The Bridgeport evening farmer., 1910-11-10

"LET US HOPE NoT," SAID DUNCAN. waistcoat pocket. He dropped his sample case beside the stove and pumped down in the chair, to the peril of it's existence. 'T don't make this town very often," he pursued while Duncan studied his card "Sothern & Lee are the only people sell to here, but I never miss a chance to chin awhile with old Sam. So, having half an hour before train time. thought I'd drop in.''
 MT. Graham doesn't order from your house, then"
 Doesn't order from anybody, does hep
 T don't know. I've just come here He'll be sorry to have missed you. though. He's just stepped out to wire your house-I gather from the fact that it's in Elmira; he mentioned that town. not the firm namefor some sirups''
 You don't mean itr' Sperry gasped "What's struck him all of a sudden: He ain't put in any new stock for ten years, reckon
 "Wen. you see" Duncan explained artfully, i've persuaded him in a way to try to make something out of the business here. We're going to do at first'
 Sperry wagged a dubious head q dunno" he considered. 'Sam's a nice old duffer. but he ain't got no business sense and never had. You can see for yourself how he's let everything run to seed here Sothern & Lee took all his trade years ago."
 "Yes. I know. That's why he needs me-" said Duncan brazenly. In his soul he remarked. "Oh. Lord.' in a tone of awe. His colossal impudence dazed even himself "But don't you think he could get back some of the trade if the store was stocked upT'
 '.No doubt about that at all." Sperry averred; ''he'd get the biggest part of it."
 "You think sol"
 "Sure of it. You see. everybody round here likes Sam. and Sothern & Lee have always been outsiders. They would swing to this shop in a minute just on account of that. Fact is, wasted a lot of talk on our firm a couple of years ago trying to make our people give him some credit, but they couldn't see it. He owed them a bill then that was so old it had grown whiskers."
 "And still owes it, I presume?
 "You bet he still owes it. Always will It's so small that it ain't worth while suing for''-
 Look here, Mir. Spery, how much is this bill with the whiskers? ?"
 About $50. I think" said the travel ing man, fumbling for his wallet. 'I'n supposed to ask for payment every time I strike town, you know, so always have it with me, but haven't had the heart to say a word to Sam for good long time. Here it is." Duncan studied carefully the memo randum: '"To Mdse, as per bill ren- dered, $47.S5." T wonder"- he mur mured.
 "Eh?" said Sperry. "I was wondering. Suppose you were to tell your people that there's young fellow here who'd like to give this store a boom. Say he wants a little credit because-because MT. Graham won't let him put in any cash"- "Not bit of use," Sperry negatived 'T would myself, but the house-no." "But suppose I pay this bilP'- "Pay it? You really mean that?' Certainly I mean it." Duncan pro duced the wad of bills which Kellogg had. furnished him the night before his&departure from New York. Thus far he had broken only one of the $500 gold certificates. and of that one he had the greater part left Living is | anything but expensive in Radville. .I'm beginning to understand that was cut out for an actor" he told him | self as he thumbed the roll with { | serious air and an assumed indiffer l ence, which permitted Sperry to esti
 mate it's size pretty accurately. That's quite a stack of chips you'r | carrying" Sperry observed. Duncan's hand airily waited the re l mark into the limbo of the negligible
 "A trife- mere trifie," he said casu | ally. "I don't generally carry mucl | cash about me. Haven't for fv' l years," he added irrepressibly. He ez tracted a fifty dollar certificate iron | the sheaf and handed 1t over. "Il take receipt, but you needn't -ae==zs+ol | this to MT. Graham just now"
 "No, certainly not" Sperry scrawle'
 his signature to the bill.
 And about that line of cfeditT'
 "Well. with this paid I guess yo1
 could have what you needed in modeI | ation. Of course"-
 My name is Duncan-Nathanie | Duncan"
 Sperry made memorandum of it O.
 the back of an envelope. Any fol
 mer business connections
 "None that I care to speak about,
 Duncan confessed glumly.