The Arkansaw traveler., 1884-10-18

be returned, and the person who brougks the largest will receive the premium"
 don't sec where the great scheme comes in," said the boarder who always waDts to argue the matter, '4it will be weii worth Eve dollars to weigh and store the pumpkins and pst tags on them. and the more that are brought the worse he will be off."
 That's where you get left" replied Mugwump. "You have not had much experience in trading with grangers. They are all pretty well fixed up in that region now. and do 10, of.trzding' every Saturday or oftener at the village store. They like little fun, too, as well as any body, and are very proud if they have any farm product that is extra large or nice. That pumpkin business will catch 'em. They all raise pumpkins there. Why, I've seen fields after the corn had been cut where pumpkins were 50 thick you could hardly sec the ground. And some of them were as large"
 -Oh. 90 ahead with the scheme. You never know when to stop where you get to telling what you've seen," said the boardsf with eyeglasses.
 Well, the farmers for miles around will take in their biggest pumpkin, just for the fun of the thing, and the first move of the scheme IS made. The merchant, who is slick talker-a sort of magnetic man-meess him cordially. inquiries about his family and crops, praises his team, finds out where he vas born, eulogizes the good old Green Mountain or Granite State, as the case may be. and gets thor oughly well acquainted, if he was not be- fore. But, as rule, every merchant there knows all the farmers in the neigh borhood, and greets them as long lost brothers every time they come to tosn. The pumpkin Is duly tagged but not then weighed, as nobody IS to know the weight until the day appointed. Very likely the merchant will sell something to every other one of the contestants when they bring in their pumpkin, and 1t IS safe to say that most Of the others will buy something before the I5th Of Oc- tober. Tafy is cheap, and counts.
 When the day arrives, everything IS in engaged, and along in the afternoon the fun commences. The prize pumpkin oc- cupies prominent place, duly labeled with weight and owners name, (who has been previously notified by mall or per sonally, and requested not to put in his appeArance until late) while half dozen or SO O the next largest ones are also shown near by. Of course, if some farmer brings in the boss pumpkin that day, it knocks pat of the plan, but that is not very likeay to occur. The defeated con- testants take all in good part. smoke one of the merchants cigars, joke and laugh, and say: Well, swan, that's buster, aiatit; tha's some pumpkin, and <Pmis- take thought had pretty good one, but it's small potatoes compared te that one
 BeSors s.arting for home good share of them win buy coat or a pair of pants or something else for himself ss .Johany,r and the merchants casA-box viii be fuil and his slste crowded with charges that are jut as good as the wheat And when the granger gees his bundles to- gether and says, Wall, must be goin', or ! woot get home in time to do the chores,' the merchant shakes him cordial y by tho hand and says, 'TAere's your pumpkia, you know; m have Andrew tako 1t out to your Wagsn.'
 On, gou durn the pumpin-it ainh wuth talin' back; I've got more'n a mil- lion of 'en, more'n ! can feed cu, all winter. Keep ii, an welcome'
 That will be the way nearly of them will talk A few will, Of course, take back their pumpkins, for some graneers arc as close-6sted az a peanut peddler but most ofshem will not. The result is | that ios i've dollars and little work the | opens a brisk fall trade, and | has a supply of pumpkins on hand worth | much mose than tho outlay. expect to l near about the middle of October that he | aas made another encouragement that on md afses certain dase all who purchase ! twelve dollar suit of clothes wil be pre- 'ensed with Waterbury watch, chromo md punphis. hankseiving coming n the near future, that plaa wil start an- ,shes boom. What do you think of your FrenchmaD nowr'
 "Weu, the Beslin man seems to mayo he bulge on him, that's a hct" was the 'eply his scheme removes the dilaui- lated fabric fon o6 the shrubbery; but [ may not turn ont as well as you figure some people, you know, are down on all l Iuch expedients to catch trade. and | the old-fashioned conservative
 
 ike themselves"
 That's true" replied Magwump, but I'd like to have that merchants custom | rom nov until afser the holidays, all the | Iame.r
 The boarding house is becoming quite noted for its daily meal-time discussions, md Mugwump is the autorat
 There Shall be nc Alps.
 When Napoleon talked of invading italy one of his officers said ~ But, sire, the Alps" To an ordinary nan these would have seemed simply in- but Napoleon responded eagerly: There shall be no Alps" So he famous Sinplon pass was made. Disease, like mountain, stands in the say of fame, fortune and honor to many rho by Dr. hercc's "GoIden Medical