Wood County reporter. [volume] (Grand Rapids [i.e. Wisconsin Rapids], Wis.) 1857-1923, 1897-04-08
HE WAS AN HONEST RUSTIC.
Piano Drummer Tells How a Custo-
mer Took in Several Things.

| Talk all you want to about the
bunkosteerer and other sharpers of
the metropolis" remarked a drummer
the other evening at a downtown ho-
tel to reporter, but yet the sharp
est OF the sharps are to be found in the
country. Out among the fields and
lambs and sheep and other innocent
things, don't you know"
That's because you don't expect to
una such sharpers among the rurals."
! explained the reporter, who was born
anC raised in the country, and didn't
like &c see his fellow countrvmen
! libeled
Expecting it or not" insisted the
drummer, the sharpness is there,
just the same, and it is just as sharp.
For instance and the drummer fixed
himself for longer heat, some wears
ago when l was a drummer in pianos
Ii tell you what an experience I had.
| Our house was one of the big ones.
with an advertisement in every news
paper in the country, and the way we
sold pianos was a caution to snakes -
Also a tip to alleged businessmen
who don't advertise" interrupted the
reporter.
Your also is sustained" said the
! drummer, and proceeded. 'As was
saying, we sold pianos right and left.
and, as might be expected. we picked
up bad customer at frequent inter
walls. One of these had got 5000
piano on small spot cash payment
balance monthly, on the strength of
farm we thought was his, also on his
general reputation, which I'D to this
had been as good as anybodys in the
community"
Like Ewes in the garden?" ventur-
ed 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 5000
piano was more than he could stand.
and he went down before if After
his first payment he failed to respond
and we 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 it in stock. A month later
1t was shipped to another customer
and we heard from it soon to the eff
feet 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 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 up for the neglect. and I
went after our bunko friend in the
country. He lived two hundred miles
away, and at short distance from
the small town to which we had shin
ped the piano, which was on the rail-
road. Well, [ got there one morning
about IL o'clock, and, tackling the
first driver | saw, [ asked him if he
could take me to Jim Peters place. He
was nice, honest-appearing sort of a
SAAN"P, SAAN liz IOlu Jill Hdu luONcu
to another place, about twenty miles
, away. And that / could only get there
, by driving over five miles to another
road and 80 ahead on that to Jim's
station. ] paid him dollar to drive
me over, and he told me, as I had
never seen Mr.. Peters, to ask anybody,
and he would be pointed out as every
body knew him. The station where
we caught the train was only a cross
ing, and my driver tagged the accom-
mediation, the conductor nodding fam
iliarly to him as | got abroad AS the
train moved off my driver drove brisk
~ away, and when the conductor came
around ten minutes later, and l asked
him if he knew Jim Peters, and he
almost tOppled over on me in his sur
prise. 'Why-why,' he stammered
that was Jim Peters drivin' you
Then it 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" concluded the drummer, but
we lost all trace of it, and finally gave
l. up, and Mr.. Peters, | presume,
went with it.-Washington Star