The L'Anse sentinel., 1923-10-05
The Devil Fell
Sick
Observation-Disclosures
By MORRIS SCHULTZ
! "a, lsaa. ws.tern Neu.pap.r unionl !


t@ isas. Western Newspaper Union.)
A L FELDMAN cast look at the
"A girl stenographer In the lobby Of
the hotel, but this was more from force
Of habit than anything else.
True. q travelling salesman expected
to have good time on the road, and
notel stenographers expected to have
a good time. too. and this girl was a
peach, a real one. Moreover, she
smiled at him. But Al was a changed
man.
Slowly he left the elevator and went
Into his bedroom. How many thou
sands Of hotel bedrooms was he ae-
luainted with? And oil the same-the
too large bed, the telephone. the Bible
on the table. oh. AL was sick Of 1t!
He looked at himself In the glass |;
saw the graying hair and tried to count
the crows feet round his eyes. He
saw how his cheeks sagged. the double
chin, the general aspect of fabbiness.
AL" he said to his reflection,
you're up against 1t, old boy"
And AL certainly vas. In the first
place he had just passed his fftieth
birthday. In the second place. he
hadn't cent In the bank.
Not cent, he, AL Feldman, once the
dean of travelling statesmen. For years
he had pulled down his six or seven
thousand per. And every cent Of it
had vanished on-hotel stenographers.
Well. practically 50. Al couldn't call
himself extravagant. He just couldn't
save money. He had a good time, lived
well, and was always going to begin
saving when he had cleared Off those
debts. That time never arrived.
Now he was gradually losing his rep
utatlon. He had had bad trip-oh,
rotten trip. He had sold so little that
he expected to be fred when he re-
turned. Times were bad, 1t was true,
but something more than that was
wrong with him.
Listen, AL" he said to his reflection
IN the glass. you're up against it,
and It's entiHy your own fault. You're
fifty. You ought to have nice little
home, a nice little wife, and one or
more kids. Instead Of which-here
you are.
SHOWS the time to make your reso-
lutions instead of waiting till Decem-
Der 81. And you're going to do 1t.
From this moment you turn over a new
leaf.
"If by a miracle of luck you hold
your Job when you get back. in spite
of the way Jones & Co. turned down
that fve-thousand-dollar order that
you were sent specially to put through
you cut out the life. Hear mel"
II certainly do hear you," answered
AL Feldman's reflection.
"No more hotel stenographers to
lunch. No more nice little poker par
ties. No more theaters and suppers.
In ten years-and you can hold your
Job ten years-you're twenty thousand
to the good. With that you'll retire
into a comfortable home for disused
drummers. Oh, hill" said Al Field
mans reflection. 49,,
But I'll cut out the game, I swear !
will, II ever ! get back" said AL.
The telephone rang. Morosely AL de-
parted from the mirror and took up
the receiver.
"Hello! Jones & Coz What's that? ?
Yes, this Is Mr.. Feldman speaking. oh,
you think you would like to take that
fve-thousand-dollar order. after ALI
Well. I tell you In confidence, Mr.
Jones, It's an opportunity that can'i
be repeated. We've had a special tip
from Paris how the fashions are going
and II you take that you'll have, the
lead over every other Arm in town
Ten thousand? Nah, I don't believe
can make 1t ten.
"You see, Mr.. Jones, we're making
this a special offer to our old custom.
ers, and we got to be fair. However
seeing we've dealt with you so long,
tell you what I'll do. +. Oh, shucks
I'll make It ten and II the firm kicks
why, I'll shoulder the responsibility
All right, Mr.. Jones, I'll book that or
der for ten thousand" ,~t.-s>~r
AL Feldman hung up the receiver
and went back to the mirror. He saw
how much brown Was still left in hii
bair, He smoothed out the wrinkles
about his eyes.
"Your days ain't done, by any means
old All" said AL.
He put on his hat, went out and de
scended In the elevator, adjusting hi
tie In the mirror en- route. In the
lobby the hotel stenographer looked uI
and smiled at him. AL tipped his hat
"Fine day." he remarked.
"It Is fine day." said the hote
stenographer.
"Kind Of lonesome town, this" salt
Al. "How would you be feeling abou
a little lunch at Roderigo's"