Alma record. (Alma, Mich.) 1878-1928, 1891-03-20
PEANUT CRAFTINESS.
AN ITALIAN PEDDLER WHO UNDER
STANDS HUMAN NATURE.

"Maka de Mon"-How shrewd vender
Takes Advantage of the Wind and His
Companions' Ignorance.
A newspaper man who is fond of hot
roasted peanuts, and generally pur-
chases a pint of them daily from some
street vender in Park row, noticed on
one occasion that particularly swarthy
old Italian gave him better measure for
his money and also larger and more per-
feet nuts than any other. Accordingly,
being thrifty man, even in small
things, he resolved to deal with this fell
low exclusively. if possible.
The next day, however, as he descend
cd the stairway of the elevated railway
he missed the vender ut his accustomed
stand, and so purchased pint of pea
nuts, which subsequently, turned out TO
be rather worIny lot, from another son
of Italy. He had not got half way to
Broadway when he came across the gen
erous vender selling his wares rs usual,
but in a different place from the one he
occupied the day before.
The newspaper man did not want two
pints of peanuts, and in fact he had not
then discovered the wormy condition Of
his recent purchase, nevertheless made
a mental note of the new stand of his
chosen source of supply and passed
along.
DoDGING AROUND.
The next time he had occasion to go
through Park row he entered it from
Broadway. He looked about for his
peanut vender, expecting to find him at
the new stand, but he was not. His
honesty has banlcrupted him." solilo-
quized the newspaper man. 1T evil
IDENTIFY pays better to remain in one spot
and sell wormy nuts" So he purchased
from another vender and got among his
change plugged Canadian dime, which
a horsecar conductor subsequently re-
turned to him with loudly expressed
Scorn.
This thing happened several times.
The honest vender always shifted his
position and his would-be customer al
ways bought his nuts elsewhere. Final
ly it flashed into the mind of the news
paper man, whose brain was generally
80 busy with the big questions of the
day, that the circumstances just de-
scribed had hardly been noticed by him
at all up to that time, that this honest
vender was always in Park row, some
where between the elevated road and
Broadway, so he determined not to buy
any nuts till he came up to him, wher-
ever his chosen stand for the day might
be.
Accordingly, the next day he passed
several vendors before he came to the
shifting merchant, but was rewarded by
heaping measure of particularly fine
nuts.
"Why don't you stay in one place"
asked the newspaper man. Il like to
buy your nuts, and l would do SO every
day if could find you without so much
trouble. / really can't spare the time to
keep thinking of you and trifing pint
of nuts all the way from the elevated
road to Broadway. If / knew just
where you were l need only think of
you as pass your stand, and my mind
would DO that mechanically without in
terupting my other thoughts. See?"
"No unnerstanlo," said the Italian,
with bright smile.
THE SECRET OUT.
81 suppose not" said the other. "Why
don't you get one stand and stay there
like the other fellows?' he shouted, fall
ing into the popular belief that people
understand foreign tongue when it is
screamed at them more readily than
when it is whispered.
The Italian shrugged his shoulders.
"Tinka / get reglah customers he
asked with grin.
Certainly" said the adviser. Look
at me, for instance"
"Why you reglah customer of me
and not OF other fellahs: Lika de good
nut, eh?' and he showed his white teeth
from ear to ear.
"Well, that's So" replied the news
paper man with laugh. I'D deal with
you anyway, and you've found that out.
suppose you'll begin to treat me less
generously by degrees, now that you
think you've got me. But what makes
you shift about SO anyway? The others
don't DO it"
1.-THE wind" said the peddler, and
then he looked as if he had admitted too
much, and would say no more. But the
newspaper mans curiosity was aroused,
and after dealing with the man for a
week or two he won his confidence, and
finally learned what the wind had to do
with it.
"Well," said the Italian, still grinning,
AZ tell you. People dat lika de good nut
reglah follow me; people dat ika nut
once in while l follow dem. More of
dose don de odder Today wind blow
from dat Dago vender up de street, who
always stand in one place, to me, who
shift about. Man come along very busy
and pass his stand. Just as he go by he
get strong smell of roasta peanut. He
tinlz he like some, but no time to go back.
Plenty other fellahs,' he say. Den he
CONC to me and buy some. To-morra,
praps, wind blowa de odder way.
go odder side of Dago dat always
stand in one place, and l catcha de Gus
fomahs dat he cause wanta de nut. He
vx,-lyo da ouratita I oaka da mon ~