, 1890-02-26

" ~ OASA0bI OkXCC MIX
mate 0fthe number of papers I should need.
AS n rule, | could dispose of about 200; but
If there was any special news from the seat
OF war. the sale ran mp TO 300 or over. Well
one day my cOmpOsitor brought me q proof
slip OF which nearly the whole was taken
up with a gigantic display head. 1t was
the trSt report OF the battle of PittSburg
Landing-atterward called Shiloh. you
know-and it CAV" the number Of killed
end wounded rs $4,000 men!
81 graSprd the situation mr. once. Here
was a chance for enormous sales, if only
the people along tn" line could know whaA
had happened it only they could see the
proof slip | was then reading! Suddenly an
ltira occurred to me. rushed off to thB
telegraph operator and gravely made n
proposition 70 him, which he received lust
as gravely. He, on his part, was to wire
t" each "t the principal stations on our
route asking the StatiOn.ma ter to chalk
upon the black bulletin b0ard-uSed for an.
nouilcln9 'hr times of arrival AMI depart.
ure at trains the news Of The great battle,
with lis accompanying slaughter. This he
was t" do 1T once; while a4rprd, in 70.
turn, t" supply him 'trep gratis, for no.
thing Il Harp"r'S Weekly, Il Harper's
Monthly and Il daily evening paper. during
the next ak months from that date. sHF
This bargain struck. ! began TO bethink
me how WIS to get enough papers to make
III" grand coup | intended. | had very little
cash, and ! feared, still less credit. went
t0 The superintendent of the delivery de-
parlmenl aud preferred "a modest request
for / ,O00 copies If the Free Press on trust.
But was not mucit Nulmi Used when nv
request was curly and grIlffly refused. In
those days, though, | was a pretty cheeky
boy, aud | fell desperate, for | saw a small
fortune i'll pl"Sprc' il my telegraph Operat.
- had kept his Word-L point on which I
was still ATT life douh lul. Nrrving myself
fnr q great stroke. marched. upstairs into
the offir of Wilbur +. Storey himself,
and asked to sec him. A few minutes later
l was shown il 10 him. told him who
was, and lhat | wanted 1900 copies of the
paper on credit. The tall, tIin, dark eyed.
aNcrtic looking man stared at me for q
moment. and tIlcu scratched i few words
on IA >llp Of paper. Take that downstairs
said he, and You will get what YOU want
Aud so I did. Then | felt happier thap [
have cvrr felt since.
Il took my ! 500 papers, got three boys
to help mr fold them, and mounted the
uain, all agog 10 find ont whether the tel.
egraph operator had kept his word. At
the Town where Our first stop was made l
usually sold iva papers. AZ the train
swung int" thu station | looked ahead and
thought here must be u riot going on. A
big crowd filled he platform, and az the
train drew up | began To realize that they
wanted my papers. Before We left | had
sold n hundred or twO at 5 cents apiece.
At the next : alton rhe place was fairly
black with people. 1 raised the ), ..nte, and
sold 800 papers at 10 cents each. So it
went on until Port Huron was reached.
Then | transferred my remaining STOCK to
the wagon which always waited for me
there, hired j. small boy to sit on the pile
of papers in the back uf The wagons al, to
discount ANY pilt0ring, and sold ont every
paper | had 1T IA quarter Of a'dhllar or more
per copy. remember II had passed
church full III wOrShiwsrs, aud stopped to
yell out my news. In 10 seconds there was
not Il soul lrtt in meeting. All Of them,
intending tn" p irSOn, were clustered ar0und
me bid ing against each other for copies
OF he preciOns paper. E. #.rrl
You can understand why it struck me
then that the telegraph must be about the
best thing going. tor il was the te~legraphio
notices on the bullrtin boards that had
lone the trick. | determined ut once to
become - telegra h operator. But lift
hadn't been for Wilbur F. Storey L should
never have fullr appreciated the wonders
of electrical sCieilct :" .t1 J0G EantB q
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