Mower County transcript. [volume] (Lansing, Minn.) 1868-1915, 1883-04-04
from Chambers Journal
q UITS.
"A Commercial Travellers Tale.

q UT S.
Commercial Travellers Tale.
Old commercial travellers will tell vo
that IN many respects the profession
nothing to what it was; though for on
own part we are inclined to think that i
many respects the profession has in
proved. The penny postage, the tele
graph, the enormous expansion of til
railway system, have wrought she
changes IN the mode of doing bushes
between town and country that in tn
commercial rooms of country town inn
where in the "good old days ~ scor
OF gentlemen would have assembled @
an evening, one nowadays meets but tw
or three. Much of its old characte,
also, has departed. Before the era O
railways, when men and horses Nigh
be detained at an inn for days by stres
OF weather or badness Of roads. iolIit,
and frec-and-easiness were a very pre-
valllng characteristic of the commercia
traveller; and the reckless jollity of tn,
fraternity-fora fraternity it was. almos
masonic in the rigidity of its rights ani
the exactness of its etiquette-passei
into proverb.
But to our story. There happened t.
be snug party of commercial gentle
men assembled in the commercial room
OF an mn IN one of our quaint south
country towns one winter evening few
years ago. The cloth had been removed
from the table, the customary repasts
had been duly honored, and the com.
pany, some half dozen in number. had
drawn their chairs round the fire. lit
their pipes, and each with his glass of
grog at his elbow had evidently made up
his mind to be as comfortable and "a
cosy as possible.
The conversation was being monopo.
hzed by Mr.. hicks, vulgar. puffy
faced, bald-headed man, with a large ex-
pause OF shlrt-front and much ostenta
tlous jewelry, who was standing with his
back to the fire, his hands tucked under
his coattails in the orthodox British
fashion. The other men, who were all
younger, were listening with the respect
due to representative of the old school
OF commercials, hazarding occasionally
an approving remark, ,lutifully laugh.
ing at every joke, but in no way inter
terlng with the great mans period.
"Ah!' he sale, vrinkling his fat brow
INTO series OF parallel creases, and gaz-
ing almost mournfrllly at the ceiling.
travelling amt what it was. There
amt no fun nowadays. You Young
gents don't know what it means. for
railroads have Knocked it all in the ed.
1t was something, can tell YOU. to turn
out Of warm bed at o'clock Of a win
ter's morning, and Jump into the trap
for twenty mile round before break
fast, SO that the Imposition shouldn't
get the start Of you. Nowadays you
Jump into your train with your hulsters
and your wraps and your mornin' paper,
and you take your time over matters az
comfortable as can be. You don't seem
to have the spirit we had, though we
worked and we had our fun, too, 1 can
tell you. You work but you don't seem
to have no time for fun"
''ln what way do you mean, sir?"
asked the boldest Of the audience,
"What way ?" repeated the great man.
why, mean the lodges and larks we
was up to-"
''What sort of lodges and larks?"
asked the other.
son, all sorts !'' replied the old gen.
tlemaD. "There's SO much humbup.
gin etiquette about nowadays. It's what
you call bad form for one gent to play |
trick upon another. I've known allsorts
o. things done. They used to hocus one
another's drink, SO as to make the hop
position sleep 'eavy the next morning:
lock their doors on the outside; change
their boots; tell the boots not to wake |
EN- until it was too late to DO anything;
and as We used to ave rather wet nights
in those days, I can tell you some Of us
required power O sleep to shake of |
the effects. It was considered fair and
above board to steal march in any way
upon gent who was working in the
same line; and there was much more
hoppo5ition then, although there may
be more competition now; because, you
see, such lots done by post and wire in
these days. Why, look at me; I 'aven't
been here for two years or more; but I |
know that when I go round to morrow
% see how the other travellers been get +
in on, shall get just as many orders
Is it I'D been regular all that time. Not
mat all my customers will know me; but
hey know the name of the firm-Rooker
Smoker of Dowgate 'Il-all that's quite
enough for EN-"
And were you ever tricked in any of
he ways you describe ?" asked another
Voupg commercial.
Me? me tricked? not me. Joseph
icks was always too wide awake. No; I
vas never caught" replied the young
nan. II once caught fellow in the
lact of taking the linch-iDs out of nv
zig; but l soon stopped his game, I can
ell you. That was at Charing-not
Jharingin London, but Cha1ing between
canterbury and Maidstone"
"And did you ever play any tricks
'ourself?" asked the first youn e man
Who had spoken.
Mr., Hicks slowly turned himself to-
Yards the speaker, and winking his eye
everal times, replied: 81 should Just
bout think I did-many and many a
ne. And now you remind me, I'll just
ell you about one played"
Mr.. Hicks having toasted himself to
lis entire satisfaction, now condescend-
d to let some of his: companions see
THAT the fire was like, settled himself
lowly and ponderously down into the
hair which, by prescriptive right be-
onged to the senior traveller in the
DOM, took long sip at his grog, and !
nth a preliminary clearing of the throat,
egan:
cit was in "forty-two,' and it's a
trange thing, but it was in this very
IDENTICAL place. There was cocky,
tuck-up young fellow of the name of
!rownsmith, travelling for Stokes &
Jokes, Great Tower Street, in the same
me as NINE. He 'adn't been ERE afore.
nd didn't know who I was; so 1 SAYS to
,yself, I'll just take rise out o. YOU.
~ young popinjay; see if I DON'T"
AT that moment the great mans mar
alive was interrupted by the entrance |
little old man dressed in black.
no, observing that the seats round the
re were occupied and that nobody Of
red to make room for him, sat down at
side table and commenced to write let
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