Ottumwa tri-weekly courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1903-1916, 1914-01-22

well, III SllOW yOu lIidI nave u
conscience. The other day. when
bought your fowls, | worked off bad
quarter on you. 1t got on my con.
science and kept me awake nights"
Gosh. but wouldn't a-believe it,"
laughed the farmer.
But you'll have to now. for here's
a good COIN
wall, it will astonish folks when
tell them about it," said Philetus. as
he bit at the money to test it..
And that isn't all: Your are hard
working man..
Hanged if I amt"
But, Cartwright, you are wild.
over"
"Have been for three years.
"You have all the Homework to do.
and all the puttering around that
falls to farmers wife,"
That's right, but what's Teller
going to do?"
Get married again. and here I am
to help you. Got to thinking of your
lonely condition the other night and
couldn't sleep"
Gosh! Gosh. And you are going
to help me get married."
Il may say, Philetus Cartwright.
that you are as good as married again
already. She's widow. She hain't
too old nor too young. She's got lit.
tie farm. She's good worker Never
been away from home, and don't want
to go. Won't ask for any bridal tour
and her present pair Of shoes have
lasted her over two years"
"Why--why she must be an angel"
81, tho
Next door to It, but I haven't told
you all. She got big back pension
a few weeks ago as soldiers widow
They say is was most $4,000"
by the living jingo!"
"And that's not all. She's a bit lit.
erary, and have got you the agency
with book firm in New York. You can
brush up and be literary, too, and you
can make use Of the agency as a side
line to farming. AS soon as You get
your outfit go and see the widow. She
dotes on book agents, and there Is a
fraternal bond between literary folks.
Go in and be winner"
"By thunder, I WILL Say. Perkins
the next time I hear a man call you
Pinchem I'll break his neck! Why
you are honesty, truth and integrity
rolled into one! How do you make
any thing out OF it,"
81 don't make a red cent"
Il wouldn't have believed it!
couldn't have believed it,"
In the course of a fortnight Farmer
Cartwright drove over to see the
Widow Gordon. He found her with her
old clothes on making soft soap. Her
welcome to stranger was pleasant
enough, but when she learned that he
was book agent she was bland. She
had read the life Of Danl Boone three
times over, and was then perusing
Lorna Doone for the fifth or sixth
time.
Philetus was selling Shakespeare
at Home" 1t came in monthly parts
at a dollar a month. For cash in ad-
vance the twenty-four parts would be
only $40. The widow must have it,.
whatever the price. She wanted to
read it while she was waiting for the
potatoes to boil for dinner, and dur
ing the hour between shutting up the
hens for the night and going to bed.
AS Philetus Cartwright drove home
wards he had cause to chuckle and
chortle. He was not only going to
make 40 per cent profit while he court
ed. Ten days after the first visit he
called again. He had "The Lives of
the Saints with him this time. There
were twenty monthly parts, at a dol
lar a month, or SIS if paid in advance.
There were st. Peter, st. Paul, st.
John. St. James, st. Joseph and every
other saint, male or female, anybody
ever vowed by. Their records were
given in full
The widow had never heard of any
but St. Paul but she put down the
cash for the lot. The parts would be
interesting to read during the inter-
val between her backaches. She was
more than pleased to find Philetus a
literary sort. 1t was his quoting four
lines Of poetry to her as he lunched
on cider and pie that put it into her
head to ask If he had the standard
poets. He had. They were in twelve
volumes, at 81 per volume. He could
not remember all the names, but he
was sure that Buffalo Bill and Byron
were among them.
At the third visit the poems were
delivered and paid for. The farmer
was not .only doing a lot Of counting
but making more money from his sales
to the widow than he could hope to
do off his farm.
81 think if I should pop the ques-
ton now she'd say yes" he unused,
but therell be no pops as long as the
book business holds out. Why in the
name of cats didn't l go into it long
ago? Haven't seen any Bible around
the house and III take chance and
bring along few"
He did so. There was plain Bible
for everyday use, and better one
for Wednesdays and an illustrated enc
for Sunday. The last one had plush
cover and two gold clasps, and, viewed
from any angle, the mere sight Of it
made one feel like feeding all the
tramps in the state and providing ev-
cry widow with barrel Of flour.
Yes, the widow wanted all three, and
if they did not agree as to whether
it should be called "sheop or hell it
was all the same to her, as she never
made use of anything but darn it,"
when she stubbed her toe.