The Marietta journal. [volume] (Marietta, Ga.) 1866-1909, 1876-08-25
GOING TO THE DOGS.

iCS0iNNN O"' O'i w u"Ji "i'
Leonard, said a customer, as he en-
tered the shop of a master mechanic.
we are sending out all our ac~
counts at this season. returned the
mechanic, bowling.
Il want to pay YOU
very well, Mr.. Baker, we are al
ways glad to get money
'But you must throw off some,
thing. Let me see'-and the custo>
mer drew out the bill--'twenty sew
en- dollars and forty-six cents -
Twenty-Five will do--there receipt
the bill and will pay you
But Leonard shook his head.
4 can't deduct cent from the
bill, Mr.. Baker. Every..article ia
charged at our regular price.
oh, yes you can. Just make it
twenty five dollars, even money!
Here it is And Baker counted
out the cash.
Il am sorry, Mr.. Baker, | cannot
afford to deduct anything. If you'd
owed me twenty-five dollars, your
bill would have been Just that ,
amount. | would not have added a
cent beyond what is due, nor can |
take anything less than my due
Then you won't deduct the odd
money
Il cannot, indeed
Very WELL The manner of the
customer was changed. He was
evidently offended. The bill is too
high by just them sum asked to-
have stricken off. But, no, matter,
| can pay it.
Then you mean to insinuate, said
the mechanic, wh) was an indepen>
dent sort of man, shat | am cheat
ing you out of two dollars and forty
six cents z
Il didn't say So
But it is plain that you think so,
or you wouldn't have asked an
abatement. If you consider my
charges just, you wouldn't dispute
them.
'Oh, never mind, never mind !
we'll not waste words about it.
Here's your money said Mr.. Baker
and he added another five dollar bill
to the sum he had laid down. The
mechanic receipted the account and
gave the change, both of which his
customer thrust into his pocket with
a petuIant air, and then turned away
and left the shop without another
word.
It's the last bill he will ever have
against me- muttered Baker to him~
self as he walked away. IF that is
his manner of treating his customers,
he'll soon go to the dogs. 1t was
downright insulting, and no gentle
man will stand that from another,
much less from a vulgar mechanic.
Mean to insinuate " Humph! Yes,
| did mean to insinuate = and Mr..
Baker, Involuntary quickeSed his
pace. He'll lose a good customer
he continued to himself. | have
paid him a great deal of money, but
it's the last dollar of mine he'll ever
handle
Baker was as good as his word.
He withdrew his custom from the
offending mechanic, and then gave
ii to another.
I've got one of your old customers
Leonard, said friend in the same
business, to the mechanic, some six
or eight months afterwards.
'Ah ! who is it
Baker
Leonard shrugged his shoulders
How came you to lose him I?
I'l tell you how to keep him
well, how?
IF your bill amounts to thirty doll
lars make it thirty three and few
odd cents by increasing some of the
items. He will want the surplus
knocked off, which you can afford to
do; then he will pay it and think
you just the man for him.
you lost him then because you
wouldn't abate anything from a true
bill
i did
Thank you. But suppose my
bill should be twentysix or seven,
or eight; what then9 | couldn't
knock off the odd dollars for the pur-
pose of making an even sum.
No. 10 that case you must add
on until you get above thirty
'Yes. 1t will be knocking off odd
dollars which he will think clear
gain.
That would be hardly honest
Hardly. But you must do it or
lose his custom some other day.
4 shall have to accommodate him,
| suppose. If he will be cheated, it
can't be helped
On the first bill Baker paid to his
new tradesman, he obtained an
abatement Of one dollar and ninety
cents odd money, but actually paid
three dollars more than was Justly
due. Stillhe was well nigh satisfied,
imagining he had made saving of
one dollar and ninety CENTS
The not over>scrupulous tradesman
laughed in his sleeve, and kept his
customer