The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1908-10-02
THE PACK pEDDLER.
His Varied Store and a Sale That Was
Missed.

u"o peen tulLklnS tnat lne OlQ style
pack peddler was no more or that he
existed only in out of the way locali.
ties like the Ozark mountains or rh;Ia.
delphia. | was mistaken. The ulaa
with the pack is as common in the
farming districts of Illinois as grass
hoppers or prickly heat.
The oldest %inhabitant in nv nei. h.
borhood. who lives across the field
from me, says that one pack pedd.er
has nestled in IL part of the country
time out of mind. Where he comes
from with his assorted conglomeration
OF dry goods and hardware nobody
knows; also where he goes after he
has exhibited his wares and turned an
honest nickel is a mystery. This gen.
eral merchandise pedestrian has made
a number of descents upon our house
in the last year, but If he has no better
luck with his other patrons than he has
with me he isn't much interested In
the banking system of the country.
He evidently has made an exhaus.
tive study of my habits Of living. for
he always times his visit so that when
he arrives all out of breath or any
other useful thing he finds me we'll SUD-
Piled with the accessories of life and
with not a cent in the house. All his
visits begin. are carried on and end in
the same way.
Ihere comes q knock at the back
door just at mealtime. | open the
portal and see an overheated indiyid-
ual in the act of crawling from under
what ut first | take to be our new tar
paper henhouse. The apparition quick
" shapes itself INTO our peripatetic re-
tail store. unlimberins for action.
I try to head him off by saving,
"There will be nothing today. Alphcn.
So
Ireating this remark with silent con-
tempt. the tradesman begins ~loosenina
six buckles and a bed cord.
watch him Il moment and then re-
mark, You need not take down your
shutters and open for business, Felix,
my friend. for there is absolutely moth
ing doing"
.Handkerchief?" he suggests re
proachfully.
shake my head. Then he begins to
unpack and lay out his entire stock.
naming each article with a rising in
deetion.
"~Suspenders? Felt soles? Clothes
lines' Horseshoes? Stove pokers?
Chimney pots?"
"Haye you any watermelon on ice?'
ask.
No" he replies. quite seriously.
"but here is a fine remnant of water
ed silk No? Clothespins3 spee a
Giles? Laundry soap Toothbrusiles.
Garden hose? Split shingles? AK han
dies: Doormats? Ok yokes? Insect
powder2"
NO. no." | say I'm sorry, Angus
tus, but we send to Paris for all our
goods"
Gould ! sell you a good snow shov-
elT' asks the anxious salesman.
mo. We have our snow delivered
already %shoveled."
Horse blankets?" he ~insinua:es.
mo; Collar buttons? Needles? Far.a-
Ing tools; Railroad spikes Bed slatsf
Pressed bricks Barbed wiref Coat
bins?
J leave the door open and go bach
to the table After awhile ! hear the
buckles and straps being adjusted. and
when the weary merchant has donned
his burden and made 3 ulile or SO TO
ward the setting sun ] think the Incl
dent closed Then my wife comes,
downstairs in u breathless state.
clutch:ng four pennies III a fevered
grasp and says He hasn't really
gone: Oh. dear And | wanted Sc
much 10 buy white thread to finish nv
sewtng">-Chtcagc News.