OCR Text |
Show The Bible Canvasser and the Fiddler. A bible canvasser recently called into a Detroit house to see if h couldn't sell a book. A small laino girl opened the door in answer to his knock, and just as he entered a man j sitting on the edge of a forlorn looking look-ing bed, raised a fiddle to his shoulder and commenced scraping out a tune. "Have you a bible in the house?" asked the canvasser, as he crossed the room. "Nary bibe !" answered the man; "and Old Dan Tucker Drearat a dream !" "Or a hymn book ?" continued the canvasser. "No, nary, and If you love me, MoIHp, darling, Let your tvnswor bo a kiss." I "I am agent for the sale of this bible," said the canvasser, taking the volume out of his satchel. ! "Couldn't buy one cover, and jOh, darkeys, how my hoart grows weary, I Sighing fur the old folks at home." J "I can stdl you the hook for a small amount down and the balance in weekly payments. A great jmauy " "Bibles are all right, but I've got a sire foot, and 'Twas a calm, still nijjht, ! And tlio mooa's palo light. " ' "If you do not care to read tho book younelf, you Bhould not refuse your child permission," replied the canvasser. "And the old woman's up stairs, sick with fever, and They took her off to Qwrgia To toil her life away." "But it seems hard to think that you are permitting yourself and family fam-ily to live in ignorance of religion " "BibuU U all right.and I'd encourage encour-age 'em if times wasn't so blasted H'i! ha! halyou and me, Littlo brown jug, doa't I lovo theo." "I have a smaller edition like this. You can have that by paying 50 cents down and 25 cent per week until paid up." "No iiso, stranger," replied the man; "there haint nothing to do, money is very tight, and I'vo wandered the wide world All over." "I wish you would cease that fiddling fid-dling and siuging for a moment, and let me talk to you," said the agent. "Bibuls ia all right, jou is all right, aud Oh! thia world ia;ad and droary, . Kvarywhero I room!" "Won't you stop for just one moment?" mo-ment?" "I'd like to oblige, but now's my reg'lar time for fiddling and singing, and Up in a balloon, boys, Up in a balloon." 'Then I can't sell you a bible7" "Don't look as if you could, for I'vft wandered through tho village, Tom, And Hnt beneath tho tree."' And the canvasser left tho house in despair, |