The morning news., 1888-07-26
A STREET FAKIR's STORY.
How Twenty Cents Enabled Him to
Travel From Iowa to Pennsylvania.
From. the Philadelphia Record.

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Travel From Iowa to Pennsylvania.
From the Philadelphia Record.
A barber shop is a great place for stories.
A few days ago well-dressed and prosper
ous-looking citizen, while awaiting his turn
to be shaved, put the loquacious barber to
the blush by his conversational powers and
caused all the customers to drop their
papers and become interested listeners. OF
one of his yarns reporter, who CHANGED to
be present, made q mental note. Here is the
story:
"0nce," said gentleman, II Travelled all
the way from Western Iowa to Western
Pennsylvania, riding on passenger trains
and stopping at good hotels, all on capi-
tai of 20 cents at the start. | found myself
in a remote Western village with only that
amount in my pocket and with no chance
if replenishing my purse except through
my own efforts. Something had to be done,
and acted on the first idea that entered my
head.
Going into a grocery | bought two big
bars of the cheapest soap which the mer-
chant had in stock. Then got a sheet of tin
foil and returned to the hotel where was
stopping. Cutting the soap into pieces
about two inches in length and half an inch
in thickness, | wrapped each piece in tin
foil, placed the stuff in a small hand sachel
and was then ready for business. | started
out and went from house to house peddhng
my wares | claimed that l had the
only genuine, reliable, aud never
failing preparation ever manufac
tured for removing grease from
articles of clothing without injury to the
fabric This invaluable compound | was
introducing to the housekeepers of that To-
cality at cost price, 25 cents per cake was
making nothing whatever by the operation.
The manufacturers, however, paid me a sal
arV and all my expenses, simply to intro
duce their goods. The result Of my talking
was that disposed of piece of that soap
at almost every house | visited. | worked
hard during the day and at night found
myself 81 25 better off, and still large
supply of the compound on hand.
"Not caring to re nam longer in that
plate, | settled my bill in the evening and
took the train for the next town There |
fell in with an impecunious stranger, who,
like myself, had had enough of western life
and was anxious to get back 10 the east and
taste the joys of civilization once more. lie
wanted to become my partner IN uslness,
and, as he was a wide-awake fellow, | at
once consented to the arrangement lie
WINS musician, and could sing and play
the violin His fiddle was about all that
he had left of the stuff he had broughtfroln
| the east, but it was a valuable acquisition.
We worked the street fakir' racket, stand
ing on a dry goods box at some prominent
| corner aud retailing our goods. / did the
talking, and lie amused the crowd with his
singing and playing. From that time for
ward, although we were sometimes out OF
soap we were never out of money. In
those days there were not so many ways Of
humbugging the public as at present, and
We got along splendidly. We put in the
summer at this business and reached our
homes in the fall several hundred dollars
richer. II | hadn't had conscientious
scruples against dishonest methods OF get
ting a living, probably would be in the
business yet