The daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1873-1877, 1875-03-15
Commercial Travellers.

ona hand and shawl in another. where
ors Won bound now ?" He was CONNER
c;sl traveller, and worked for one Of the
largest houses in the city. IL
Eyes" he replied, cheerfully, I'm OF
again., I'm always of, and never on. l
don't know my own wife. One OF these
days I'm going to stay at home long enough
to get acquitted with her if / can. She
seems to be nice kind Of q woman: I've
got to catch the train at Forty second street
in an hour jump in the car, and 60 . li.-
the only way can say how dye do to my
friends" 1 did as he requested, following
the biblical injunction, IF q man compel
YOU to 20 mile, 20 with him twain.
This is a queer sort of life you lead.
I said on being seated. Don't you ENJOY
going about seeing the country, living at
frst-class hotels, riding in palace cars, |
smoking the best cigars, flirting with all the
pretty Urls you meet, and, in word, max |
Ing q long spree of life, all at other peo-
PIES expense? Seems to me q CONNER
cial traveller has mighty easy berth Of it.
I'd like to be one, myself.
He listened to all I said with an amused
twinkle in his eye, and replied: well
now it is strange that about every man out
side the business has just exactly your idea
about (which is just exactly the wrong
one. There never was more incorrect
idea of the duties and animus of CONNER
cial travellers than the popular one. Why,
man aliyel" he said, spiritedly. You
mustn't suppose that the merchants OF
New York are idiots, or that they lose
sight Of US the moment we leave the store.
They know all about US, and we know that
they know it,and take care that they shan't
know any harm of US.
"Our calling is our bread and butter, and
we have to earn it by the hardest kind of
labor. You needn' laugh, ii is all SO. Bus
mess of all kinds nowadays Is done by
actual personal representation and solicita-
ton. A merchant has certain kinds OF
goods which he puts on the market; he
advertises them fully, and then follows
I'D his advertisements by his travellers,
and rakes in all he can. Commercial
travellers are more numerous to-day in
all lines than ever before. Where
ever you see q smart, active man going
from store TO store in suburban cities, talk.
ing with the proprietor confdentially, and
produ;iDg memorandum book ia which
he makes notes from time TO time, that
man is q commercial tourist. as we call
ourselves for fun, and is doing as much
business In his way for his house as they
do for themselves. No firm can get along
without them. Some have twenty travel
ers securing at the same time, and others
have two or three, according to their lint
and extent of trade. You spoke of seeing
the country You'd laugh if told you
that never saw Niagara Falls in my lif,
until was thirty FIVE years old, though
had been within two miles Of it hundred
of ,times! 1t is so. / never had time
At last was ashamed OF it, and absolute
~ took day, and wrote the house wa
going to the Falls on a spree. wen
there and stayed couple OF hours, anG
happening to think of a man l wanted I
city, and let the Falls 60 to pot; fact
when am on business / can't take an
pleasure in fun. | scarcely know on
place from another, except by the bus
ness houses in them, and as for scenery
the finest scene / know OF is merchal
calling at your hotel two or three times b
fore you arrive, wanting to know if u
haven't come yet, SO he can buy bill
goods of you, -
I'VE do stop at first, class hotels, al
we always get just as good accommodate
as, there are in the house, Why? B
cause we pay our bills; because we al
the biggest kind of walking advertiseme
for hotel; and the men who know he
10 Keep one UNDERSTAND Lnab TACT. v
can send hundreds of dollars worth
business to hotel,o or drive hundreds aw
from it, simply by reporting to each 9th
how we are treated. We get together
smoking cars and in our rooms nigh
and detail every mean act or petty ext(
ton, and you bet that landlords don't ma
any millions out of US by crowding Sol
of US have our regular looms-best fam
rooms, too-we occupy every month
years, and we always get them. eve
time, no matter who is in them. I
head walters know us like book, and
do the boys; and you bet We don't
any tenderloin steaks or broiled chickt
or birds and things Oh, no! they al
for usl ' 5E5.5-
Certain towns are celebrated for tn
mean hotels. Providence, r. l.. was
I'll a few years since the meanest of
mean houses, eight or nine years ago, '
the City Hotel For place of $4,000
habitants, it used to be wonder to us
such hole was in existence; but it v
the only one in town, and we had to 60
it. The boys got 80 they used to do tn
business up in day, end then 60 to B
ton fifty miles off, and stay, rather til
sleep in the town, believe it is bet
now. 1t makes a mighty difference t
man who works twelve and fourteen hol
day, as we do, talking and walking
the time. what kind of fare he gets
can't have any too good and sensi
firm knows it How is a man to have q
spunk or spirit in him after riding,
500 miles week, and talking all the tin
except when he's asleep, if he is disturb
by bugs, or fed on bull beef and Stops g
orally? He can't do it. Can't ride
miles a week, and do any busine
Young man. we work all day and ride
night That's the way we do it, except
big towns like Buffalo or Chicago; the
of course, it's different.
Samples yes, of course,we carry sa
pies some of us have half dozen
trunks full of 'em /; regular store in it,
to lug around. Dry goods, hats, boots
shoes men, all have 'em, and at the {
of their trips they sell the lot for W
they can get to some Cheap John trul
and all unless they are sample trul
and made on purpose for their busine
Some haye samples they carry in ha
and these are the worst of all. Cutl
men catch it heavy on these. They al
heavy enough to put in the baggage C
but they have to be toted round fir
store to store; weigh twenty-five poun
some of en- You take one of the
carry it all day in a country town or Ct
talk all the while, and perhaps make
sales after all-find some chap has b