Evening star., 1921-10-09

to some persons at some times 1t Is
the most miserable, but to Benny:
Barr 1t was one continuous round OF
joy. To a different man the book
agency business is source OF con-
slant, trepid agony. At each fresh
door his limbs tremble and he is
obliged to goad his reluctant will to
meet a fresh and insulting repuH.
Not so Benny. Benny would not
have known difidence If 1T stared
him in the face. His feelings were
as tough as raw leather. He was
~vung, brisk, hustling and forcefal'
lid when he was thrown down ne
did not bruise-he bounced. 10
Benny each new prospect" was an
opportunity to enjoy a battle. When
he managed to force his way INTO d d
house and sell a copy Of Aunt hn,,nd lane in
oilcloth, so cents down and the pal,
ance on delivery, he was happy. anu
when he attacked the enemy ana was
soleslessly routed he laughed-lt was
a good joke on Benny.
In dress Benny was inclined 70
favor advanced styles. He said he
liked his clothes to have a little
"zipp" to them, and his manners sug-
gested that he did not believe IN q
young man being too crushed ano
downcast. His manners were so tree
from timidity, in fact. that the usual
remark after he had left a house
was, "Well, he is about the freshest
youth 1 ever did see!'
Benny swung off the train at the
suburb Of Westcote and made pee
His instinct was almost infalllole
when residence streets were In ques-
ton; not once in forty times did ne
fail to guess correctly, and II ne dlo
fail it made no difference to Benny:
If. instead OF reaching a street os
neat suburban homes. he reacneo
first a street of negro shanties. ne
sold Aunt James Cook Book. to the
colored washerwoman with the same
pleasure he would have felt In sell,
ing it to the leader OF the towns 3
SMART set. A sale was sale. wher-
Aver made. but he preferred to see
first upon his sale sheet the names
Of some of the well-known women.
It helped in selling to the others.
X X \
THE street Benny reached was a
l. good one, the best. in Westcote.
1t was so highly credentialed that l..
vas known as "Aristocrats ROW.
this being a term of satirical import
given the street by those VINO hao
not the good fortune to be invited 70
functions like that which had TINS
afternoon filled the parlor oi Mi D
With his sample copy of Aunt
James Cook Book" under his arm, d
cigarette in the corner OF ms mou.n
and the fire of battle In MS eye,,
Benny entered the first nt yard danr ana
mounted the steps to the front oooI;
He placed his thumb against the oeli
button and held it there. He eoulo
hear the bell jangle inside the mouse
and he kept it janglins. Suooenig y
the door opened and a malo sloou
looking at him. she lookeo our ,,nder M
one instant. Sne sa" Inc oooN
I've don't want no books! she
said and the banging door cut the
words in two as she shut II IN
Benny's face: Benny emmy deesended deeeeu the
steps. steps House No. l. defeat. de
In approaching a house Be%nnys %
nethod never varied. He waikeu
jauntily into the yard. Jaun.aS Jad
mounted the steps to the 200 aoor, ,he , he'll
hutton and waited DEVELOPMENTS. ~
was simple but effective: II ne con-
tinued to push the button long
enough and there was any a man
woman or cnllQ IN TIC hooSS'
one came to the door .,.,
The second house was larger tnan
the first and more Impressive. LII,
door was Of mahogany, oeauIiiuiiy
polished, and it opened so suaoehis
that Benny almost fell INSIDE.
maid in apron and cap gave h'ii' o"e
I'VE don't buy nothing from
,eents" she said angrily, and siam
med the beautiful mahogany door IN y,
Benny's face. Benny hlckeo tne asn
from his cigarette. tiited MS rs nat stens "
He was not perturbed at all. he
entered the next yard and 1auntlly
mounted the steps to the front door.
He lighted fresh cigarette before ne
pushed the bell button and droppea
his stub into the pot OF fan PAIN
that stood on the porch. Then ne
leaned his thumb against the nutton
and waited. The door opened
coIored maid stood in the doorway.
She took one look at Benny.
GROSSLY. and the. door banged III in
Kew turn in the lock He shifted his
sample copy of Aunt James COOK
Book" to a resting place under the
other arm. looked up and down tne
street carelessly, and walked down
the steps. House No. 8! No matter;
there were several thousand houses
In westcote.
TN the fourth house. as Benny stood
L on Mrs. Hilyer's porch glancing
up and down the street, Mrs. Will
1ouehby Jackson walked nervously
from her parlor into her living room
where her niece Eleanor was arrang-
ing a tea table to suit her own ideas
as to how a tea table should be ar
ranged. In the parlor twenty ladies
of the Thursday Afternoon Ciuo
chatted and tried to fill in the min
utes that were beginning to be irk-
some. For an hour or more they
had been trying to pretend that they
did not mind the delay, while MIS-
W Willoughby Jackson became more and
"Eleanor," said Mrs. Jackson, "do
YOU suppose that man is coming"
"I don't know, aunt" said her
niece. II have told you before that
Reginald Barr is too replete with ar
tistic temperament to suit me. You
nerament to mind little things like
being on time
he made for that" said her aunt
nervously. "But it is most ANNOYING.
fl had prepared anything else to
entertain the ladies-but your mother
wrote so positively that he would be
here, and would read some of his
poems. She said he could easily hll
the afternoon"
"Oh, he'd fill it," said Eleanor;
He'll read as long as any one will
LET him. He'll read as long as he
can keep one of mis- audience in
agony. You have to turn out the
lights to stop him. And then he'll
recite from memory"
d;stinguished man, one of the few
TIVE noets our commercial age has