The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1895-07-20
Beggars, Peddlers, Canvassers
And Book Agents
Positively Not Admitted.

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS:
A few days ago a young business man
received the following note written on
postal card:
MY Dear Sir: Now in regard of our bus
mess. 1 shall be at liberty to see you
Monday, any time in the afternoon"
The address was in Washington street
and the name was totally unfamiliar. The
young man didn't like to throw away the
notihcation4it might be important-and
so he decided to look INTO the matter.
He had difficulty in finding the place
1t was in a dingy, half-vacant building,
and the Office Of the superintendent and
manager" as the writer of the card had
signed himself. was merely a little cubby
hole partitioned off on one of the floors.
Here the young man found a little
Frenchman, with high hair and a wide
black mustache curled at the ends.
well, I've come" ne said. What was
the business matter you wished to speak
about?"
"oh, you were here last week?"
mo"
Then the little Frenchman raised his
eyebrows, smiling and bowling with infin-
lite suavity.
Il have here" he said taking heavy
book from the table, "a most wonderful
Men and Women from Adam Down"
Then the little Frenchman warmed to
his subject, sung the virtues of his work,
its literary style, its illustrations it's
binding and he wound up suddenly with an
offer to make the young man his agent.
with exclusive territory and a guaranteed
income of from $40 to $500 a week.
When this tempting offer was declined
the little F'renchman tried to sell him a
copy of the work. He was sure II would
be a beautiful ornament for the parlor
table and liberal education for the chill
dren.
When the young man went out he saw
a line of other persons who had doubtless
been summoned by the adroit little French,
man.
But what of it?
If poor down-trodden book agent is not
allowed to go to the business man why
shouldn't he be given an opportunity to
make the business man come to him-if he
is shrewd enough to do 1t?
The life-insurance agent is another man
who is fertile in devices for reaching the
ear of the man who doesn't want to hear.
The other day Norris. VINO has an office
in Madison street, received a sharp, we'll
written business letter asking him if he
had received the writr's former communi-
cation with the Enclosures.
Now Norris had received no such letter,
and it was possible that the Enclosures re-
ferred to were checks. So he sat down and
answered the inquiry in the negative, ask
ing for a duplicate of the former letter,
with description of the Enclosures. He
suggested that letters and packages were
frequently lost in the mails.
The next day the postman threw a bulky
letter on his desk. He recognized the
writing as that of the Enclosures man and
he opened the letter with considerable in
terest.
Inside was letter explaining the new
tontine policy of the Live Forever Insur-
ance Company and number of circulars,
showing that the Live Forever had twice
the capital stock and three times the in
surance of the Pay and Die Company.
And Norris looked them all through-he
wouldn't have done it if they had come
to him in any other way
Another and more familiar device of
book agents and canvassers is to call their
intended victim up by telephone.
Il have an important matter of business
to speak to you about" he says. "Win
you be in your office at II o'clock?"
The unsuspecting business man answers
yes"
Before ringing off the agent remarks
that his name is Stuart.
AtI1 o'clock he appears at the office.
MY name is Stuart, and 1 have an en-
gagement with Mr.. Binks at this hour" |
he remarks to the dragon at the door.
OF course he is admitted at once. And |
when he is face to face with Binks and is |
saying: Il have here the most remarkable |
-" Binks hasn't half chance to escape. /
II she had been just an ordinary cleaner
Of silver this is what she would have said: |
Good morning madam. Have you any
silverware that needs cleaning? 1 am pre-
pared"
Then Mrs. Patterson would have calmly
closed the door in her face and gone back
10 her breakfast dishes.
But she wasn't an ordinary silver cleaner.
She had genius and originality.
For when Mrs. Patterson pulled down
her sleeves. tossed her apron on the plush
sofa and opened the door she said, smil-
ngly:
Mrs. Patterson. believe"
Then without waiting TO exchange fur
Their amenities she slipped quickly inside /