Evening Star Newspaper, July 5, 1936, Page 69

. Davis Pope quickly. Magazine Section question which the prospect must answer in the affirmative. This, ac- cording to Mr. Minch, put the -prospect in an affirmative frame of mind. However the woman in the red and green wrapper apparently had never heard of Mr. Minch’s theory. “What's that to you?'’ she inquired acidly. “You don’'t understand!” Mr. Minch’s pupil cried in an agony of exasperation. ‘‘That's why my com- pany is keenly desirous of having the opinions of a selected list-t of repre- sentative women relative to its new ° and revolutionary type washer — the Whee! T-they do not ask you to buy, consequently I have nothing to sell. They would esteem it a g-great favor if you would allow them to install this, t-their latest and greatest achieve- ment in your own home for ten days without cost.” “Wait a minute,” the woman said suddenly. “I'm coming down.” For the first time during the three hours he had been hitting the line for Whee! Washers, Jefferson Davis Pope smiled — a nervous, proud, trium- phant smile that revealed a good set of white teeth and pleasant blue eyes. As he waited, he thought of Mr. Minch and briefly reviewed in his mind, the points to be made in the order of their importance. The door opened. There was flash of white against the vivid red and green of the wrapper. The sound effect accompanying this clash of color was a deep seated growl. “Try to fool me, would you! Sic ‘em, Walter! The nerve of you peddlers.” The peddler backed slowly. Walter advanced menacingly. ‘‘You're mak- ing a big mistake!”’ young Mr. Fope cried desperately. “‘I'm not a peddler! 1 am offering you drudgeless Mon- days, whiter clothes with — ** The balance of Mr. Minch’s perora- tion was halted abruptly by a sudden charge ot the dog. Jefferson Davis Pope used the natural weapon of defence in such cases, his foot. It landed squarely. Walter howled in agony. The lady in the red and green wrapper screamed. A moment later the faltering canine was reinforced by a wildly waving broom. An alarming scream arose on the pleasant warmth of the May morning. “Murderer! Killer! Gunman!" It assailed the horrified ears of the young man. ‘‘Police!” Without regard to his dignity as a representative of a company whose task-lightening product was appre- ciated at its true worth all over the world, Jefferson Davis Pope turned and fled. Three o'clock. Jefferson Davis Pope pressed the bell, laboriously turned his lips up at the corners and adjusted his magnetic smile. The door opened, but not as most of the fifteen previous doors had opened. It swung wide without caution or suspicion. And framed in the doorway was a round-faced woman of ample girth, who rubbed her hands across the front of her checkered apron — and smiled! The rigor went out of Jefferson Davis Pope’s magnetism as he felt the friendliness which radiated from the prospect’s eyes. From the interior came the muted blare of a radio. “Good afternoon!” said Jefferson “My firm is keenly desirous of having the opinions of a selected list of representative women, such as yourself, relative to its new and revolutionary type washer — the Whee! They do not ask you to buy, consequently I have nothing to sell. They would esteem it a great favor — "’ “It's funny that you should be dropping in to see me just when I was needing a washer,” said the woman, pleasantly. “It’s a small world, isn’t wr “It's a happy carefree world, es- pecially on Mondays, if there is a Whee! in your home,”” Jefferson Davis Pope agreed with the renewed vigor born of the prospect’s obvious interest. “I hear it’s a very fine washer,” the big woman agreed with enthusiasm. * “Won't you step in, young man?"’ The open door! Jefferson Davis Pope took off his battered brown felt hat and followed the woman into a small parlor. The room was stuffy and untidy and filled with the coy blither- Ings of a female radio announcer. The lady snapped a switch and flooded the room with momentary silence. THIS WEEK His First Day “We had a Doublequix washer,” the prospect explained, as she lowered herself into a bright blue velour chair and waved a fleshy hand in the direc- tion of its companion piece — an overstuffed settee, ‘'but we’re sending it back because we weren’t satisfied.” Jefferson Davis Pope smiled be- nignly. From a side pocket of his blue suit he produced the latest Whee! circular with all the professional dex- terity of a magician bringing forth a rabbit. ““No matter what you found wrong with your old washer,” he con- fided as he extended the circular, “‘your satisfaction is guaranteed by all these new Whee! features.”” The heavy woman scanned the vivid pictures of the new Whee! with obvious interest. “It is beautiful!” she commented brightly. ‘It is the scientific washing achieve- ment of the century!” Jefferson Davis Pope assured her solemnly. “It has more value packed into it for seventy- three dollars than any washer made, regardless of price. And it is not only the fastest washer on the market to- day but it is the most thorough as well.” The eyes of the prospect brightened. ‘““Well just think of that,”” she mur- mured slowly. ‘‘And you want me to try it for ten days?"’ The Whee! representative nodded and smiled. “We do that because we know you’ll never let us take it back,” he admitted frankly. “Not only be- cause it means whiter clothes but be- cause it means whiter hands and a lighter spirit for you, Mrs. — Mrs. — "’ ““Mrs. Weker,” the lady supplied. * — Weker,” Jefferson Davis Pope went on warmly. ‘‘Thank you. My name is Pope. Now. ..."" A half hour later he carefully re- placed the slip of paper, signed in triplicate, in his inner pocket and arose. His eyes glittered with the light of the conqueror. He had rung the bell! He was a real salesman. Mr. Minch would undoubtedly . . . ““You look a little ill,”” the voice of Mrs. Weker drifted through the smil- ing picture of Mr. Minch. **Would you care for a glass of water?"’ Jefferson Davis Pope came back to the realities of the untidy little parlor with a start. He gulped and shook his head. “l — I was just thinking,”” he ex- plained lamely. ‘‘I'm really very well. I — I never felt better in all my life. It was very kind of you, Mrs. Weker. I'm sure, however, you'll never regret signing this tentative order.”” He held out his hand. Mrs. Weker pumped it vigorously. A moment later he was down the front steps. Even though it was nearly four o'clock the sun seemed brighter and cheerier than ever. A small sedan with the rear cut away to provide a small platform pulled up in front of the Weker residence as Jefferson Davis Pope reached the street. On the front door of the car was the golden symbol of the Doublequix Washer. A man in a gray suit and a derby opened the front door and got out. Jefferson Davis Pope gave him a fleeting smile of com- miseration. As is so often the case, the friendly little gesture was a mistake. ““‘What's biting you, Bright Eyes?”’ the man in the derby inquired jovially. Then his eyes hardened. “Listen, friend,” he said with coid finality, “if the lady has sent you out to give me a line of soft soap, I can give you an answer in two words. N-O. That washer goes back this afternoon unless the two back pay- ments are made. What are you, her son? If you are, I'll give you another little tip. You're not going to have that radio in there the day after to- morrow unless somebody comes across with the do-re-me. I was talking with the salesman for The City Music Company that sold her the radio and hesaid...” Jefferson Davis Pope walked slowly down the street. Under a sky that sud- denly had turned leaden, he slowly reached into the lower pocket of his blue coat, extracted three pieces of paper. He tore them into fragments and walked blindly on. Four o’clock. Jefferson Davis Pope Continved from page three still walked on, heedless of the dozens, even hundreds of houses he was pass- ing, that, by all the rules of Mr. Minch should open their doors and purses in the ratio of one in ten. Neighborhoods changed. Lawns grew more expansive. White paint became whiter. Jefferson Davis Pope, with Old Man Despond- ency riding high, wide and handsome on his young shoulders, paid no atten- tion to the change. He was a failure! It was all very well for Mr. Minch Misplaced speed sends the death- rate up. Just plain, reckless, needless haste. Records show that you are in greatest danger of a fatal acci- dent when you are driving straight ahead and are tempted to ‘‘step on it.” As your speedometer needle climbs, the time left to make correct decisions to save yourself SEND FOR FREE COPY OF “CALLING ALL DRIVERS" This 16-page illustrated booklet on better driving should be in the hands of experienced drivers as well as beginners. A single one of its many suggestions may prevent a serious accident. Address Book- let Department TW-736. to say that one swallow didn’t make a summer or that a man’s worth while who can always smile when everything goes dead wrong. What of Josie? So sure of him. So sure of the future . .. His future. Their future. What of Josie? A truck swung a huge black side into his startled face and a throaty bass bawled, ‘WhatsabigideeSleep- walker?” Jefferson Davis Pope stepped back to the curb. It was a mechanical move- Frenzied Driving ilously short. Last year the chief cause of auto- mobile accidents was that some- body drove too fast for the time and place. Accidents will decrease when every driver is resolved not to exceed the speed at which he knows he can stop his car in the face of an emergency. PUBLIC SAFETY COMMITTEES may obtain from us, without coet, suggestions for organizing safety drives; posters and booklets for local distribution; use of a pertinent mo- tion picture film; publicity topics; safety talks. Apply to Safety Sec- tion, address below. METROPOLITAN 1 ment suggesting no hasty scramble to preserve the joys of living. The shadows of life cloaked the departing day. He looked at his wrist-watch. The hands made it four forty-five. Still time to be chased by another dog, or have a door or two slammed shut in his face. Jefferson Davis Pope laughed bit- terly. Why not face the facts? He was a washout at twenty-four. Twenty- four! Pope was the kind of salesman that could only interest prospects with weak chins who sat in untidy parlors and bought things they couldn’t pay for. Was that a payoff? Ha-ha. Minch of course wouldn’t put it that way. For the first time since he (Continved on page 15) v, A from the other fellow’s mistake, or to stop your car, becomes per- ©tosem.r.1.c0. LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY FREDERICK H. ECKER, Chairman of the Board ONE MADISON AVENUE, NEW YORK, N.Y. LEROY A. LINCOLN, President