The Daily bulletin. [volume] (Honolulu [Hawaii]) 1882-1895, 1883-01-13
A GREAT SURPRISE.

cnctl, so that their breath was taken
away. Some unexpected good luck,
some stroke of business that turns
out better than they expected, often
has that effect. We remember Of IN
instance, the second week we were
in Milwaukee, which haunts us to
this day, and every time we see the
warm haired man who frightened us,
the cold cllills creep up our back.
We had moved here from La Crosse
with no very definite idea of how the
thing was going to pan out, but with
n firm determination to get living if
working day and night, and carrying
Il lunch in II tin box would do it. We
had been publishing a sort of GO
as-you-please paper at La Crosse,
with fair success, but with no csta-
blishcd business basis. If we got in
money enough to pay the express
charges on a bundle of paper it was
all right, and if we didn't We could
stand off the express messenger. He
knew we would pay it, or If we
didn't. he could pay it out of his
own pocket. If Il man subscribed for
the paper and paid for it, it was all
right, and if he didn't pay for it he
got the paper all the same, and every
body was satisfied. We had about
so much room for advertising, and
the business men had to fill the space
". th advertisements, whether they
paid for them or not. We would
advertise for them, and trade along,
and if we didn't trade enough there
would be something coming. and if
we traded too much, why, we could
owe the balance and not trade so
much the next year, and by jumping
accounts every few years things were
perfectly smooth, and nobody was
tlispleased. Very little money pas
sed between us and our customers,
except for white paper and express
charges. There were just groceries,
and meat markets, and stores and
wood yards enough, if they all did
their share, to make us a good living,
and if one of the hands wanted two
dollars all we had to do was to go
around collecting all the afternoon,
and if we didn't collect the money,
go down to the depot and borrow it
of lin McCarty. We never spent
four years when money troubled us
SO little as it did there. We owed
most everybody, and they knew it,
and they seemed to enjoy it. Any
way, none of them ever got mad, or
il they did We could take pencil
and piece of wrapping paper and
show them, in fifteen minutes, that
they were all wrong, and if we had
our just deserts they would owe us
three dollars, and after that they
would pay it, rather than have any
hard feelings, and when we left that
town there were lots of people that
were sorry. Honestly. they were
sorry. Well. when we had located
in Milwaukee, and had got the type
carried up stairs in Il milk pail, and
got out our paper. we arranged Il
card of rates for advertising. and
decided to take cash if it were posi-
BILE, though we had doubts about
ever getting II dollar. One day we
were sitting on y soap box, writing
something too funny for any kind
of use. when Il stout, sandy compile
Xioned man came in, asked for the
bald headed prevaricator, threw
down greasy paper Oh which was
written with lead pencil the following:
The best meats in the city, ut
lowest cash rates, II. Gray. No.
Grand Avenue We looked at it,,
and thought of our old liver advcr-
tiscmcnts mt La Crosse, where we
would give Il meat market man all
the space he wanted for II spare rib,
and were about to tell the man it
would bc all right, that we would
put it in and he could send some
sausage up to the house, when we
happened to think Of our new card
of rates. lie asked how much it
would he to put that advertisement
in for a year, in about an inchs pace.
We frowned, ms though little advcr-
tisemcnt like that was Of no account (,
looked ut the card and saw that it
would he twenty dollars, the way it
was figured. 1t seemed like high
way robbery, and our heart jumped
up into our throat, and we tried
three times before the words would
utter themselves, but finally said.
THAT will he twenty dollars" We
expected the man would offer us four
dollars, and pay it in pigs feet, OF