New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1896-08-23
SETTING THE FASHION.
STORY OF A FRONTIEhSMA"
KNEW HOW TO DEAL WITH .f..
HIS CUSTOMERS.

credit for he's Just now making pesihh'ns' -
he don't succeed in getting there sooner OF 49,
i'm be because the ability to drive good bargain
and to know a good thing when you see ~ "~~
ceas ed 10 be OF value in the world.
The speaker was s. u. winters, seh'e"""
whose goodness of heart prompts him TO speno ms
DAYS and nights explaining 10 benighted western
ers the immense advantages they may oer"e "
doing business with certain large cothins es.ao-
Ishment in the East The place war the co'r'uo's
Of the BInkley Hotel. OF this CITY, and MS auo'o's
were number Of philanthropiss engaged IN WORN
similar 10 his own The latter were unanimous IN
expressing themselves ~ anxious 10 hear more VI
this financial Napoleon Of the frontier
Ills name IL Bob Strong" continued Mr. WIN
ters and he lives I'm the great sheep ana ca.'c-
raising country southwest OF San Angelo. The nrst
time | ever met him was one hot June afternoon
on a train young man. dressed In typical cow
boy style but with an air OF soi"mnity on MS iics
that seemed rather unusual for a frontiersman.
approached me rather deferentlally and inquired:
Mister air you a drummer
II told him that | was
"'Whats yer line? was his next inquiry
Clothing. answered
For n moment ne fingered his hat brim nervous
~. as II in deep thought. and then. speaking win
an apparent effort he inquired;
'''Well have you got anything In your line 20
real darned. dead cheap as TO be an actill bar
gain?
At first I was about to tell him NO. but / hap
pened TO think of a customer of ours In San Angelo
who had recently failed. | was even then on my
way TO his town TO assist In winding up his affairs
| remembered that among other things we nad re-
Gently sent him two dozen suits OF clothes with
those ridiculously long-taed sack coats That were
In the height OF fashion only a short time back.
and then dropped so suddenly into well deserved
dIsfavor | had Il pretty good idea that our Gus
toner still had whole lot on hand for the Things
had never been very popular I'm Texas. even IN 'he
largest towns More In toxic than otherwise. i too
Mr.. Strong about them. and Informed him tnat ne
would take the whole lot he might have them Tor
q a suit They were not a very expensive line OK
goods IN the first place. and knew that tho
caprices OF fashion had destroyed all demand Tor
them I'm the East way. 50 thought snould
better get that mucn for them than nothing Much
to my surprise Bob made few inquiries about the
goods fumbled with his hat brim little more
and then said he guessed he'd take the whole lot
He named little onc-hOrse railroad station as me
place 10 which the goods should be shipped, and
agreed 10 pay the fun amount in cash when the
goods should be delivered While was making
note of the transaction in my notebook ventured
10 ask him VIII there was in the Town to whom
he could nably hope to sell such an ultra
Fashionable lire OF clothing
There amt nobody much in the town, he an
swercd with a soft drawl. but there's a powerful
lot of Mexican sheep-kerders Twin reasonable clost
around gti"S. them about the pest boys "
dump your duGs onto
Il thought 10 myself that Mexican sheep-herders
were the last people OH earth ! would try to sell
long-taied sack-coais 10. but made no comments.
II Mr. Bob Strong should be disappointed in his
customers. that was his lookout. Mine was merely
TO that got my 80 per suit. Accordingly.
promised to have the goods shipped 20 him on
certain day OF he following week. and promised
to come myself If could
THE fact Is. the more thought about the mae.
the NOR Interested in 1t became. wanted -
what kind Of arts Bob would use In persuading
his greasers TO buy such stun. When 1t came to
having the suits packed for shipment. concluded
TO send with ia. m a few little extra articles as Q
venture. | sent lot Of white yachting caps. and
a line of enormously tall standing collars. These
were articles which no ordinary mortal could per-
suade the average Texan to buy. and rather than
ship them back East. concluded TO let Mr.. Strong
try his genius upon them. | reasoned that the man
who coulG sell op-herders ongtailed could
sell them anything else he wanted to- When the APP
pointed day came found / could spare the time,
and hence tock local freight train for the station
Bob had named for When | reached the place
found him and about ATTY sheep-herders waiting
for Ills companions were all about half drunk.
and they gave me "a rather hilarious welcome I
aferward found out that he had sent out man
horse some days before TO visit every sheep
ranch within twenty miles " the place. lie had
informed the herd-rs that a certain day he
4
fresh from NewYork. and had promised free liquor
to every man who would come i'm AT the time APP
pointed. Bob now Introduced mo 10 The crowd as
Colonel Winters. told them thar owned the big
gest store ia New York and sOlemnly assured them
that | sold clothes TO Tho President and all his
Cabinet lie then appealed - me- TO know II tho
clothes I'm question were not Of the sery latest
fashion. and gravcly replied that NEWCOMERS
now were not wearing coats OF any other cut what
soeyer privately explained 10 hob about the coll
.Alf al lac Pc al ed
to take them at I'VE cents apiece" This was little.
but in my Judgment 1t was better than throwing
Thu, goods arrived on the same train that did,
and were soon carried up TO the back room Of one
OF the saloons of the place A. We walked up from
the depot had time 10 note that the town consist
ed OF some hali-dozen residences two stores, one
blacksmith shop. one church. and three saloons.
While the boxes were being opened. Bob expatiated
1T som" length on the advantages OF being able
10 buy your clothes straight from New-York In
stead Of having TO put up with secondhand. second
the times Then he found one fellow sober enough
10 Stmu TrisonnDN s, ana ,Ils' Sll, OF clothes
and not selected with the slightest references
stuck little White Yachting cap on the tor of ii his
head and fastened around his neck standing
GUILTY. scH 40 IN the 5 GeH .b 3
he was wearng' but fastened ii together in front
anyway. When had finished srrayIng his r on.
back, struck an attitude, and exclaimed 'BoyA
sight as that was saw before in ali Tsxssr
The boys all enthusiastically declared that there
never had been. and / agreed with them I was
sincere IN doing so. Beyond all question, there
Il soon found out that Bob had known what hs
was about I'm selecting day for the delivery of ths
goods The sheep-herders had been paid OF only
the day before. and hence they were still nusH
5ob explained that owing to special fayors he had
received from me he could afford to sell the clothes
al So suit. and the collars and caps al % cents
each This seemed 10 strike the crowd as ouite
reasonable, and In less than an hours time Eoh's
whole stock had been sold. Every purchaser TOOK
me things that Mr. Strong handed him. and forth
with proceeded 10 array himself Herewith When
the clothes gave out, some OF the grca~ers we're
nad because there hadn't been enough To- 20 ro,,nd
In sizing up the crowd after they ver, drsssaJ
In style; ! couldn't help thinking about the verse
III me Bible that says something about Solomon
IN all his glory was not arrayed 1ike one OF fhsse
II there had been photographer In the town I
would have had picture OF the crowd taken n n
had cost me $40 None OF the purchasers seemed