The Republican. [volume] (Oakland, Md.) 1877-current, 1890-09-05
a DRUMMER'S TRICK.
How He Manages to Appear Liberal With-
out Going TO Amy Expense.

How He Manages to Appear LlDerai Nltn-
out Going to Amy Expense.
A drummer for large wholesale
clcthing house has trick which he says
saves him a great deal of money. lie
has to go around with retailers in small
country towns great deal. He finds
that an amount of display and eXtraVa-
rance is necessary IN order to convince
hem of the standing and generous
iealing of his house. This used to cost
aim great deal of money in travelling
expenses. He was expected to bear
great part of the expense of entertain
ng the men to whom he sold goods; he
nad to buy them drinks and cigars and
Jake them around. In the course OF this
le had to drink good deal himself. He
noticed that it was not so much the
amount of money that he spent, but the
show that he made with it which i'm
pressed them, and that it was more i'm
oortant to seem careless and generous
than really to spend great deal of
money.
One night he was with some retail
,lothiers and their friends drinking. He
had several small bills in his pocket.
He had been drinking a good deal him
self, and in reckless way pulled out
bill and lit cigar with it. Without
thinking he put out the light and stuck
The burned remnant in his waistcoat
pocket. He noticed how it impressed
The mon with whom he was. The bill
lid not amount to any more than the
price of q round of drinks or cigars, but
It made the eyes of his customers open
20 think that man should use money
n such a reckless way. The next day,
when he sobered up, he found the
burned bill in his pocket only one end
Of which had burned. He thought he
lad made fool of himself by throwing
iway good money. The idea occurred
20 him, however, that possibly he could
Jake the bill around to the sub-treasurJ
Ind get a new bill for it. So the mex
lime he was in town he took the burned
dill to the sub-treasury, where it was
,eadily exchanged for new one. The
dill had not been destroyed; it wal
plain what it's denomination, numbe
Ind issue were, and he had no trouble
n having it replaced.
The idea became strong in his mint
chat he might do this ostentatious anc
reckless act without having to pay fol
t. So the next time he was out with
several of his customers he bought
:ew rounds of drinks, and then began IL
reckless and careless way to burn W
one and two dollar bills. He took pains
20 put the bills back in his pocket, anG
lot to burn up enough of any one bill
20 destroy its redeemable qualities. lie
also told his customers eXtravaganf
stories about the percentage his house
Vas paying him, how cheap it was sell
.ng, and what liberal concessions he was
making to get rid of the stock which his
louse hand on hand. He found the trick
worked excellently. He has been try
ing it on ever since to a 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 the whole evening and then
threw them in cuspidor which he kept
by his chair, first putting them out be.
fore 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 the bills out, folded
them all up and redeemed them when
he next returned to New York. He has
gained the reputation of being one of
the most careless and extravagant men
on the road, without it costing him as
much for expenses with his custom
ers as it costs other statesmen who do
not burn I'D their money!. Y. Sun.