Evening star., 1896-08-15
THE HONEST RUSTIC.
Piano Drummer Tells How q Gus
toner Took In Several Thinxa.

A Piano Drummer Tells How q Gus
toner Took In Several Things.
Talk all you want to about the bunco
steerer and other sharpers Of the metropo-
lis. remarked a drummer the other even
ing 81 downtown hotel to a Star report
er. but some Of the sharpest of the sharps
are to be found in the country. Out among
the fields and lambs and sheep and other
innocent thirgs. don't you know"
That's because you don't expect to find
such sharpness among the rurals." ex-
planned the reporter, who was born and
raised in the country. and didn't like to see
his fellow-countrymen libeled.
Expecting 1t or not" insisted the drum
mer. 1.-The sharpness is there. just the same.
and Ii Is just as sharp. For instance" and
the drummer fixed himself for a longer
heat, some years ago, when I was a drum
mer In pianos. I'll tell you what an expe-
rience 1 had. Our house was one of the
big ones. 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 men who
don't advertise" interrupted the reporter.
Your also is sustained" said the drum
mer. and proceeded. "As L was saying.
we sold pianos right and left. and. as might
be expected. we picked up q bad customer
at frequent intervals. One of these had got
OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES piano on a small
spot cash payment balance monthly. on
the strength of farm we thought was his
also on his general reputation, which up to
this time had been as good as anybody's In
that community"
Like Ewes in the garden ?" yentured the
reporter.
Exactly" smiled the drummer. 'Tf the
devil had not tempted that hitherto ex
through in good shape. and just so with
our customer. A OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES
piano was more than he could stand, and
he went down before 1t. After his first
mo- ln foil
waited as long as was our practice. and
then sent word to him to return the piano,
as per contract. In due time the piano box,
IN as good trim as when we sent it. came
back. and we put 1t In stock A month
later 1t was shipped to another customer.
and we heard from 1t 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
Wedged solidly into the box. Ordinarily
We would not have been so careless, but
we were rushing things. and had to neglect
details. Now we had to make I'D for that
neglect, and 1 went after our bunco friend
in the country. He lived two hundred miles
away. and at short distance from the
small town to which We had shipped the
piano, which was on the railroad. Well,
l got there one morning about IL o'clock.
and, tackling the first driver 1 saw, I
asked him II he could take me to Jim Pc
ters' place. He was a nice. honest-ap-
pearing sort of a chap, and he told me Jim
had moved to another place. about twenty
miles away. and that 1 could only get there
by driving over five miles to another road
and go ahead on that to Jim's station. 1
paid him dollar to 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 we caught the train was only
crossing, and my driver tagged the ac-
commodation. the conductor nodding IA
miliariy to him 1 got aboard. AS the
train moved off, my driver drove briskly
away, and when the conductor came
around ten minutes later, / asked him If
he knew Jim Peters, and he almost toppled
over on me in his surprise. 'Why.-why,'
he stammered. that was Jim Peters drivin'
you Then 1t occurred to me that the
piano card on my satchel had given me
away, and Mr.. Peters had done the rest.
We tried to get the piano again." con-
ciuded the drummer. but we lost all trace
of 1t, and finally gave it up, and Mr.. Peters,
I presume. went with it,