Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1912-03-21
that a lot Of these old guys AROUND

that a lot OF these old guys AROUND
here won't believe t."
Il know il. Sammis. | know IL. and
that's why | am here to talk TO you.
They must be made To believe Ii Re-
lationsh.p is a sacred thing and must
not be scuffed al. find | have 80
cents here In change
Thanks. sir. Every fifty helps me
out on that mortgage | think bet
ter tell everybody around the building
that your niece is with you"
1T might he well. Sammis."
"And that there are to be no intro
6uctions!'
Not a one"
And no bouquets or iunchesr'
"Sammis. you grow better and bet
ter
But should | myself wish to pre-
sent a bouquet or invite Miss Niece to
lunch?"
~ wouldn't II l were you. Sammis.
You are young and impressionable.
and II might do you an injury for life.
IL | were you I'd keep right on smok-
ing cigarettes and playing the ponies
and let the trifies OF life alone"
indignation Grows.
In two days II became known from
the ground floor to the garnet that old
Mr.. Jason had an hourI Of a s%tenogra-
pher, and twenty old geezers waited
to ride up and down with her. They
came to me with their bouquets and
dollars. but | vas loyal. They SNUG.
gled notes under the door. but they
were not answered. ! told all inquir-
ers that d. s. was surely Mr.. Jason's
niece, but nobody would believe 1t.
They simply laughed and winked. 1t
was Mr.. Harker, the sarsaparilla tom
ic man, who came to me and said:
"Sammis, we are thinking some Of
calling an indignation meeting to de-
nounce that old reprobate of a Jason"
whats he doneT'
"we don't believe that girl is his
niece"
Must be. Strawberry mark on her
left elbow"
''Then the old hog painted 1t there
with a brushr
"But what's your particular kickY'
Yesterday l sent In a bouquet Of
twelve American Beauty roses; cost
81 apiece. / went dead broke"
II saw them down in the court an
hour later"
eyes: the old villain threw them
there and then SEN me a note saying
that for a man eighty years old I
ought to be ashamed Of myself. Sam
mis-, do I look to be eighty years old?'
mot a day over forty" I says as he
slips me 81.
"And he says I'm eighty! Why, I'll
break his old neckr'
The Crash Comes.
And other men came for a talk, and
after awhile everybody was ag'in ev-
erybody else and tie whole crowd
down on old Jason. The ID. s. comes
to me In her quiet. shy way and strikes
me for a FIVE spot. 1t was pay day,
and | had It. It's TO give to a family
that has been evIcted in a hail storm
and wants TO go to the Waldorf. Head
bowed and eyes Oh her toes. she asks
me, and ! coughs up. Then she softly
slips in here and there about the build
ing to borrow fyes and ten and TWEEN
ties for a few minutes. and the ten
ants smile on her and say:
Certainly. my 6sar-glad 10 oblige.
What day will 1t be convenient for
you to go out to lunch with meT'
None of them ever got out with her
or anywhere near It. and n day there
was a move on Jason's Office. The
movers wanted to call him names and
get their borrowed money back. He
met them and defied them, and there
was a row. Miss ID. s. wasn't there
to see II. She'd borrowed $50 OF him
and skipped. oh. that row! Every
elevator was run up and held up while
Ii lasted. Those old ~chaps-not one
under s~ixty-mauled and pounded and
bit and kicked and swatted each other
until the police came. and the frag-
, ments were ankle deep on the floor.
Next day seven Of the worst injured
moved u They could not stand the
simple life. Mr.. Jason remains, but he
isn't saying anything except about
natural borax. SAMMIS.
The Elevator Boy.