Part 11 (2/2)

”Not a bit of doubt!” exclaimed Toole cheerfully. ”She has every right in the world. You've got a witness that they came out of that box, and she can sell, give, donate, a.s.sign, or bequeath them, for better or for worse.”

”Then that's all right,” said the Colonel, ”an' I guess that's all we need you for.”

”Except to settle the witness fees with this gentleman,” said Toole, turning to Eliph', who was still eager to say a word or two. ”But mebby, if I have a word or two with him, I can fix it up without making any expense for you.”

He drew Eliph' to one side.

”What's the cost of that book you're selling?” he asked. ”Well, I'll take one. I don't take one for a bribe, but because I can see you're not the sort of man that would sell a book 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-cla.s.s nickel-plated lung-testers, and not fire-extinguishers. But that doesn't matter. There's just about as heavy a call for fire-extinguishers in Kilo as there is for lung-testers. Can you keep still about it?”

”I can,” said Eliph' Hewlitt, ”and you'll never regret having bought a copy of Jarby's Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of 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 know is value to man, woman, or child. I was going to try to sell one to Miss Briggs when you came, and if you could help me to----”

The attorney smiled. This was the sort of game he enjoyed. ”Don't tell about the lung-testers,” he whispered, and turned to Miss Sally. ”Miss Briggs,” he said, ”will you let this gentleman have a few minutes of your time? I want him to show you a book he has. It is a book that should be in every home. If you will give him a few minutes.”

He did not wait for Miss Sally to answer, but turned to the scowling Colonel.

”Colonel,” he said, ”I want you to walk down to the office with me. I shouldn't wonder if you could sell those fire-extinguishers right here in Kilo.”

The four descended the stairs together, and the Colonel would willingly have lingered, but the attorney took him by the arm and jovially steered him out of the door. 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' retreated into the darkness of the parlor, and took a seat in the corner of the room, and Miss Sally, unable now to escape him, seated herself as far from him as she could.

CHAPTER X. The Boss Grafter

Eliph' Hewlitt was resolved that into this interview no words regarding Jarby's Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature, Science and Art should enter. With two such favored rivals in the field, and with such difficulty in getting into the house as he had experienced, he meant to get well acquainted in a hurry. Miss Sally sat stiffly in her chair, steeling herself to refuse the request to buy a copy of the book.

Her usually attractive face was stern, as she looked at Eliph' Hewlitt, and she watched him suspiciously as he slowly combed his whiskers with his fingers, as if she feared this was some part of the operation by which he was charming her into a hypnotic state in which she would sign for a book without knowing why. She nerved herself to ward off whatever insinuating words he should first say, and Eliph', as he studied her face, sought words that would advance him at one bound deep into the state of being well acquainted. It was a trying moment for both.

Then, so suddenly that Miss Sally almost jumped from her chair, Eliph'

coughed behind his hand, and spoke.

”It seems like it would be as hot to-day as it was yesterday, if it don't shower before night,” he said, and smiled pleasantly as he said it.

Miss Sally was taken off her guard, and before she was aware she had answered, quite as politely as she would have answered the minister himself.

”It's awful hot,” she said. ”I guess Kilo's the hottest place on earth in summer.”

”Not the hottest,” answered Eliph', leaning forward eagerly. ”You wouldn't say that if you had a copy of Jarby's Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature, Science and Art, and studied it up the way I do. Page 442 gives all the hottest places on earth, with the record highest temperature of each, together with all the coldest places, where there is the greatest rainfall, and a chronological table of all the great famines, floods, storms, hot and cold spells the earth has ever known, from the time of Adam to the present day, with pictures of the Johnstown flood, and diagrams of Noah's Ark. This, with the chapter on the Physical Geography of Land and Sea, telling of tides, typhoons, trade winds, tornadoes, et cetery, explains why and how weather happens.

All this and ten thousand other subjects, all indexed from A to Z in one book----”

He paused suddenly, appalled to think that he was already far from his resolve not to mention Jarby's Encyclopedia, and, as his voice still hung on the last word he had spoken, the doorbell rang, and Miss Sally jumped up, happy for any interruption. She merely turned her head to say:

”I guess I don't want one to-day,” and then Eliph' heard her open the door, and greet the newcomers as she welcomed them into the hall. They were Mrs. Tarbro-Smith and Susan, and, as Miss Sally hurried them up the stairs to remove their dusty hats, she leaned back and called to Eliph':

”You can get right out the door,” she said, ”it ain't shut. I guess I won't have no more time to spend listenin' to you to-day.”

For half an hour Eliph' waited, listening to the chatter of voices, and then he quietly stole from the house and stepped gently out of the yard.

There was no sense in waiting longer, and he knew it.

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