The Marion daily mirror. (Marion, Ohio) 1892-1912, 1908-09-12
MUGSIE, THE
UN WASHED
BY W. HANSON DURHAM
(copyrieht, BY shortstory Pub. Col

from the side door OF an empty cattle
car and stood for moment looking
cautiously about.
Gee! never was so hungry but
once--and this is the once sighed
Mugsie, seriously, as he left the freight
yard and strolled almlessly down the
one principal street of Coaltowu and
iounged lazily up before portly and
prosperous looking parsonage who
stood on the top step of the hotel
smoking fat afterdnner cigar.
say. pard!" began Mugsle, with a
most seductive smile, as he ap-
proached. "You haln't got quarter
you want to invest in dead sure
thing have you?. For quarter. I'll
turn you in the biggest dollars worth
o work on your investment What do
you say, boss?"
The man made no reply, but stood
smoking indifferently, and then he
turned suddenly to Mugsie and
snorted: What can you do?"
Anything you say, boss" sug-
gested Mugsle, confdentially. Saw
wood, tend the babies, or bust a bank.
But I've got to eat first, you know"
We'll, all right I'll stand for your
dinner anyway, and then we can talk.
think can use you. Come on!"
ana, as he spoke, he turned and en-.
tered the hotel Office with Mugsie fol.
lowing closely upon his heels After
a few brief words with the clerk In
charge, Mugsle was at length escorted
In state to a seat at a Widespread
table in the solitary seclusiveness of
the kitchen, where, in silence, he
managed to absorb sufficient food
TO constitute a substantial meal,
and, as he was at last reluctantly
forced to finish his feast, he showed his
chair slowly back and with sigh Of
satisfaction strolled leisurely out to
where his prospective employer was
waiting for him in a secluded corner
OF the hotel office.
I'm ready for biz" announced
Mugsie as he stood picking his teeth
laboriously. What's the orders?"
We'll" began the man, briskly.
"You see l represent the Chinese Con.
qucror the only original, genuine, non.
alcoholic stomach stimulant on the
market. ] am introducing this reliable
remedy to the public" explained The
man. IL have here a bag of about 300
small sample bottles which / waat ycu
TO deliver hepe in this town from hOu2c
TO house. Understand" and he picked
up canvas bag and slipped the strap
over Mugsies left shoulder and
showed him toward the door, saying rs
he did so:
I've got to catch this train to The
next town. but I'll be back in The morn
Ing TO see how you are getting alOa :,
and leave you new lot"
For nearly five minutes Mugsie was
true to the trust imposed upon him.
but the day was sultry, he was well
fed. and felt more like sleeping than
trudging about in the hot sun from
house TO house with bag of bottles
on his back, but he stuck manfully to
II until he heard the noon train arrive
and depart. Then he Strengthened sud.
denly up. shouldered his samples, and
struck out straight down through the
village street without stopping until
he reached the outskirts Of the town
and there, safely secluded under a
bridge over a broad babbling brook
he tossed aside his burden of bottles
and sat wearlly down in the cool shade.
Leaning comfortably back against
the stone buttress of the bridge, he
closed his eyes and promptly pro.
ceeded to sleep.
Late in the afternoon he awolle
with sudden start and sat bolt up
right, and for a moment sat staring
straight ahead at nothing-in evident
study r
ITS great scheme, Mugsie!
There's millions in It," he soliloquized
in self-communion. and he yawned
sleepily and reached for his samples.
"The Chinese Conqueror!" he
unused, as he picked up bottle and
slowly and laborlously spelled out the
letters of the label and the directions
for doses below Then with his knife
he carefully cut off and detached all
reading matter from every bottle but
the words Chinese Conqueror" and
then, one by one, he took the bottle
ANU Cautiously WllHuTdWlHB lHe COlkS,
poured their contents out upon the
grass. Refiling them with water from
the brook, he corked them all Sc.
curely. and at last, just as ii was be,
ginning to grow dark under the bridge,
Mugsie had 200 small samples of brook
water before him, each bearing the
autographed label. Chinese Conquer.
or" in large and conspicuous black let.
ters.
Carefully coneealing the bottles in.
the bag behind big bowlder under
the bridge, Mugsie stole out from his
shelter and clambered up into the road
and struck out straight for town, and
there he entered the first grocery store
he saw and called for a cake OF soap.
In another moment his order was
filled, and Mugsie held his precious
purchase, carefully wrapped and tied,
in one hand, while with the other he
dove deep down into the pockets of his
trousers and at last fished up a soil.
tary nickel, Tossing IT on to the coun-
ter, he hurried out of the store into the
street, and down along the road
through the gathering darkness and
crawled back under the shelter of the