Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1890-04-28
FORCED CHARITY.
New York Trihnna

New York Tribune.
"speaking of duns, said a dry goods drum
ner the Other night, ''there is no more persist
eDU dun than your charitable collector who per-
sists in presenting the needs of his or her "a fe
male collector is by far the worst worthy cause,
in season and out of season, with a polite indie
fatigability that is truly exssperating. The
ruder you are with them the more credit do they
take to themselves tOr travelling the straight and
thorny path, and the longer You hold out the
more you are expected 20 give in the end. By
far the best way, according to my experience, is
to aCqulesce the moment the collector opens her
mouth, ana You surprise her so that you can
come off with flying colors under cover Of very
small amount.
Some men are thrown into panic by this
class Of persons, and while they hate to give,
fear equally TO refuse, especially merchants
whose trade depends somewhat on their per
SOnal popularity in the community I remember
once when in Western city trying to sell goods
to an exceedingly stingy storekeeper, that the
man, while talking to me, suddenly thrown
into a state Of nervous fear by the clerk telling
him that there was lady in the front part of the
store who wanted to see him about a Christmas
tree for the orphans home.
d" 'Coniound the woman he said. DO you
know who she is?'
To said the clerk, and I guess she does
not know you, for she called me bv your name,
and when told her she was mistaken, apollo
gized by saying she had never met you
- Let me see her. said the merchant. as he
peeEeQ through 4 scratch IN the ground glass
partition OF his office she's alady,' he NUT
tered ruefully who has onlylately Joined our
church. Oh. hang 1t, L never was any good at
blufing lady
Now the Old curmudgeon had treated our
house shabby IN the only sale made TO
him, rival drummer had secured the cream of
his trade anyway, and / felt that l could afford
to vent 4 little OF my spite on him. SO 1 spoke
up with: Let me tackle her. I'm an expert in
dealing with these people. When IN home our
house always turns all of them over to me. 1
talk them blind and deaf. and I once made
one of them plank down 81 for q fund I pre-
tended TO be getting up fPr widow with ten
children, whose husbandI had been killed by
falling down our own elevator shaft. Just in
trOduCe me to her Mrl NJ, the owner of
the store, and / II get her out of here in ten min
utes as pleased as II you hsd grumblingly given
her $40.
.. ! don't like to try il. , said the old fellow
hesitatinglv. 1 nave a good deal of confidence
in your ability as a talker. but don t think you
can do much in this case
80 You just try me, 1 said as he walked to-
ward the woman, and before Mr.. NJ fully
realized II the clerk intrOdH heed me as Mr.. N,
while Mr. N himself drew away from her as
# she was dangerous and fell to counting the
money in the cash drawer silently.
- I come to ask you MR. N she began.
'to subscribe some hing to Christmas tree for
the Orphans Home. Weare hoping to
'sHDon't saw another werd. man =? broke in
I know ali about the home, and I wish merry
Christmas to every little duffer in it. Put me
turning sharply TO Nj NJ, give the lady SIS
out of the TILL and be quick about it. She has
good many places to 20 to-day, doubtless. on
her noble mission, and with my sweetest smile
I checked the pretty little woman's thanks and
stood by to watch the effect on old NJ.
He was struck dumb at first and could only
glare at both of US. Slowly he took it all in. He
was IN q bad hole and he knew it, Wha could
Re say, nothing, without making matters worse.
He could have got off with s. if he had relied on
himself, At the worst. and here had played
trick on him that would cost him five times that.
Slowly be counted the bills out and bitterly he
grudged each one.
- let me open the door for you, ma'am. I
said, as I led the way to the front entrance,
bowed the collector out. and stepped out after
old NJ A"9" s-'' ''o' - -s'--'lH 's-i'-'u VIII
- You viii pardon my saying so, Mr.. M
said the little woman with sly smile, but l am
gratefully surprised at your generosity. / am
stranger in this city. and was told that you were
s rather difficult person to approach and seldom
gave literally TO any cause.
- Don't believe all you hear replied. -
great deal depends on the collector, you know.
Whenever you want anything for the orphans
call around at my store and I'll chip in my
Whether old NJ sustained this reputa-
ton and how much it cost him 70 do it, not
to do II, never discovered. -
That's pretty good story, - said listener,
land it's not often that q collector finds the
way paved for her like that. But some of their
methods for overcoming the natural selfshness
Of mankind are worthy OF study. I remember
when l was running store OF nv own in a town
of about IL. 900 inhabitants effort made to
build q hospital. lot OF lndef2tIgable women
took hold OF the scheme and chose ono OF their
number. more indetstigable than all the rest, to
canvass the larger merchants Of the town and
see what they would contribute.
when she came TO me she produced sub
scrIptlOn list on which some fifteen or so OF my
fellow merchants had put themselves down for
$50 each: Nobody seemed 10 give less than
that, and the collector remarked that Mr..
A., whose name stood at the top. had
started the list with that sum. and the others
were evidently doing just as well in their bust
ness as he was, and were not going TO be
beaten By him in matter Of generosity.
10 worked vTida n the uSual deft
they have. and. though l could not well afford
II, did not want 10 seem less prosperous than
would have been more my size. but single 500
on that Unbroken list of $3.50, would look so
conspicuous that I hesitated, was lost, and
made No. Is to give quarter thousand.
THE next day met my cousin jim, VINO also
was in business for himself there, and as the
subject OF the proposed hospital came UP in con-
yeTSaIiOn, asked him how much he had SUBJ
scribed.
I gave S1OO,' he replied. I think that's
quite enough for man in my circumstances.
see you gave S250-the same as A, the
millionaire, and some other fellows. Are
you making more money than we think, old
- No. I said; 800 is Just what I thought of
Civ ing, but every body on the list had subscribed
$50 and hated TO be the first man 10 lower the
standard. Who was bold enough 10 break the
ice. anyway?'
:. Ice be jiggered.' he replied; why did you
not put your name down on the other ist?'
- Whit other lisr?' I replied in CONSERVATION
as the truth began TO dawn on me.
- Why the list of small subscribers, he said.
There are two lists to this thing, you see-one
for the subscriptions of $50 or more, and one
for those of less. l put down my 500 among a
lot OF s. and SO fellows and i shines out there
like gold nugget among gravel.
- Well, may heaven paint me s neat sky
blue said, If ever am bamboozled that way
again
Served you right, old man, laughed Jim
unfeelngly, for being willing to give more for
pride'S sake and the advertiser 1t than for
pure, unadulterated charity,
BaIIinger win Don City Attire.
Special 70 the Gazette.