The Sedalia weekly bazoo. [volume] (Sedalia, Mo.) 187?-1904, 1882-10-10
BOOTBLACKING PROFITS.
Observations of q Philosophical
Member Of the Profession.

From the Cincinnati Gazette.
Hello, Charley, doing a good bust
ness now, suppose ?"
"Yes, doin' first rate Big crowds
here now. you know, and, of course,
we're workin' EN- purity lively"
Eyes, that's true. there are a good
many strangers in town now, and l
suppose you boys make a good deal
more money than you have been max
ing for some time. How much do
you make day? p
"Oh, So or So"
"Come, come, Charley, the Bethel
Sunday school doesn't seem to do you
much good"
"Shine, boss shine 'em up" said
Charley, as he ran across the street,
seeking man be took for stranger.
This dialogue took place between
reporter of the Gazette and one Of the
bootblacks he meets every day near
the Arcade entrance. He had been
very busy "shinin' 'em up" for a man,
and when he got through and ran
across the street, another one OF the
"boys" looked up from his work on
pair of No. los, and said:
That feller's 'guyin' you. He don't
make no SO a day. Never made that
much in his life in one day. He
thinks he's doing mighty we'll when
he makes So, even during the expo
sitiOn."
"You do make S., then, some
days"
"Oh, yes, / have made that much,
but it's a good deal oftener 50. Yer
see, pard, its OWN TO the fellers yer
happen ter strike. Now, if yer playin
ter good luck, yer may strike Teller
every time who will not think of givin'
yer less than a dime, and once in a
while some teller who'll give yer a
quarter. All right, boss" said the
boy to the man whose boots he has
finished backing. "Yer one of them
newspaper felIers, -aint YER" said be,
addressing himself to the reporter.
YES" was the answer.
81 thought so. ] can most always
tell EN-" said the boy. with a twinkle
in his eve. "But as was sayin'." I've
continued, "there's big difference in
men about pawn fur their shine. l
can always tell when I'm going to get
only nickel the minute a man wants
shine. The Teller who orders out
loud in a orderin' sort o way, slams
his foot into the box, and then is al
ways wantin' yer to shine this place
more, and that place more, and tryin'
to make yer think he knows more
about shinin' shoes than you do. them's
the fellers wbat'll give yer a dime and
want nickel change. They'll do it
every time. But you take one of
these fellers who speaks kindly to yer,
and lets yer shine 'em to suit yerself,
and ten to one he'll give yer u quarter,
and won't take any change. He'll
give yer a dime, any way.
"You seem to be very observant Of
human nature" said the reporter.
swell. guess we have enough ex-
perience with human nature, don't
We? [ tell yer, pard, We boys haint
no fools, if we are bootblacks. We
have to be observin', so we'll know
what kind 'er Teller we got an how to
work him
"How much do you boys make, on
an average?"
"Oh, about 81 or $3.50 a day."
"You ought to save some money
out of that. Do any of the boys save
money ?"
Eyes, some of 'em. Mighty few. /
know one Teller who's got about 5000
saved up. Yer see the boys are purity
wild, most of 'em, and they shoot
craps and throw pennies and dice.
and lose their money. Then they GO
into the gambling-rooms and play
hazard and of course, they never
win anything-they always Lose"
"Where are the best places to get
custom?"
Most anywhere on Vine street be-
tween Fourth and the Public Library.
Around Sixth and Vine, the Arcade
and Fountain Square you can always
find q bootblack."
The boys who frequent those
places make the most money, do they
not ?"
"Yes, but most of 'em sell papers
in the morning, besides shinin'. Them
fellers what do both make the most
money. Them places is where you
can get the best shine, too. Yer see.
that's what most people don't know.
They think any boy can shine shoe.
but there's something in KNOWN how
to DO it."