The Ely miner. [volume] (Ely, Minn.) 1895-1986, 1922-07-28

mire 1t. His fingers caressed the wool
Of 1t lovingly. He evidently could
bring himself to part with it only after
a struggle.
'Worsted. Fine goods" He leaned
toward the range-rider and whis-
pered a secret. Imported"
Clay shook his head. Not what |
want" His eyes ranged the racks.
This is more my notion of the sort of
thing l like" He pointed to blue
serge with little stripe in the pat
tern.
The dealer detached the coat low
ingly from the hanger and helped his
customer into it. Then he fell back,
eyes Lit with enthusiastic amazement.
Only fate could have brought together
this man and this suit, so manifestly
destined for each other since the hour
when Eve began to patch up zig leaves
for Adam.
Like a coat Of paint" he murmured
aloud.
The cowpuncher grinned. He under.
stood the business that went with SELL
ing a suit in some stores. But it hap
pened that he liked this suit himself.
How much?" he asked.
The owner of the store dwelt on the
merits of the suit, it's style, It's dur
ability, the perfect fit. He covered his
subject with artistic thOroughness.
Then, reluctantly, he confided in a
n he OF iaH, ha
ing to sacrifice this suit among suits.
. ITO you. my friendt, 1 make this
garment for only sixty-tive dollars"
He added another secret detail. Below
wholesale cost"
A little devil Of mirth lit In Lind
says eye. I'D hate to have you rob
yoreself like that. And me perfect
stranger to you too"
Quality, y understan' me. Which
a man must got to live garments like
done to appreciate such a suit. All
wool. Every thread Of IL. Unshrink-
able" Mr.. Bernstein caressed it again.
"One swell piece of goods" he told
himself softly, almost with tears In his
eyes.
"All wool, you sayT" asked Clay, feel
Ing the texture. He had made up hi
mind to buy 1t, though ne thought the
price bit stiff
Mr.. Bernstein protested on his honor
that there was not thread of cotton
In ii. (which you could take it from
me that when 1 sell suit Of clothes
2 10 10
own brother" he added. Every gar
ment out Of this store takes my per-
sonaI guarantee"
Clay tried on the trousers and looked
at himself in the glass. So far as he
could tell he looked just like any other
New Yorker.
The dealer leaned forward and spoke
in "a whisper. Apparently he was
ashamed Of his softness of heart.
"Fifty-five dollars-to you
''I'l take it." the westerner said.
The clothier called his tailor from
the rear of the store to make an adj
justment in the trousers. Meanwhile
he deity removed the tags which told
him In cipher that the suit had cost
him just eleven dollars and seventy
five cents.
Half an hour later Clay sat on top
of a Fifth avenue bus which was jerk
ing its way uptown. His shoes were
shined to mirror brightness. He was
CARRIED In blue serge suit with a little
stripe running through the pattern.
That suit just now was the apple of
his eye. It proved him a New Yorker
and not a wild man from the Arizona
desert.
The NOTORIOUS ran up Fifth avenue,
cut across to Broadway, passed Co
lumbus circle, and swept into the Drive.
1t was a day divinely young and fair.
The fragrance Of lingering spring
was waited to the nostrils. GIimpses
of the park tempted Clay. Its wind
ing paths! The children playing on
the grass while their maids in neat
caps and aprons gossiped together On
the benches nearI This was the most
human spot the man from Arizona
had seen In the metropolis.
Somewhere In the early three-figure
streets he descended from the top of
the bus and let his footsteps follow his
inclinations into the park He struck
across the Drive into a side street. An
apartment house occupied the corner,
but from the other side a row of hand
some private dwellings faced him.
The janitor Of the apartment house
was watering the parking beyond the
sidewalk. The edge of the stream
from the nozzle Of the hose sprayed
the path In front of Clay. He hest
tated for moment TO give the man
time TO turn aside the hose.
But the janitor on this particular
morning had been fed up with trouble.
One Of the tenants had complained of
him TO the agent Of the place. Another
had moved away without tipping him
for an hours help In packing he had
given her He was sulkily Of the opin-
ion that the whole world was In a
conspiracy to annoy him. Just now the
approaching rube typif1ed the world.
A little fiirt OF the hose deluged
Clay's newly shined boots and the low
er six inches Of hts trousers.
Look out what you're doingl. pro-
tested the man from Arizona.
II tank you better look where you're
going" retorted the one from Sweden.
He was heavy-set. muscular man
with sullen, obstinate face.
my shoes and trousers are sopping