River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1889-03-14
PEDDLERS' VICTIMS
In This One Instance, However. u
tIler Was the Victim.


He was a hustler from Hustle q,
and he had line of horse remedies to
sell. He talked horse and horse medi-
cines and patent bits and checks with
out success in Bonneville depot until
the Providence train came along. and
then he went along with the crowd
into the smoker. In the scramble for
seat he became detached from the
group 10 which he had been discours.
ing in the waiting-r room, and sat rather
discOnsolately in a corner of the car,
until a traveller Who got on at Swanzey
Station took a vacant seat just in front
of him. The newcomer was farmer
from the toes of his cOwhide boots to
the top Of his antiquated felt hat
"Ah. said the man with the Elixir
of Horse Life, shes my meat and
tapping the farmer upon the shoul-
der. he smiled d bewitching smile
and began off-hand to discourse upon
the remarkable weather, and incident
ally touched upon the effect of the
weather on horses and live stock in
general. The old man nodded his
head from time to time, smiled back
gOod-naturedly upon the voluble con
versationalist, but uttered no word.
Sufficiently encouraged, the medicine
man launched forth into descriptive
treatise on the various diseases of cat
tie, the old man aodding his head gen
tly, a peculiar smile upon his face,
while the passengers in the vicinity
stopped their private conversation to
listen to the learned man. When he
thought ne had his victim worked up
to the proper pitch, the peddler UNI
strapped his bag and brought out
bottle Of horse collie cure.
The old man shook his head. although
the vender almost swore il would
bring a dead horse back TO life. Put
ting up the collie cure he unwrapped a
box of hoOf ointment, and notwith-
standing the assurance that by its aid
the hoofs would positively last longer
than the horse, and that, although he
did not warrant il to make hair grow.
man out West who had accidentally
ribbed some of the ointment against "a
hitching post in front Of his house
found iue gray horse there the next
morning. and has the horse to this day,
having refused an offer of seven hum
bred and seventy-five dollars for it, the
old man steaGily shook his head and
smiled his peculiar smile. The pas
sengers We're all thoroughly interested
by this time. and the horse-cure man
evidently thought his reputation as a
salesman was at stake, for he
hauled out bottle after bottle and
box after box, vainly pleading
with the old man to buy any Of them
at his own price. The train vas slow
ing up at Warren. and the farmer had
gathered his coat about him. prepar-
ing to depart. when the peddler, in
fit Of desperation. thrust out a big bot
tie of collie cure and shouted; Here,
I'll give it to you" The old man
SAILED again, the same sweet, benev-
olsnt smile, and taking pad and PEN
ell from his pocket wrote something
on it, handed the paper to the peddler
and walked quietly out of the car.
The peddler stared a moment at the
writing and dropped back in his seat,
while the slip of paper huttered to the
floor. An inquisitive passenger picked
il up. On it was scrawlingly written:
81 am deaf Providence journal.