The Bottineau pioneer. (Bottineau, N.D.) 1885-1895, 1888-11-29
HE SOLD THE GOODS

HE SOLD THE GOODS
II
1T is great fun for me, z said y
prominent business man the other
day, ito recall my early experiences
on. tho road in the capacity Of acom1
mercial drummer. / was only about
seventeen years of age at the time.
One year previously ! had walked
away from school and answered an
advertisement calling fora bookkeep-
er. / made application for fireplace,
which was in a large tea and spice
establishment, although I knew as
much about keeping books as I did
about playing the organ in Trinity
Church. kept the books for about
two weeks, and got everything into
such a confused condition that / do
not think they were Strengthened out
for a year. As it happened, a day
or SO before the full measure of my
incompetency was discovered I was
down at the store rather early and
managed to sell a difficult customer
who came in a large bill ofgoods. This
pleased the proprietors Of the estab-
lishment, and they otonlycondoned
my bookkeeping offenses, but put
me down on the salary list as a sales
man. ] remained in the New York
store about a year, and was SO sue
cessful that they finally put me on
the road.
II remember striking a small vii
lage upon the Hudson shortly after
starting out. The shades of evening
were falling rapidly as the hotel
coach carried me from the railroad
station to the hosiery, and l deter
mined that I would not attempt to
do anything that night but secure
good nights rest.
During the evening, however,
got into conversation with two o.
three natives OF the village who were
standing around the hotel office,
and, as is quite customary with
young and inexperienced drummers,
| begansto refer rather boastfully to
the achievements I had made in the
way of sales. The natives seemed to
receive everything in good fa1th, and
one OF them proposed as q test of my
ability as q salesman that I should
go to store in the village and sell
the proprietor thereof, who loudly.
proclaimed his antipathy to all
drummers, a bill of goods. My pride
was touched, and I readily aged to
do it, and agreed also to wager SIS
on the result. Five minutes after
ward found me with my gripsack in
my hand on my way to the store
that had been referred to-, and be-
lore l could plan any campaign I
was inside the place. 1t was an or
binary village store, and as the time
speak of was in the middle Of winter
there was a red-hot stove in the mid
die of the floor and a dozen loungers
were sitting in a circle about it.
knowing,a as they did, the preiudices
of the proprietor with respect to
commercial men, my entrance was
greeted by significant smiles and
nudges and winks and whispered
comments passed around the circle.
[ didn't mind this but went up al.
once to the man who stood behind
the counter, who answered the de-
scription that had been given to me
of the proprietor of the store and
handed him my card.
HE took the card, and without
looking at it, slowly tore it into two
or three dozen pieces and scattered
it on the floor. The action was fol
lowed by a roar oflaughter from the
circle around the stove. But I was
not to be beaten yet.
"You shouldn't do that I saidR.
very quietly; Don't you know that
those cards cost money!"
"The proprietor glared at me for 81
moment, andthen turning to a young
clerk who stood behind the counter
q few feet away, he said: Give this
young man five cents to pay for that
card
"This grim sally brought another
explosion of laughter from the circle
around the stove, and a dozen pairs
of eyes looked over me curio usly to
see how / would take the rebuff. I
didn't take it at all. I took out nv
card case q second time, and selecting
another card offered it to the pro-
prietor. This made him mad and
he began to swear.
you mean, you impudent
young dog, by handing me another
card?' And he brought ishand down
with a good deal of force on the
counter.
".Oh, Ireplnd, 4 always give two
cards for five cents.
"This rather turned the laugh on
him, and after a moment he ioinedin
the laughter, and taking the card
read it.
IN talk with you a moment
he said, sifyouM come back in the
store here.
"You may be sure / went ack. He
told me that he had been buying
teas and spices from one house for q
long time, and that he was perfectly
satisfied with the fashion in whichN
they served him. He believed that
he got the lowest prices, and he
didn't care to change. / asked him
what prices he paid for various arti-
cles in my repertoire, and told what
sincerely believed that il. he didh,t
keep posted from contact with yari-