The West Virginian. [volume] (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1914-1974, 1918-05-02
THE DAILY
SHORT STORY
Tin Peddler & Co.
= BY BERTHA PORTER.
copyright, 1918. by the Mcclure
Newspaper Syndicate.)

NV uOuuNCu A1StIAtA' as NdLllud
came in with her hands full
arbutus. Did you see him any.
Here? I'm anxious to have that blue
bingham"
Matilda, cheeks as pink as the flow.
ers she carried, laughed with all the
JOY Of her twenty years. II wasn't
looking for any Old tin-peddler." she
replied. 'Not even If he is travelling
department store and bringing my
dear aunt her new summer gown.
was listening to the robbins and the
blessed little spring-and summer is
coming, and anything may happen in
summer, even II you do live deep in
the woods and have only one horse to
goS gadding with"
Esther caught but part Of her
words. She was at the window looking
after a great automobile that was
laundering madly down the narrow
country road, scattering hens and
dust impartially.
y should rather have horse than
bne Of those destroyers," she declared.
And surely something will happen
right now If 1t meets anything"
Before the machine was out OF sight
u happened. Old Mr.. Valentine, driv-
Ing his old horse and his box OF ped
dIer's cart up the narrow road had
no chance. The horse leaped to es.
cape the moster bearing down upon
him. But that did not save the cart
from the blow. freed from hanging
splinters, old Peter gallopcd away out
Of sight and was not located for sew
eral days. In the other direction the
car raced as madly its drunken occu-
pants intent only on escape from what
the vaugely realized as Smash
When Esther and Matilda reached
the wreck they found the wagon less
damaged than had seemed possible
Old Peter had swung it nightly and
1plinters and scratches we're the worst
Of is hurts. Not so with Mr. Valentine
He lay in the road, unconscious.
TITS his hip" said Aunt Esther
STOPPING to examine his injuries. I'VE
mustn't move him. Run and telephone
for the doctor. And bring pillows
when you come back. I'll watch in
case anybody comes"
Old Mr.. Valentine was relic Of the
past. Before the days OF automobiles
drummers, and mail order houses, he
and his peddler cart had been a reg
uIar IL not as frequent, on these Coun'
try roads, as the mail stage. He was
progressive, too, and carried, not only
the conventional kitchen ware and
( brooms Of the tin pedder, but buttons,
thread, cloth, ribbon, anything that
the dwellefs in the country, far from
stores might want He was indeed as
Matilda had called him, travelling
department store. Now the advent Of
automobiles owned by he farmers had
almost killed his trade, but there were
few customers who bought from him
for the sake OF old times. There were
some. too, like Miss Esther, who liked
< the cherry little old man and looked
forward tn his monthly visit. When
ever he came to Miss Esther's mouse
he timed his arrival to be able to stay
10 dinner, and she somehow knew his
fayorite dishes and they always ap-
pared on the table when he came.
Remember, Mr. Valentine had been
coming for many years. Miss Esther
knew about his son, too, who was a
commercial traveller, and about the
wife, who had died when the boy was
born.
Now she sat with his head in her lap
watching the road for the doctors
1Broken hip" said the doctor. I
thought it might be when Matilda call
ed up, so brought Alick along to help
me move him. Run ahead and get the
room ready girls. This Is no womans
Job here-Alick, rip picket off Miss
Esther's fence"
Next day, the old wagon, repaired
by Alick and the doctor, stood in Miss
Esther's barn, no more helpless than
the impatient man that lay in the
spare bed.
"He's worryin' about his trip some
thin awful" Esther conGded to NATL
ida. II know it amt good for him,
bein' upset in his mind"
sTTl go in and talk to him"
Twenty minutes later she danced out
OF the room. "Aunt Esther-he's all
right now. I'm going to finish the trip
Nor him, and you must get Flora
Whipple to come and help you do the
work"
matilda Peter, what are you talllin'
about? And where are you goin' to
yet a horse? And how do you know
where to go? And what if you should
meet drunken automobile, like he
lid"
SIM going to take your horse, dar-
Ing. And I've got a little brown book
here that tells me just where to 80.
And I'm going to take my chance on a
drunken automobile-an everything
sise. It's going to DO the greatest
uni"
And it was. Everywhere she drove
he queer-lokipg old box Of a cart, all
loney.combed with drawers and clos.
is, packed full Of good reliable mer-
iandise, she met with welcome. She
"a only to produce the little brown
opS with orders given the month be-
m to find eager interest and sympa-
J9inquiry about Mr.. Valentine. And
lille Miss Matilda was gathering Mr..
alentine's harvest OF dollars. letter
he had written for him before start
was having almost as varied trav.
s as she. It was following Mr.. Rob.
{ Blaisdell on his annual trip through
irginia. At last it caught up with
ia and told him very briefly that his
tier, Mr.. Valentine Blaisdeu had