and looked upon him in full, the instincts of self protection and coquetry mingling confusedly in her brain i didn t say that, she said oh, he answered, in a very pleasing way and with an assumed air of mistake, i thought you did here was a type of the travelling canvasser for a manufacturing house a class which at that time was first being dubbed by the slang of the day drummers he came within the meaning of a still newer term, which had sprung into general use among americans in and which concisely expressed the thought of one whose dress or manners are calculated to elicit the admiration of susceptible young women a masher his suit was of a striped and crossed pattern of brown wool, new at that time, but since become familiar as a business suit the low crotch of the vest revealed a stiff shirt bosom of white and pink stripes from his coat sleeves protruded a pair of linen cuffs of the same pattern, fastened with large gold plate buttons, set with the common yellow agates known as cat s eyes his fingers bore several rings one, the ever enduring heavy seal and from his vest dangled a neat gold watch chain, from which was suspended the secret insignia of the order of elks the whole suit was rather tight fitting, and was finished off with heavy soled tan shoes, highly polished, and the grey fedora hat he was, for the order of intellect represented, attractive, and whatever he had to recommend him, you may be sure was not lost upon carrie, in this, her first glance lest this order of individual should permanently pass, let me put down some of the most ngcharacteristics of his most successful manner and method good clothes, of course, were the first essential, the things without which he was nothing a strong physical nature, actuated by a keen desire for the feminine, was the next a mind free of any consideration of the problems or forces of the world and actuated not by greed, but an insatiable love of variable pleasure his method was always simple its principal element was daring, backed, of course, by an intense desire and admiration for the sex let him meet with a young woman once and he would approach her with an air of kindly familiarity
