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

amy NNM AWNAs ~ NAAA aANAANu VIII
4 sty-weeks' illness endured in the dis.
comfort Of a stuHy little hotel bed.
room at Glen Rock. MINI. By August
she was back In New York, attending
tS out of-town buyers.
Those friendly middle western per.
sons showed dlsmay at her pale, hol-
tOw-eyed appearance. They spoke 10
her OF olive oil taken thrice a day, OF
mountain air. OF cold baths, and, above
All, OF the ~adyisability OF leaving the
road and taking an inside position. At
nat Emma McChesney always showed
signs OF unmistakable irritation.
IN September her son, Jock McChes.
oeY. just turned eighteen, went blithe.
" OF to college. disguised as a mil.
iionaire's son In a blue Norfolk, silk
lose. nat.heeled shoes, correctly
mounted walrus bag and next.week's
style In fall hats. AS the train glided
OUt OF the great shed Emma McChes.
oey had waved her handkerchief. smil.
lag like fury and seeing nothing but
an indistlnct blur as the observation
platform slipped around the curve.
In October II vas plain that spring
skirts, instead OF being full as pre-.
dtcted. we're AZ acant and plaitless as
owe That spelled gloom for the pet.
ttcoat business. Il was necessary to
sell three Of the present absurd style
90 make the profit that had come from
the sale OF one skirt Eve years before.
The last week in November, tragedy
staiked upon the scene in the death at
Marienbad Of old T. A. Buck. Mrs. Nc
C%hesney's stanch friend and beloved
employer.
They had understood each other.
those two, from the time that Emma
McChesney. divorced. penniless. refus-
tag support from the man she had
married eight years before, had found
work In the office OF the T. A. Buck
Featherloom Petticoat company.
Old Buck had watched her rise from
stenographer to head s~tenographer,
tom head s~tenOgrapher to inside
saleswoman. from that to a minor road
territory. and finally to the position of
travelling representative through the
coveted middle western territory.
Old T. A. Buck, grur, grim, direct.
~far-seeing. kindly. shrewd-he had
known Emma McChesney for what she
was worth. Once. when she had been
dlsclosiras to him a clever business
scheme which might be turned into
good advertising material, old Buck
had slapped his knee with n broad.
thick palm and had said;
Emma McChesney, you ought to
have been a man. With that head on
a mans shoulders you could put Us out
OF business"
4 could do Il anyway" Mrs. McChes.
uey had retorted.
Old Buck had regarded her a mo.
ment over his tortoise-shell trimmed
glasses. Then. a believe you could,
he had said quietly and thoughtfully.
That brings her up TO December. To
some few millions OF people De.
c-e-m-b-e-r spells Christmas. But to
CHINA McChesnoy it spelled the dread.
ed spring trip. It spelled trains stalled
in s%nowdrifts, baggage delayed, cold
hotel bedrooms, harassod, irritable
buyers.
IL was just six O'Clock on the eve.
utng OF December 9th when Mrs. EN-.
ma McChesney swung on the train at
Columbus, o.. Eve hours late.
Columbus. Ohio. was a Featherloom
Town. Emma MeChesney had a fond
ness for it. with It's half rustic, half
metropolitan air. Sometimes she
ukened IL to a country girl in a velvet
gown, and sometimes to a city girl In
white muslin and blue sash. Singer
q French always had a FeatherloOm
window twice a year.
The hotel lobby wore a strangely de-
serted look December is a slack
month for actors and travelling men.
Mrs. McChesney registered automatic.
ally. received her mail, exchanged
greetings with the aifable clerk.
Send my trunks up to my sample
room as soon as they get in. Three Of
sm-two sampletruEks and my per-
sonal trunk. And / want TO see a por-
Ger about putting up some extra tables.
You see. I'm two days late now. | ex-
pect two buyers tomorrow morning
Send EN- right up. Mrs. McChea-
ney." the clerk assured her, "JoIl at
tend TO those tables. Too bad about
old Buck, How's the skirt business?"
"Skirts2 There is no such thing"
corrected Emma McChesney. gently
5ausage-caslngs business. you mean"
Guess you're right, at that BY the
way how's that handsome youngster
OF yours? He's not travelling with you
this trip?"
There osme a wonderful glow into
Emma McChesney's tired face.
Jocks at college. Coming home for
the holidays. We're going to have a
dizzy week In New York I'm wild 10
see II those three months OF college
have done anything to him, bless his
hsartl Oh. kind sir. forgive a moth
ar's fond ravingBi Where'd that young
ater go with my bag?"
Up at last in the stuny, unfriendly,