What
does it mean 7"
The men said they turned to look
at me and when they turned again to
the door the vision was gone. II
someone else had not esen the sight /
should have thought it was imagina-
ton on my part, as l had been talking
so much about my little girl.
I felt greatly depressed after this
happened; I could not shake off the
feeling that there was trouble in store
for me. The boys laughed and tried
to cheer me up. and told me good
nights rest would fix me up all right.
The next morning we were at
breakfast. was to leave that day
for Denver and would not get back