Walker Lake bulletin. (Hawthorne, Nev.) 1883-1926, 1896-12-30
THE HONEST FARMER.
He L. Simple and Unsuspecting, But scoop
the Piano Drummer.

ho ~ sifhPse ana Nnsuspecting, bnt scoops
the Piano Drummer.
Talk all YOU want to about the
bnnco stecrers and other sharpers OF
the metropolis" remarked q drummer
the other evening at downtown hotel
TO Star reporter, but Some Of the
sharpest of the sharps are to be found
in the country. Out among the helds
and lambs ard sheep and other inno-
cent things, don't you know"
That's because you don't expect to
find snch sharpness among the rurals,"
explained the reporter. W no was born
and raised in the country, and didn't
lie to see his llow-countrymcn Ii
beled
Expecting Il or not" insisted the
drummer, the sharpness is there, just
the same, and it Is just as sharp. For
instance" and the drummer fixed him
self for longer heat, some years ago,
when l was y drummer in pianos, ~!
tell you what an experience had. Our
house was one Of the big oues, with an
advertisement in every newspaper in
the country and the way we sold pianos
was a caution TO snakes"
Also tip TO alleged business Sucn
who don't advertise" interrupted the
reporter.
Your also is sustained" said the
drummer, and proceeded: AS / was
saying, we sold pianos right ana left,
and. as might be expected, we picked
mp bad customer at frequent inter
walls. One Of these had got $500 piano
on . snail spot cash payment. bal
ance monthly, on the strength of a
farm we thought was his, also on his
general reputation, which mp to this
time had been as good as anybody's in
the community"
Like Ewes in the garden ?" ventured
the reporter.
Exactly" smiled the drummer. "If
the devil had not tempted that hitherto
exemplary female she would have come
through in good shape, and just so with
our customer. A $500 piano was Gore
than he could stand, and he went down
before it. After his first payment he
failed to respond. and we waited az
long as was our practice, and then sent
word TO him 10 return the piano, as per
contract. In due time the piano box.
in al good trim a. when we sent it.
came back, and we put il III stock. A
month later it was shipped to another
customer, and we heard from it soon
to the effect that there wasn't any
piano there, but that the box was filled
with pieces Of wood and iron of about
the pianos weight, and wedgcd solidly
into tine box. Ordinarily We would not
have been so careless, but We were
rushing things, and had TO neglect de-
tails. Now We had TO make up for
that neglect, and went after our Gunco
friend in the country. He lived 200
miles away, and at q short distance
from the small town to which we had
shipped the piano, which was Gu tht
rnilroad. We'll. ! got there one morn
ing about IL O'Clock, aud. tackling thu
first driver | saw, l asked him II he
could take me to Jim Peters place. lie
wns nice, honest-appearing sort OF
chap, and he told ME Jim had moved
10 another place, about 20 miles away,
md that I could only get there by driv-
ing over five miles to another road and
20 ahead on that to Jim's station.
paid him q dollar 10 drive me over, and
he told me, as had never seen Mr..
Peters. to ask anybody, and he would be
pointed out, as everybody knew him.
The station where he caught the train
was only a crossing, and my driver
tagged the accommodation the con-
ductor noddLng Familiarity TO him as ]
got aboard. AS the train moved off my
driver drove briskly away, and when
the conductor came around ten minutes
later, / asked him II he knew Jim
Peters, and he almost toppled over on
me in his surprise. 'Why--why, he
stammered, that was Jim Peters driv-
ing you.' Then it occurred to me that
the piuno card on my satchel had given
me away, and Mr.. Peters had done the
rest. We tried to get the piano again.
continued the drummer, but we lost
all trace of it, and finally gave 1t up.
and Mr.. Peters, presume, went with
! it."-Washington Star.