The Superior times. [volume] (Superior, Wis.) 1870-1912, 1884-02-02
in A MUSIC STORE.
The Buyers and Sellers of Pianos-E,.t =.
and Sharps.

anu SnarDS.
from the San Francisco Chronicle,
. think this one'll about suit Sarv >
said the old farmer, as the clerk of the
music store lifted the cover from the
piano and swept his finger rapidly and
showlly over the keys of the instrument
now running down on them after eleya.
ting his hands about two feet and then
executing fashy runs, arpeggios and
heavy chords in quick succession.
You are pleased with the tone
then asked the clerk.
Oh. guess SO. But the pertickle,
thing l like about that there pianner is
them legs. They are carved awfn]
pooty, amt they? Then that ginger
Dread lookln' rack there is etarnal fine
and the lookin'- glass polish of the hull
consarn can't be beat"
You're right" said the proprietor
coming up just then. 81 see Won rec.
ognize the fine points of an instru.
ment."
And bargain was made and the ri.
ano ordered to be shipped to Wheatland
by the next freight train.
=" Why do people who know SO little
about pianos trust themselves in pur.
chasing them ?" asked a Chronicle re.
porter, as the old man sauntered ont
upon the street.
That's mystery to me, replied the
music man. But there is a great
knack in selling instruments to such in.
dividuals. Probably that man who lust
went out never saw half a dozen pianos
IN his life. He didn't once look at the
makers name on the one he bought.
The majority of such buyers REQUIRE
more urging than he did, though. You
have to work some of these people in q
peculiar way. 1t requires considerable
Judgment to select an instrument that
accorcs in price to the purse of the
buyer; but when this has been done. LET
your clerk plant his foot on the loud
pedal and plunge into the 'Slvery
Waves or the Maiden's Prayer and
then stand back and allow your unso-
phlsticated customer to take everything
ID. If he throws out any sdmiring re-
marks or doubtful inquiries, no matter
how absurd, seize hold of those points
and work them for all they are worth.
He will want to sec the inside of the
machines, no doubt, and you must re.
move the whole front of the instrument,
If it is an upright, and let him gaze in
admiration at the white. and-red pieces
of felt in the hammers as they fly back
and forth in bewildering confusion unde,
the artful manipulation of the player,
He will probably touch a key or two
himself, though he knows nothing OF
music, and will be infinitely pleased
with his humping, telling you what
splendid players his darters 'Sary and
Marier are >"
"How about the psrvenu class of buy.
ers?"
Well, some of them are queer Gus.
toners, and we often have to tell them
all sorts of nonsense to induce a pur-
chase, as there Is generally nothing in
the house good enough for them. A
wealthy old Irish lady had to be told
that there was gold medal worth $500
sunk into the wood on the inside of the
piano before she concluded to take it.
Another did not think an instrument
fine enough, although it was represented
as having gold strings and costing 81, 900,
and one with silver strings and only
worth $500 was by far too common.
But what do you think of man in this
city who, on pretense of showing q
buyer how piano -fortes are made, takes
him into the wood steaming room, where
there is temperature of 1100, and &C.
cidentally shuts him in there till he
promises to buy an instrument ?"
"That's rough treatment. How
about country canvassers and the tricks
of the trade?" asked the interviewer.
swell, l can only give you what
have heard of the methods of this class,
as we employ no travelling agents our.
selves. Organs being the handiest tc
carry around, these follows usually get 8
large second hand stock in a warehouse.
These they have remodeled and reju.
venated. A country town of 5000 OF
4, 900 inhabitants is generally made their
base OF operations. Going to farm.
house they drive up to the front door,
and before the family knows what is ur
there is an agent playing an organ on
the front porch, while another is begin
ming an elaborate discourse on its merits
and cheapness. In nine cases out oil
ten the lady don't want an organ, al.
ready has one, or can't get hold of the
necessary coin. But the terms are sc
easy; all that Is required is the note OF
the farmer for the amount, payable in
six months. So the organ is left and
the one before In possession of the fam.
lily is probably given in part payment
for the new one. The old instrument is
then overhauled, the makers name is
changed and new coat of varnish is ap-
piled. when it is sold to an uususpecting
granger in the next township. In this
manner an organ is sold for $3.50 or 50 10
that wouldn't bring $75 in this city.
The notes received are Immediately dis
counted at the town bank and in few
weeks the dealers start for some new
field"
care there not also travelling piano
men? ?"
ooh, yes, and some of their tricks
will compare with those of the organ
sellers. What is your opinion of man
who urges rancher not to buy piano
of rival firm because they have wooden
sounding boards, or of an agent who
declares that the white celluloid keys OF
a competing dealers instruments will sc
change their color inside of year as
not to be distinguishable from the black
ones on the keyboard ?"
Glow about dealings in sheet music
Can you not recall some peculiar Cir
cumstances
Well, yes; you see we meet with q
great mass of well-intentioned but mis-
informed people in our every day ex-
periences in this line. Think of man
asking Cor 'Boccaccio's Musical Com.
positions when he wanted copy of the
famous opera bouffel Non Ever was
asked for by a young man yesterday,
and he received Non E Ver.' This
morning a young lady wanted 'bird
song, written by A. B. T. We gave hel
Abt's when the Swallows Homeward
Fly, and she went away contented. But
we get used to these things, and the
other day 1 saw a female clerk hand ovel
a song from Lucrezia Borgia, without 8
smile, when Lucy Busby' was asked
for. The Misery of Trovatore, the
'tryo' from Martha, and Campana's
Baracolla' are of common occurrence.
Higher Prices FOR Butter.
All dairymen who use Wells, Richardson a
Co.'s improved Butter Color, agree that It in
creases the value Of butter several cents
30