The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker RacesMicheaux, Oscar
General
The Forged Note: A Romance of the Darker Races
Micheaux, Oscar
African Americans -- Fiction
"This is _The Tempest_, a tale of the great northwest, in which we
follow the fortunes of this young man," and he showed his picture on the
frontispiece. In this same picture, people seldom recognized himself as
the hero. Before long, he had her order, and a half dozen more, and Slim
was enthusiastic. When they were on the street for a time again, Slim
said, with much admiration:
"_Man_, but you are _a_ salesman! The spiel and look you turn on these
cooks and maids and house girls, and everybody, is guaranteed to make
the dead take notice. I can never get over laughing when I think of the
old lady back there, the one who said: 'I am not decided yet as to
whether I shall take it,' Then you said, and as serious as she was: 'Let
me decide for you in this,'" and then he gave up to laughter for some
minutes.
"Think you can learn it?" said Sidney.
"I want you to let me take this house," said Slim, halting before an
imposing structure.
"All right," said Wyeth. "I'll wait for you. Don't get struck on the
house girl and stay too long."
Slim disappeared. A moment later, a noise and the barking of a vicious
dog came to Wyeth's ears, accompanied immediately by a scuffling. A
moment later, Slim emerged from the back way in very much of a hurry,
with a bull dog in close pursuit. When he was safe outside once more, he
looked about him dubiously. "I don't like this neighborhood!" he said.
"You mean _that_ neighborhood," laughed Wyeth. "Did you make a sale?"
"Make Hell!" cried Slim, still breathing heavily from his nervousness.
"Talk about making a sale with a bull dog barking at my heels!" They
had, by then, reached a street that led across town, and they turned
into this. Wyeth took a few orders, but Slim decided to dispense with
further canvassing until the morrow. Several times, Wyeth tried to steer
him into a yard, but always he observed that his eye wandered around
toward the rear, and since nearly every one kept some kind of a dog--the
most of which would rather play than anything else--it was hard to
reconcile Slim.
At last he managed to get him through a gate that was close to the rear
door, and, while he explained his mission to the cook, Slim gave the
house girl a good talk, but she smiled on him and said: "I purchased one
from the other gentleman already."
This served to relieve him at least, and also encouraged him to a more
concentrated effort later.
When they returned to the office, Slim was again full of the book
business. The next day he went out for himself. After a few houses had
been made, however, he must have met another "sociable" dog, for,
shortly afterward, Wyeth saw him depart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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