The Washington herald., 1914-10-18
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manufacturing plant of tht
- company was al Bridgeport
but in the New York Office
there were working samples of all tn,
punches, froA the little nickel-plateS
hand punch with which conductor!
squeezed holes in railroad tickets, tC
the big punch that could bite into ar
iron plate as easily as into a piece Of
pie. David's duty was to explain these
different punches, and accordingly wher
Burdett senior OF one of the sons turn
ed customer over to David he spoke
OF him as salesman. But David call
ed himself a demonstration"
For a short time he even succeeded in
persuading the other statesmen to speak
OF themselves as demonstrators, but
the shipping clerks and bookkeepers
laughed them out of it. They could
not laugh David out of it This was
so partly because he had no sense of
humor and partly because he had a
at-great-grandfather. He
had possessed him only for a short
time. Undoubtedly he always had ex-
isted but it was not until David's sister
Anne married a doctor in Bordentown,
N. J., and became socially ambitious,
that David emerged as a Son of Wash
ington.
1t was sister Anne, anxious to get
in" as Daughter" and wear a distaff
pin in her shirtwaist, who discovered
the revolutionary ancestor. She un-
earthed him, or rather ran him to earth,
in the graveyard of the Presbyterian
church at Bordentown. He was no less
person than Gen. Hiram Greene, and
he had fought with Washington at
Trenton and at Princeton. Of this
there was no doubt. That later, on
moving to New York, his descendants
became peace-loving statesmen did not
affect his record.
To enter a society founded on hered-
ity, the important thing is first to catch
your ancestor, and having made sure
of him, David entered the Society of
the Sons of Washington with flying
colors. The day he carried
his certificate of membership to the
big Jewelry store uptown and pur-
chased two rosettes, one for each of
his two coats, was the proudest of his
life.
The other men in the Broadway Office
took a different view. As Wyckoff,
one of Burdett's flying squadron of
travelling statesmen, said, "All grand
fathers look alike to me, whether
they're great, or great-great-great Each
one is as dead as the other I'd rather
have live cousin who could loan me
five, or slip me drink ."
Wyckoff dived into his inner pocket
and produced a leather photograph
frame that folded like a concertina.
i don't want to be a descendant"
he said; I'd rather be an ancestor.
Look at those" Proudly he exhibited
photographs of Mrs. Wyckoff with the
baby and of three other little Wyckoffs
David looked with envy at the chill
dren.
when I'm married" he stammered,
and at the words he blushed, Il hope
to be an ancestor"
If you're thinking of getting mar
ried." said Wyckoff. you'd better hope
for a raise in salary"
When Wyckoff mentioned marriage,
the reason David blushed was because.
no one in the Office suspected
It, he wished to marry the person in
whom the office took the greatest pride.
This was Miss Emily Anthony. one of
Burdett & Sons youngest, most eff
cient, and prettiest stenographers, and
David did not cut as dashing
a figure as did some of the firms travel
ing men, Miss Anthony had found
something in him so greatly to admire
that she had, out of office hours. ac-
cepted his devotion, his theater tickets,
and an engagement ring. Indeed, so
far had matters progressed, that it had
been almost decided when in a few
months they would go upon their va
cations they also would go upon their
honeymoon. And then a cloud had !
come between them, and from a quar- !
ter from which David had expected |
only sunshine
From 4 hard-working salesman she |
had asked but little, but from a de- |
scendant of a national hero she ex-
pected other things. She was a de- |
young person, and for David |
she was an ambitious young person. She |
found she was dissatisfied. She found .
she was disappointed
But how?" complained David. What |
chance has a S25-a-week clerk" /
Ii was a year before the Spanish
American war. while the patriots of
Cuba. were fighting the mother coun-
try for their independence
'If | were a Son of the Revolution"
said Emily, I'D go to Cuba and help
free it"
Don't talk nonsense" cried David
IF l did that I'd lose my job, and
we'd never be able to marry Besides,
what's Cuba done for me? All l
lnow about Cuba is, | once smoked a
Cuban cigar and If made me il"
There's your trouble" declared
Emily. you lack self-conhdence.
You're too humble, you've got fighting
blood and YOU ought to keep saying to
Yourself, Blood will tell and the first
hing you know, If will tell"
Emily's eyes were beautiful with de-
light. But the sight gave David no
pleasure. In genuine distress, he shook
his head.
Emily" he said, you're going to be
lwfully disappointed in me" ID
Emily's eyes closed as though they
SHE'D at some mental picture But
when she opened them they were bright,
md her smile was kind and eager.
mo. I'm not" she protested: "only ,
want a husband with a career. and
,ne who'll tell me to keep quiet when
try to run it for him"
1--WE often wished you would" said
David. i
'Would what? Run your career for
'ou?" /
mo, keep quiet. Only it didn't seem
,olite to tell you so"
Maybe I'd like you better" said
Emily, IF you weren't so darned po- /