The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1885-03-11
THEY MAKE HIM A JUNIOR PARTNER.
! An Old Salesman Tells How Dry Goods Firms
Appreciate Valuable Services.
New York Sun.

Appreciate Valuable Services.
New York Sun.
''Do you see that appy-looking young fellow
over yonder at the end of the counter
label? Never was better chap lived. He was
a salesman that never lugged home less than
Sc, 600 year from the dry goods firm he sold for
I'm sorry for him. / thought he had a leveler
head than to get caught by 'em Poor Jack!
But that's the way it goes Nine out of ten of
the dry goods boys that have any snap in em
get caught in the same way
The speaker was an old dry goods salesman
himself. The person to whom he referred in
terms of such deep regret was a wide awake
looking young man who had anything but the
appearance of one who had gone wrong
''Went crookedf' inquired the reporter
Bless your heart, nor said the dry goods
man. Worse than that Well-that is-not
taken into this firm"
The speaker looked sorrowfully at the unfor-
tunate youth. The reporter laughed, for he
thought the dry goods man had gradually been
working his way up to what he intended for a
good joke
mo, honestly" said he ''It's fastcolor
fact. Smart lads like Jack get roped in the
same way every little while I've known scores
OF em to walk right into the trap. Jack is set
ting em up to the best there is in the house on
the strength Of his advancement. No. Z hat
has always been trife loose for Jack, but he
was never Junior partner before, and he feels
now as If q hat would pinch his head Tos
morrow he'll begin to think about taking house
ON the avenue, along with the rest of the mer-
chant princes. WE'LL that's all right Let him
feel good A year from now he'll be buying
beer, and inquiring around after a cheaper board
ing-house:
''Strikes you as being funny, don'tt It does
seem odd, that's fact. You see, it's this way
Every big dry goods store is bound to develop a
salesman now and then who is q little more of a
RATHER than some of his fellows in the store He
has trfle more of the adamantine in cheek
glibness of tongue, fertility in imagination, and
elasticity in conscience. Thus favored he neces-
sarily loads his customers up with more goods
than the ordinary salesman ID able to do with
his, and the result is that the first thing he
knows he is distributing something like half
million dollars worth of goods around the coun-
try every year, and pulling six or eight thou
sand dollars year out of the firms treasury for
doing it. The heads of dry goods houses are
tolerably fly. They have their eye on all stIug-
Cling young statesmen who are building up such
fine trades. Some fine day the firm says to
itself:
Sour young Mr.. Snap sold largely last wear.
Eight thousand dollars in salary and commits
sions! Bless my soul! An enterprieing young
man indeed. He must be encouraged
'Then, later on Mr. Snap is delighted to see
the benevolent head of the house approach him,
shake hands with him, ask after his health, and
so on. Well, we'll he thinks and begins to feel
his head grow Then the head of the house
AAAA@
down with him, talking and smiling My, my
thinks Mr.. Snap, and his head keeps on growing.
Presently the firm slaps Snap on the back in
respectful sort of way and says, in mellow, pen
etrating tones:
. Mr.. Snap, we have thought for some time
that you were altogether too valuable a man to
be kept among ordinary statesmen, and
snap begins to.swell up. He never noticed,
pe1ore, what common appearing, no account lot
OF rapscalllons his fellow. statesmen were.
"A 11a9f ha
benevolent head of the house, to let you into an
interest IN the house, to which your services en-
title you
1T is well that the firm has no more to say,
or poor Snaps skin could never hold him, for
he has swollen now verse than toadfsh rhe
upsnot IS snap goes into the firm, just like Jack
has over there, and he works harder than ever
to increase his trade He's a big man. Oh, he's
q daisy! The yearly settlements comes around
Snaps steps around to the office to pull out a
small fortune WE'LL the head of the house
says; Its been funny year. When you came
IN a year ago, Snap, we lnventoried those goods