The Columbus courier. [volume] (Columbus, Luna County, N.M.) 1911-1920, 1915-01-08

M| M1NN NNAAAH NAN"A""NEN"H
That's enough for the present an
uwered Emma McCheaney hriskly.
"wen now. suppose we talk mnohtn-
CRY and girls. and cutters tor a
while"
Two months later found T. A. Buck
and his sales manager, both shirt
sleeved, both smoking nervously. a.
they marked, ticketed, folded, AT
ranged. They were getting out the
travellers spring lines. Entered Mrs
MoChesney, and stood cycling them.
worriediy. II was her dozenth visit
to the stock room that morning A
strange restlessness seemed to trou-
bic her. She wandered from ONCE to
show room. from show o to fac
tory,
"what'a the troublo7" inquired r.
A. Buck, squirting up at her through
a cloud OF cigar smoke.
"Oh, nothing answered Mrs. Nc
Chesney, and stood lingering the pllea
/ OF g%listening satin garments, q queer
fnraway look In her eyes. Then she
TUNED and walked lisuessly toward
the door. There she encountered
spalding-Bmy spalding Of the COW
eted middie-weatern territory, Billy
S~palaing, the lons-headed, quick
thinking; spalding tho persuasive,
spalding the mixer, spalding On whom
depended the fate OF the 4. A. Buck
featherlooln kniokerbocker and pa
jana.
"'Morningl When do you start
out2" she asked him.
I'm the morning Cad, that's some
line, what? I'm itching TO spread II.
You're certainly q wonder-child. Mrs.
McChesney. Why, the boys
Emma McChesney sighed, %somberly.
THAT line does sort Orwell, tug at
your heart-strings, doesn't it?" At
eight the next morning there burst
upon Mrs. McChesney a distracted T.
A. Buck.
"Hear about s~palding?" he demand
cd.
"spaldingY No"
Ills wife 'phoned from st. Lakes.
Taken with an appendicitis attack at
midnight They operated at five this
morning. One Of those hadit-been-
twenty-four-hourslateretc operations.
That settles us.
poor kid" replied Emma McChes-
ney. Rough on him n his brand
new wife"
Poor kid Yes. But how about
his territory How about our new
liner How about"
"oh. that's all right" said Emma
McChesney. cheerfuiiy.
'Td like to know howl We haven't
a man equal to tina territory. He's u
one best bet"
"Oh, that's all right" said Mrs. Mo
Chesney again, smoothly.
A little impatient exclamation broke
from T. A. Buck. AZ that Emma no
= Chesney smiled.
I'm going out with that line. I'm
, going to leave a trail Of pajamas and
knickerbockers from Duluth to Can
ton"
you! No, you won'ti" A dull
painful red had swept into T. A
|. Bucks face. It was answered by q
4 food Of scarlet In Mrs. McChesney's
; countenance.
Il don't get you she said. I'm
afraid you don't realize what this trir
means. It's going to be q fight
I They'll have to be coaxed and bullied
n and caioled, and reasoned with. Ita
/ going TO be a 'show-me' trip"
: T. A. Buck took a quick step for
ward. That's just why. ! won't have
you fighting with buyers, taking their
8 insults, kowtowing to them, salving
them. lit isn't woman's work"
y Emma McCheBney was sorting the
L contents OF her desk with quick, nerv.
d GUS fingers. I'm get the twentieth
d century" she said, over her shoulder.
Don't argue, please. II it's no work
q for a woman then l suppose Il follows
that I'm unwomanly. For ten yean
l travelled this country selling 7. A.
II Bucks featherloom petticoats. My
irst trip on the road l was In the
RI twenties-and pretty, too. I'm n WON
an OF thirty-seven now"
d She arose. and hut her desk with o
10 bang, locked It. and turned a flushed
1t and beaming face toward T. A. Buck,
1t as he stood frowning before her.
10 your father believed In me-from
% the ground up. We understood each
other. he and l. You've learned q lot
in tho last year and a half, T. A. Ju.
10 nior-that.was, but there's one thing
k. you haven't mastered. When win you
10 learn to believe in Emma McChes-
Is ney?"
OF She was out OF the ONCE before he
ct had time to answer. leaving him stand
IN ins there.
In the dusk OF q late winter eve
g ming just three weeks later, a man
a paused at the door OF the ~unllghted Of
a fee marked Mrs. McChesney." He
looked about a moment. as though
dreading detection. Then he opened
III the door. stepped into the dim quiei
Of the little room, and closed the
II door gently after him. Everything In