The Washington herald., 1921-03-06

that the woman herself was tn,
| same person to whom the box haC
| been addressed. She had not. oi
of him, although he had on the same
shabby clothes / saw him wear al
the station.
For about nine seconds he had
me ratified, and came mighty near
getting cold feet and trying to sell
him some plate glass. But j got my
nerve back pretty quick. He asked
me to sit down, and 1 told him ev-
erything. / told him how / followed
his daughter from Cincinnati. and
what / did il for, and explained all
about my salary and prospects, and
explained to him my little code OF
living-to be always decent and
right in your home town; and when
you're on the road never take more
than four glasses of beer a day or
play higher than a atwenty-hve-cent
limit. At first / thought he was
going to throw me out of the win
dow, but I kept on talking. Pretty
soon ! got a chance to tell him that
story about the Western Congress
man who had lost his pocketbook
and the grass widow-you remem-
ber that story. Well. that got him
to laughing, and TIL bet that was
the first laugh those ancestors and
horse hair sofas had heard in many
| a day
I'VE talked two hours. told him
everything / knew; and then ht
began to ask questions and 1 told
him the rest. All 1 asked of him
was to give me a chance. II could
not make n hit with the little lady
I'd clear out. and not bother any
more. At last he says:
There was a Sir Courteny Pes.
cud in the time OF Charles j. IL
remember rightly
"Tf there was says i. he cant
claim kin with our bunch. We've
always lived in and around Pitts
tIrgh. I've got an uncle in the
real estate business, and one in
trouble somewhere out in Kansas
You can inquire about any of the
rest OF US from anybody in old
Smoky Town, and get satisfactory
replies. Did you ever run across
that story about the captain of the
whsler who tried to make a sailor
say his prayersr says 1.
1T occurs to me that i have
never been so fortunate says thu
colonel.
so 1 told IL to him. laugh ]
was wishing to myself that he wa:
a customer. What a bill of glas,
I'D sell him! And then he says
The relating Of anecdotes az
humorous occurrences has always
seemed to me, Mr.. Pescud, to be q
particularly agreeable way of pro,
noting and perpetuating amenities
between friends. With your per.
mission. will relate to you a fox
hunting story with which 1 was per-
| sonally connected, and which may
urnish you some amusement
so he tells it. 1t takes forty
minutes by the watch. Did 1 Taught
Well. say! When 1 got my facs
straight he calls in old Pete, the
superannuated darky, and sends
him him down to the hotel to brins
up my valise. II was Elmcroft fol
me while l was in the town.
Two evenings later 1 got :
chance to speak a word with Miss
Jessie alone on the porch while tn,
colonel was thinking up another
story.
Its going to be a fine evening.
says ].
AAC SOAhAh6E says chS. AAt
going to tell you this time. the story
about the old negro and the green
watermelons. 1t always comes after
the one about the Yankees and the
game rooster. There was another
time she goes on. that you nearly
got left-it was at Pulaski CITY,
Yes says ], I remember. Ny
foot slipped as 1 was jumping or
the step and I nearly tumbled of.
ct know says she. And-and
Il was afraid you had, John A
was afraid you had
And then she skips into tho
house through one Of. the big win
dows."
"Coketown!" droned the porter
making his way through the slowing
car.
Pescud gathered his hat and bag
gage with the leisurely promptnes;
of an old traveller.
IT married her a year ago., said
John. Il told you 1 built house In
the East End. The belted-I NEAR
the colonel-is there, too. find him
waiting at the gate whenever / gel
back from a trip to hear any new
storysI might have picked up on the
road"
glanced out of the window. Coke
town was nothing more than a
ragged hillside dotted with a score
of black dismal huts propped uT
against dreary mounds of Stag and
clinkers. 1t rained in slanting tor
rents, too, and the rills foamed and
splashed down through the black
mud to the railroad tracks.
"You won't sell much plate glass
here, John" said /. why do you get
on at this end-o'-the-wor
why" said Pescud, ''the other day
I took Jessie for little trip to Phil
adelphia, and coming back she
thought she saw some petunias in q
pot in one of those windows ovel
there Just like some she used to raiss
down in the old Virginia home. So ]
thought I'd drop of here for tho
night and see IL 1 could dig up some
Of the cuttings or blossoms for her.
Here we are. Goodnight, old man
I gave you the address. Come out
and see us when you have time"
The train moved forward One OF
the dotted brown ladies insisted or
having windows raised. now that tn,
rain beat against them. The porter
came along with his mysteriou,
wand and Began to light the car.
rglanced downward and saw the
best seller. / picked IL up and set n
carefully farther along on the. fool
of the car. where the rsindrops
would not fall upon IL. And then
suddenly, I smiled. and seemed to Sc,
that life has no geographical mete,
and bounds.
Coed luck to you. Treveiyan."