Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1889-02-09
WHERE GooD-HUnoR won
How Drummer Who Kept His wits and
His Temper Made Sac.

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His Temper Made . Sac.
1T is great fun for me, said prom
inent New York business man the other
day, ITO recall my early experience on
the road in the capacity of q CONNER
cial drummer. I remember striking o
small village up the Hudson, shortly
after starting out. During the evening
at the hotel I got into conversation
with two or three natives of the village
who were standing around the Office,
and, as is quite customary with young
and inexperienced drummers, + began
to refer rather boastfully to the
achievements I had made in the way
of sales. The natives seemed to re-
ceiye everything in good faith, and one
of them proposed as test of my abil-
ity as a salesman that I should
go to store in the village
and sell the proprietor thereof, who
loudly proclaimed his antipathy to all
drummers, bill Of goods. My pride
was touched, and I readily agreed to
do it, and agreed also to wager SIS on
the result. Five minutes afterward
found me with my grip-sack in my hand
on my way to the store that had been
referred to, and before I could plan
any campaign I was inside the place.
It was an ordinary village store, and,
as the time I speak of was in the mid
die of the winter, there was q red-hot
stove in the middle of the floor, and
dozen loungers were sitting in circle
about it. Knowing, as they did, the
prejudices of the proprietor with re-
spect to commercial men, my entrance
was greeted with significant smiles and
nudges and winks, and whispered COM
ment passed around the circle. I didn't
mind this, but went up at once to the
man who stood behind the counter,
who answered the description that had
been given to ne 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 followed by
q roar of laughter from the circle
around the stove. But I was not to be
beaten yet.
"'You shouldn't do that said, very
quietly; don't you know that those
cards cost money!
"The proprietor glared at me for
and then, turning to young
clerk, who stood behind the counter
few feet away, he said: Give this
young man 5 cents to pay for that
card
"This grim sally brought another
explosion of laughter from the circle
around the stove, and a dozen pair of
eyes looked over me curiously to see
how I would take the rebuff. I didn't
take it at all. I took up my card case
D second time, and selecting another
card, offered it to the proprietor. This
made him mad, and he began to swear.
What do you mean, you impudent
young dog, by handing me another
cardP' And he brought his hand down
with good deal of force on the
"'Oh,' replied, Z always give two
cards for cents.
"This rather turned the laugh on
him, and after moment he joined in |
The laughter, and, taking the card,
read it.
"Ill talk with you moment, he said,
if you'll come back in the store here.
"You may be sure I went back. He
told me that he had been buying teas
and spices from one house for long
time. and that he was perfectly salts |
fed with the fashion in which they |
served him. He believed that he got |
the lowest prices, and he didn't care to |
change. I asked him what prices he |
paid for various articles in my roper
tory. and told him, what sincerely
believed, that if he didn't keep posted |
from contact with various representa-
lives of the trade, it was quite improb-
able that he got the lowest figures.
He told me what he was paying, and !
showed him that could sell the same |
goods at lower prices, and finally came
away with an order I won the wager |
If S. at the hotel, and the firm down in
New York, whose representatives had /
called on this man in previous seasons
without success, sent me an encourag-
ng letter."