Montgomery County sentinel. [volume] (Rockville, Md.) 1855-1974, 1930-10-24
The Urge to
Live
By JOHN HAMLIN
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fCnnNripht

THE dun clatk OF the shears
matched the discouraged look In
Dan Berry's eyes tie hnd shaped
cardhourd to III the inner sole of his
shoe on other mornings; hut yesterday
he had walked n hole in the thin sole
of his second shoe Two pieces Of
cardboard were needed now.
No money for new pair, only
tivedollar bill remaining from his last
commission check enough to eat on
TIL he made another sae--if ever.
But he'd worked through his best list
Of prospects. Few had bought-nO.
body else wanted the set Of books he
was offering,
Awful book agents lot.
Ill, what's the usel" Dan Berry
damned the cardboard into place and
worked his foot into the shoe.
"a ditch dgger's more Independent,
makes better money"
But he couldn't dig bitches, couldn't
get any kind of job No place open
for n grmyheaded man, with lines 10
his face and tired eyes. No use try
ing; there's no use striking out this
morning.
Thank the Lord. nobody looked to
him for support, friends avoided him
OF late. Nobody cared what happened
he didn't, either
His landlady had gone out for the
day. No trick to fasten down the
window, tack blanket over the door
Of his hall room, turn on the gas In
the henter.
Dan Berry carefully tied the laces
of his worn shoes, stood up and
WINGED The cardboard hurt the bot
tom of his feet-well. what of It?
He imped across to his unmade bed
picked up u heavy blanket II would
cover the door completely.
Halfway to the door, the z-zing of
bell sounded The blanket dropped
from his nerveless fingers.
Again the bell sent Its metallic peal
echoing through the house. There
was nobody In but himself. He hesl
tated and for the third time the bell
rang
iloW Viltu HHu he Tuus uOOI DcilS'
waited expectantly, hopefully; rung
the second time, less expectantly; the
third time all hope vanished. A
wretched feellng-he preferred curt
dismissal to an unanswered door bell.
Berry hastily picked up the blanket,
tossed It upon the bed and forgot to
limp In hurrying to the front door.
From the hallway he saw the head
and shoulders of man through the
glass of the door. The shoulders
dropped YEARLY, gray hair showed
above the collar; the hat was III A.
ting.
When the knob turned In Berry's
grasp, the man wheeled.
Berry caught sight of the brief
case the man was carrying. An agent
Here's where he could pay Off hun
dred scores, enact the role of a domi
nant householder-heap Insults upon
this Fostering peddler.
Directly he noted the man straight
enlng his shoulders smiling of the
lines of detection, forcing spark Of
interest In tired, blue eyes,
Good morning
Berry's acute ear caught the meant
to-be.cherry greeting; more than that.
II was like an echo of his own voice
when he was lnwardly praying that
here, at last, was somebody who'd sign
on the dotted line.
Then. while still In this strange
mental swirl Berry suddenly became
conscious Of familiar words, phrases
that he had learned by heart. repeated
time and again, mostly under Just such
odds as thls-himself standing outside
the door, trying TO melt cold resist
ance.
Curiosity swept AWAY all antag0
nIsm He was interested to learn how
this agent put over his selling talk
"Come Inp Berry flung the door
wide.
The mans face lighted up In way
that brought damnable lump into
Berry's throat. "sit down." he gruffed.
The man opened his brief case to
the accompaniment Of the stereotyped
sales talk Berry sat down beside the
agent, scanning the familiar pages Of
the prospectus He exclaimed over
the fine Illustrations. asked intelligent
qnestlons-heard the man clear up 10
the psychological point where he pro
duced samples Of bindings, took out
fountain pen and pushed the contract
InvltingIy towards him.
"FIve dollars down Is all that's re
quIred. The books will be shipped to
you Immediately The balance paid In
twenty monthly installments."
Berry took the fountain pen. rolled
Il between his fingers tentatively He
pressed down the NH. saw that the ink
was ready n flow. then stole glance
nj the agent
lie wns bending far forward, the
tired lines had vanished. his eyes CLINT
Ing with m hypnotic expression
Dan Berry lifted the pen from the
paper. without signing and the man
slumped. agcInR twenty years In
siuntly
That struck home Dan Berry un.
derstood fle signed on the dotted
line. arose md walked down to his
bedroom Returning q handed the
agent the fye-dOllnr bill.
lie heard the mans thanks. bowed
MIN out the door nnd llmped on bnck
to his room. lie picked up his own
brief ease pul on his out Of date hat
and ilmped ont Of the house.
Fe had brought down upon himself