Kilo

obstructed the pane of beveled glass in the upper part of the door drawn ever so slightly to one side and then quickly replaced. He caught the glisten of an eye, as

the house is dressing, or is hastily taking the folded paper "curlers" out of her front hair, or slipping on her "other skirt" before admitting the visitor. Few indeed are the front doors in Iowa that open promptly to a knock or a ring. Primping time must be allowed, a

ph' was not merely trying to sell a copy of Jarby's Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature, Science and Art this time. He had no time to waste in the usual manner. If he could not get into one house to sell a book, he could enter another ho

entering unwilling houses would serve his purpose this time. It would not do to begin by making Miss Sally unfriendly. So Eliph' tucked his book more snugly under his left arm and looked at the house. He walked to the gate and looked up at the roof; walked across the street and viewed the house in perspective; but nothing usef

he had assigned was up, and then walked toward Mi

ase like this, but I do. That's the way to keep young. It's why I don't grow stale in this t

and he waved his hand to him, and the Colonel hurried to meet him. They turned int

home?" asked

mebody's home, but they

ll, you can't blame them, much. Gems

lmost as deeply at tax time as Pap himself did, and he considered the money Sally had to pay in installments on Sir Walter Scott as practically thro

don't want no book agents a-hangin' around her

the words of reproof that he intended to lau

e have him right on the spot! I was going to stop and get Skinner on the way down, and then I thought maybe, from what you said, you and Skinner were not very f

ving peeped out to see the meaning of so many men on her porch, recognized the Colonel and the attorney, and opened the door. The attorney stood back to let Eliph' enter, and then fol

scene as the four gat

ised his ax and struck. The board splintered but remained fir

y into the box. From it the Colonel tenderly lifted a nickel-plated cylinder, as tall as a man's knee and as large ar

s Sally looked anxiously into his face, appealing for enlightenment. The Colonel studied the thing carefully, and then lo

Miss Sally nervously

g thing aroused her suspicions. She backed away from it. Eliph' Hewli

is?" Miss Sally asked, a

h, yes! But I can't see what that there young feller was doin' with four of 'em. I c

d tell of a man bein' agent for," said Miss Sa

fire-extinguishers. I know because I recall seein' some once when I was dow

o you ever suppose anybody would put

rned the affai

ess if I take time I can find out how the thing

Eliph' Hewlitt was about to speak, but the attorney caught

e to know?" She asked the question as if the Colonel had got her into this thing of the ownership of the

fire-extinguishers. It looks to me as if they was worth a lot more than the young feller owed you

the world. You've got a witness that they came out of that box, and she

d the Colonel, "an' I guess

to Eliph', who was still eager to say a word or two. "But mebby, if I have

liph' to

ook that wasn't worth the money. I want that book. And just you keep still about those fire-extinguishers. Between you and me, those are first-class nickel-plated lung-testers,

Literature, Science and Art. It is a book that should be in every man's hand, and in every home. If you owned a copy now, you would

turned to Miss Sally. "Miss Briggs," he said, "will you let this gentleman have a few minutes of your time? I wa

Sally to answer, but turn

e office with me. I shouldn't wonder if you could

Miss Sally, too, would gladly have had the Colonel remain, to protect her from the book agent, and to say "no" when the appeal to buy was reached, but Eliph' retrea