The Roanoke times. [volume] (Roanoke, Va.) 1890-1895, 1890-11-18
a DRUMMER's TRICK.
How lie Manages to Appear Liberal With
on; G0ing to Any Expense.


Iioy: lie Manages to Appear Liberal with.
on: Going to ANY Expense.
A drummer for largo Wholesale
clothing house has u trick which no says
saves him great deal of money. lilo
has to go around with retailers i'll small
country towns a esroat deal. He finds
that an amount of display and extrava-
ganco is necessary in ordor to convince
them Of the standing and generous
dealing Of his house. This used to cost
him great deal of money i'll travelling
expenses. lIo was expected to bear
great part of tho expense of entertain
ing the mon to whom he sold goods; he
had to buy them drinks and cigars and
take them around. In tho course of this
he had to drink good deal himself He
noticed that it was not SO much the
amount OF money that he spont, but the
show that he made with it which i'm
pressed them, and that it was more i'm
portant to seem careless and generous
than really to spend great deal of
money.
One night no was with some retail
clothicrs and thoir friends drinking. He
had several small bills in his pocket
He had been drinking good deal him
self, and in reckless way pulled out a
bill and lit cigar with it. Without
thinking no put out the light and stuck
the burned remnant in his waistcoat
pociNv. he noticed how = isa;rN>srd
tho mon with whom no was. The bill
did not amount to any moro than tho
price of round of drinks or cigars, hut
it made tho eyes of his customers open
tO think mi cl,au1l
in such 4 reckless way. Tho next day,
when he sobcrcd UP, he found tho
burned bill in his pocket only one end
OF which had burned. He thought he
had made fool of himself by throwing
away good money The idea occurred
to him, however, that possibly he could
take tno bill around 10 tho sub-trcasury
and get now bill for it. So the ncxt
time he was III town he took the burned
bill TO tho sub-treasury, whero it was
readily exchanged for new one. The
bill had not been destroyed; it was
plain what its denomination, number
and issue were, and he had no trouble
in having it replaced.
The idea became strong in his mind
that he might do this ostcnta tious and
reckless act without having to pay for
it. SO the next time he was out will
several of his customers no bought
few rounds of drinks, and then began in
q reckless and careless way to burn up
one and two dollar bills. He took pains
to put the bills back in his pocket, and
not to burn up enough Of any one bill
to destroy its rcdcemablo qualities. lIo
also told his customers extravagant
StOrips about thp nprcoutoro bic houco
was paying him, how cheap it was sell
ing, and what liberal concessions he was
making 20 get rid of the stock which his
house hand on hand. He found the trick
worked oxccllently. Ilo has been try
ing it on ever since to greater or less
extent.
One night he held a card party of some
of his customers at his rooms at the no.
tel, and thinking that possibly they
might notice that he Immediately put
the bills out and put them back in his
pocket, he. used dollar bills for lighters
during tho whole evening and then
threw them in n cuspidor which he kept
by his chair, first putting them out be-
foro he threw them in, so that they
might not be burned up there After
his customers left he took the top off
the cupsidor, took tho bills out, folded
them all up and redeemed them whom
he next returned to New York lie has
gained the reputation Of being ono Of
tho most Careless and cxtravagant men
on the road, without it costing him as
much for expenses with his custom
crs as it costs other statesmen who dc
not burn up their money. N. y. Sun.