Hopkinsville Kentuckian. [volume] (Hopkinsville, Ky.) 1889-1918, 1913-10-21
LAUGH THAT LIVED
All Of Which and Why Wedding
Bells PeaIed MerriIy Forth.
BY L. E. BELHAM.

never was a surer case Of the magnet
and the needle than In the case OF
Floyd Chalmers and Nellie Bostwick
Why, they loved each other so ar
IDENTIFY that II fairly hurt
But they both we're sensible people
and that was where all the trouble
came in. Both had passed the calf
age and had enjoyed a wide range OF
observation-and out OF their expert
ence and observation had grown the
conviction that love in cottage"
ends happily only in a certain class
of papercovered novels.
1T is all right to say we will endure
all things just so we have each 9TH
er. Floyd" remarked the little wom-
an. sagely, but am very much afraid
that would not appeal to your fancy
half so ardently in a dowdy gown and
down on my knees scrubbing out the
kitchen as in white lawn and china
silk. And / know very well that you
would become absolutely abhorrent to
me coming home with baggy trousers
and scowling at the makeshift supper.
No, no, Floyd. let's start right II we
start at all. Ill wait forty years for
you, because want you or nobody
before we plunge into matrimony."
Chalmers demurred more or less
strenuously, but finally bowed to the
logic of Nellie's argument
81 guess you're going to be boss
anyway" he said; $50 1 suppose you
might as we'll begin now as any time"
Chalmers was employed by a con-
Germ that manufactured agricultural
machinery. He made a strong play
with the manager and secured job
to go down into Texas and sell ma
chinery. The salary was not so awful
much, but liberal commission was
added for all sales in excess of a GER
tain sum.
That was the reason why Floyd
Chalmers went away from the clean,
cool shop and invaded Texas with a
decent salary mild expense account
and wild hopes regarding commissions.
Chalmers worked hard-for he had
the zeal of the lover back of him, but
there we're a lot of other fellows down
Whereabouts who seemed as anxious to
sell rival threshing machines as he
was to sell old Bearings. Just what
the moving motives behind the other
fellows were Chalmers did not ascer-
tain, and really is not pertinent to this
story. The fact remained, however,
that they, one and all, fought for
nnccihIa ri Chnl.
mers-and obtained their fair share
So, after some three years of hard
plugging, and close saving and skilful
use of the expense account, Chalmers
found himself with some $4,000 ahead
"a sum woefully inadequate to the
matrimonial venture upon which his
heart was set.
In the meantime Nellie had taken a
Job as a typewriter and was hanging
on by her eyebrows, as it were. wait
ing for Floyd to make good. Which
did not add to F1oyd's peace of mind
to any noticeable degree.
One day a great streak Of luck
came to Chalmers. A syndicate
bought a great tract of land and went
into the farming business on a whole
sale scale They were in the market
FOR many implements Chalmers con-
ceived a Napoleonic scheme and had
his firm send machines to the ranch,
taking chances on selling them. His
audacity won. The other fellows were
working from catalogues and pictures
and plates. Chalmers had his ma
chimes on the ground, and knew how
to run them. The consequence was
that he gobbled the order, which in
volved the purchase Of all the ma
chimes he had with him and an order
for many more of the same. Incident
ally, the purchasers paid spot cash for
the machines In sight-amounting to
some s4.00O-and paid Chalmers in
gold.
He rode away with his precious load
in his saddle bags and a wild exulta-
ton in his heart. Neither the load or
the exultation lasted long enough to
hurt much, because. in lonely stretch
of road, three masked men bobbed up
beside him. knocked him from the
saddle and. gathering In his richly
laden saddle bags, rode away. leaving
him rubbing his sore and dazed head
and cursing everything in sight. AS
they strobe of the leader gave a
hooking and exultant laugh. which
rang through Chalmers head like the
very cry of the evil one.
They had left his horse, and when
he had recovered enough to stick in
the saddle he rode back to the town
where he made his headquarters. He
was not injured much physically, but
mentally he was sadly perturbed.
Instead of advancing his prospects by
his brilliant coup he was worse of
than when he came to the Internal
country. He owed the concern $4,000
less his commission. and the extent
OF his savings was $4,000.
AS he entered the hotel he heard a
man say to another: THE lid is on
~ Aptoufota The limit fo ,,Iao1d nd