Southwest-sentinel. [volume] (Silver City, N.M.) 1883-189?, 1893-06-27

Il
"It once cost me just $1,000, be-
sides the price of three bottles of
champagne, to learn that Yer
mont farmer was smarter than l
was" said the old fellow with a
well-fed air as he lighted fresh
cigar.
The speaker had been a brewer
in the earlier days, but he had re-
tired after he had put by COM
Portable sum, and at the age Of ~
he was still enjoying life.
Gone season." he continued,
"hops were scarce and all the brew
ers we're keeping a 9harp lookout
for any good ones which were put
on the market. Our agents in Bos-
ton telegraphed to me that man
down in Vermont had 100 bales of
just the kind that 1 wanted, and
1 started Immediately to buy them.
Now if 1 do say it myself, l do
not take a back seat from any one
when it comes to judging the quail
ity of hops. Well, l arrived at the
place where the owners of these
hops lived and I inspected what he
had for sale. They were the best
hops that 1 had seen that season.
The price which he asked for them,
60 cents a pound, was reasonable
for hops of that quality; in fact
1t was little less than the market
price. Not to let the old fellow see
that l was too anxious to get them,
l began to try and beat him down
a little on the price. The thought
struck me that perhaps 1 might
beat him down more if 1 could in
duce him to go to town and get
him little mellow" over a bottle
of champagne. The town was not
far awsy, and l suggested that he
go back with me, as my time was
limited, and if well struck a bar
gain on the way 1 would pay him
the cash for the hops before leav-
ing him.
"He consented and to town we
went. We stopped at the hotel. I
ordered bottle of champagne and
some good cigars. We drank
the wine and smoked the cigars. l
kept his glass full and he did not
seem at all bashful about taking all
that l gave him. He began to
warm up, and 1 thought 1 was go
ing to save the price of three or
four cases of wine at least. 1 sug-
gested that he ought to let me have
those hops for about 55 cents a
pound. 1 declare he raised the
price instead of lowering it, and
said he thought they were worth
81 cents. 1 laughed but it was no go,
and he insisted on 61 cents as the
price. 1 ordered another bottle of
wine. Again he drank all I gave
to him. When this bottle was fin
ished the price of hops had gone
up to go cents a pound. Things
were getting interesting The wine
had flushed the face ofthe old fell
low, but he woaid not come down
a quarter of a cent. In despera-
tion l tried another bottle of wine
and more cigars. The sparkling
fluid went down his throat like
water down a rat hole. He become
NOR eand more talkative, and 1
gained courage once more.
Well, said /, 4" we'd better close
the bargain on your first offer of
60 cents"
"Well, 1 think them hops are
worth about 65 cents, he replied.
81 argued and threatened not to
take them at all, but it was no
use. He was sharp enough to de-
tect the fact that 1 wanted those
hops and wanted them badly. He
would not bulge a bit, and 1 had
to pay 65 cents for them. The addi-
tional 5 cents on a pound made a
difference of $40 on every bale and
$1,000 on the 100 bales, besides
my wine and cigar bill Of nearly
"a