Show t 4 I HEWLITT ON OIL THE NORTH POLE BOLE BY ELLIS PARKER IJ It was after atter supper and the little book agent with the sandy sindy gray eray side whiskers Walk walked up UI t t to the house and rang rong tho belL b U He had hesitated a mo moment moment moment ment for he was wan not quite sure sure which of ot tho two houses the boy oy had pointed out as an the ministers house but when the door opened ox ened and he asked If ff 1 Mr Smith was In he ho was was told he was and was shown into the parlor He removed the oilcloth wrapper from his sample copy of ot Encyclopedia of ot Knowl Knowledge Knowledge Knowledge edge and Compendium of literature Science and Art and opened the book at page pago Texts Biblical The Art Artof Artof rt of ot Pulpit It Eloquence Hints for Ser Sermons Sermons Sermons mons etc and when whon Mr Smith entered the room he began his talk at once Mr Smith said mid Eliph h Hewlitt I have here a book that cannot fall to Interest a man occupying your position I 1 have sold it to ministers of ot the gospel from Maine alne to Mexico No minister can afford to too be without It Here on age we have Texts Biblical Hints tor Sermons Well Veil J guES guess you got Into the th wrong wrong house said the man I guess you was lookin for or the other Smith for the minister I aint no use for hints for tor sermons in my line lino of ot business Im Smith the Iceman ElIph Hewlitt coughed softly behind his hi hand and turned the page of his sample quickly k Certainly said Bald ElIph Hewlitt Just as I was saying Mr Smith this marvelous book contains between its Ifs two covers cover Information for minister or leeman iceman without regard to which he IsOno Is IsOne IsOne One Ono and aid and pleasure in Its rages For each there is something especially adapted Now hero on page p ge we have the map of t the polar re regions regions gions glons surrounding the pole the land of ot eternal Ice showing the furthest north reached up to dato d te by man woman or child with a red cross wherever a man froze to death and blue dots wherever one got i bit biti i Here Hera you QU see the glaciers solid rivers of ot Ice off oft which the icebergs r crack like leaves falling from the trees each Iceberg big enough to supply a town the size of this with ice for tor ten tn to twenty years Mr Smith the tho Iceman leaned over and looked at the map closely and then smiled 7 Polar regions hey he said I reckon all nIl the book b ok Is la Just j st as accurate as this here map map Is aint It Just as an accurate said EUph Eliph Hew H Hewlitt w litt promptly No pains has been spared to get It accurate In all points it H Is Just as accurate as that map Is Well said eald Mr Smith I dont want It ft It may do for some but I 1 sell Ice In this town with scales that took ten pounds one way or the tho other for granted and I use no book that guessed at nt things the way wa that map does Now there you have hae got the north pole marked on n the map that so That round black spot sp t is ts It aint Ites It ft Tea es ea said EUph It ap appears appears appears pears to be beHe beHe beHo He Ho removed his spectacles and wiped them and put them on again and looked at the round ro nd black spot critically Yes said Mr Smith scornfully there th re It Is ts and way down here half halt haltan an inch south of ot It Is the farthest north anybody has gone one There aint nobody been within half halt an Inch of ot that pole nor nr ever eer see ceo it nor ever eer touched it and yet bore hore It is marked down on this map snap That shows how accurate this book Is Nobody knows where wh re that north pole pate is or how It may have shifted shift shifted shifted ed around and yet you fellers go g and mark it on the map just to make the he map look complete If It I was getting up a map like this I would wait until somebody found out where the north pole was or whether there was WI one at atall atall atall all before I marked it on the map I dont say Im stuck on the north pole myself or care where It Is ts but If It I buy buya a book I want to have faith In the book and not buy one where things is Jabbed Into It regardless Just so SI you I i I I II I I i I I I S J I J ii I e I ll I t te J 1 v i l i I I H Hi I L I If I 1 f 1 BETTOR BEiT LR NO SKID HEWITT can say fay It has got everything In the world In It That north pole gives the whole thing away If It you called my attention to that I might have bought the hook book but I wont never buy buya a book with a map that shows where the north pole is when nobody knows for sure Its too suspicious Hewlitt took the book in his hand and held it close to his eyes he walked to the lamp lamn and looked at It still more closely Then Thel he took out his pocket knife and gently scratched the black dot from the faco fae of ot the map I was WR surprised Mr Smith lie Jie said pained and surprised when you spoke as you did For one minute my faith f In la this book wavered but I said to my myself myself self seU No GOBS Goss of ot New N w York Tork publishers of ot this admirable work would not put In a pole pate where none had been discovered They aim I said to keep this book up to the very latest moment adding new matter at enor enormous enormous enormous expense from week to week but It is not like them to stick In a north pole poke before It Is discovered If It they have done It my conscience nce will not al allow alrow a tow row me to sell this book any longer I will give up my life work But no They Thc would not tamper with the north I pole So 1 I looked closer I l took It to the light My heart began to beat again I was not mistaken in Goss It was not a north pole It was wasa a fly speck Then it aint got no north pole marked on It at all now said Mr Smith Absolutely none agreed Eliph We send out this book with without without without out any north pole marked on it and any time the north pole polo Is discovered the purchaser p of ot this volume volu e can mark markit it in where it ought to be bb beWell beWell Well if It It aint got no north pole I marked on n it I dont know as I want a I copy said Mr hir Smith A map map of ot them polar regions that dont show no north pole cant be much account as a work of reference It aint what I would call a complete work of ot refer reference ence erce Spose I should want to go to the north pole and I should sh ld take down this here book and go SO to look up where the north pole was and there no north pole In It what good would this book do me Sp se I 1 should want to branch out in the ice business and and stake out a claim for ice around the north pole The portieres at it the door leading into the dining room were pushed quickly I open ol m end and nd a stout woman with a rosy face ae stood before them William Wlliam Smith she exclaimed an angrily angrily angrily I wont have hae It I wont have you goIn off ot to that north pole and leavin one mo and all these poor children here hereto to look after your business I I wont have it and m you talk I goin for you cant go And I Ido dont do t you JOU sot there th and Jet et that man talk talt you into It either If It he wants ants to togo togo togo go and get froze let him but remember remember remember ber youve got me and the children and that all the ice business you need you youhao have hao got right here at home Now Sally said Mr Smith meek meekly meekly ly I I say I was going I Just said what If It I 1 wanted to go I was Just flunking of ot you and the children n all the time and looking ahead to see that you you would always be properly provided for tor Im Fm an ice man and the Ice lee bust busi business ness ress is iI my business and the way the winters sire are re getting warmer every year there Is no telling where here Ill have to go to get Ice leo some some of these days And If It Ive IV got to go o to the north pole to get it I dont want to take no chances of getting lost and never seeing you and the Ute children again If and I say If Sally if I go hunting for the north pole I want to know where It Is before I start I dont aim rom to go this year but b t I dont want to togo togo togo go thousands of ot miles mites looking for a north pole and not find it when w I get getto getto getto to It Foolishness exclaimed Mrs Smith shortly You dont want to go to the north pole pote William Smith and any anybody anybody anybody body that does is foolish What Whit all these Pear s and and the rest look to find when they get there Is Ismore Ismore ismore more than I can make dut I call it a waste of ot money Sally said the ice man with the tone of ota a man who is in all things womans superior all the matter with you Is you u dont understand what you are talking about A man mail like Mr Peary dont waste w ste time to looking kins for a north porth pole pote unless there is some sense in It No man with good sense sense is is going to tp go up there into them polar regions just for a pleasure a ure trip It aint attractive at attractive enough In iu the climate If It ho fIo wanted to he could coul stay right at home and get chilblains and have his ears froze and starve tarve and the ex cx ex expense pense penso pense of a polar vo voyage age If H a a gian man f an wants to eat candles for tor regular diet dl t he ho dont hav have to travel to do Jio it lt Them men that so go hunting the north pole pote have reasons and you try t to tell teU me they the I guess rm a good Am American rIcan and I can reason things thinS out as well as any other American and It stands to reason that them men men be so crazy to get t a look a athe atthe at atthe the north pole If there money in it It t Fiddlesticks said Mrs Mr Smith Uh scornfully I give five cents for all aU the tho north poles s In the world orld If It you was running a museum muse you U would said Mr r Smith There Them herB T aint But one north pole in the would world just jus I one and when youvee got that one you have got U I to be lie got ol l Job Holcomb get 40 tot for hie two e a a chicken And goodness knows how t m many ny chickens kens there thore Is hatched every year ear But there aint but butone bUtone butone one north pole I bet a museum would give gle to have th the only north pole Id pay ten fen cents myself to go and see It And n that aint all I guess govern government ment maybe offers a prize to the tho theman thoman theman man that finds It first firstI I should hope the government aint so foolish said Mrs Smith There The you go said the amiable Ice Iceman Iceman Iceman man talking before you think Of or course government offers a prize Aint men going out to find the north pole every year some In boats and some In balloons and ald some same in automobiles and every which way and getting lost and I frozen to death and starved to death And as long as the north pole pate aint found ana anS an back here her people will keep on going for tor It and getting en and starved to death And when government sees all them good citizens going off to die that way It makes gov government sick and it knows the th only way to stop it Is to hurry up and git the pole discovered and have It over ov r rand and done with So it offers otters a prize to get It discovered It does It to save sayo life I would do It myself If It I 1 was gov government government government If I knew what the prize was Jas JasI wasI I might give gle up the Ice business and go after atter that pole myself Well you do nothing of the kind said Mrs Irs Smith flatly Yes I would Vou d too said the Ice Iceman Iceman iceman man Once In a while I can have my myown myown myown own way I 1 guess without you saying whether I can or not I guess I can be my m own boss bo s once In a while Mrs Smith I wont be run over by no woman all the time And since you aim to be so set about it I 1 dont know but what Ill rl go and have a look for that pole oIe And I wont care whether you come along or not I guess there aint no better training for tor Artic ArUe exploring than being in the ice business Is Im I going to look the tiling thing g up anyhow He set his mouth firmly and turned to Eliph Hewlitt This book that you OU say sa has every everything everything everything thing in tho world in it does it give much about Artic Artie exploring he ask asked asked asked ed Could a man get all aU the pointers ha hz h would need from this book that thaU said Mrs Irs Smith quickly Is this man a tI book agent Do you mean to tell teU me William Smith that you have hae been wasting time here herewith hereWith herewith with a book agent North pole pale Go to your old north pole If It you OU want to but butone butone butone one thing I will tell you and that I Is that wont buy no more books off of of ot book agents You aint hardly got them you bought last paid for tor and we w dont d nt need no more books You Youcan Youcan Youcan can Just pack pa k up that book hook and go Mister eT t and not waste no nomore nomore nomore more of your time ime William Smith aint going to buy no books ElIph Hewlitt coughed gently behind his hand Perhaps he said to Mr Smith you had better bettor let your wife rule you in t this Although Altho lh the price of 01 this work which contains among tend ten thou thousand thousand thousand sand and one ono other things a full ac account account account count of all aU the Arctic explorations from the earliest e times timea to the t o present x resent day Is but 5 a month it 1 down aown and 1 a month until paid you may wish to pass it by If It the lady does not wish you to buy tho the book I will wilt hot urge you She says I believe that you are not going to buy huy any more mora books Her wow word and he te paused a moment is a laws law William said Mrs dent t you buy that t at book ook I think perhaps you yon bad better totter set net said Eliph EUph Hewlitt He said sud It softly and warningly Poor man his tn tens Implied you do not dare d re to buy boy ft h hand and the Ice IC man took the words as they were meant He laid a a dollar but bill Jn In Inthe the little book agents hand and looked baited at Mrs Irs Smith defiantly I dont think Ill do db anything about that north pole business this he said to EUph Eliph Hewlitt because beem be pretty busy with my toe los but Id like to read up on oa It i and mart martIll a aIll Ill start next winter I dont mt know all as allI asI a aI I will and I don dons know as I wont ICi It depends on how some soma people act 1 Ia the tte ta meantime Mrs Smith turned on en her hr heal std and left the room abruptly and tt u the Se Seman tee teeman ea eaman man winked at the tha book s Ma life leaned forward and sheltered his M ks with his hand and smiled a as b ke alt ok k his head I 1 aint really going he ha Copyright C lOOT by Ems Ellis Butler 41 |