The Hawaiian star. [volume] (Honolulu [Oahu]) 1893-1912, 1897-02-26
TRIALS OF AN AGENT.
ONE DAYS BITTER EXPERIENCES OF
4 MAN IN NEED.

Now Appeals to Housewives In Behalf
of the Chaps who Ring the Doorbell.
II perchnnce my reader Is busy house
wife whose patience and temper are sore.
ly tried by tho incessant ringing of huCl;-
sters, pcddIcrs, agents and the like, ad-
jure her to stay her wrath, for these men
are trying as best they can.tu gain u living
from II hard and unsympathetc world.
And a very poor living and very hard
world it is go these hapless waits of for
tune, many of whom are forced by hard
luck and poverty to take M this most I'M
pleasant employment None am sure does
SO from choice. 1t is this or-starvaton.
Too proud to beg too honest to steal, from
door to door the weary agent goes, meet.
ing with rebuffs and insults and callous
regard that cut mans heart to the
quick.
II fell to tho writer's lot through cir
cumstances unnecessary to detail, that 10
was forced to try to earn his bread by
any honest means be could. The "ignis
fntuus'' Of promised employment had
lured him into the bog of penniessness. l
knew ahut an agents life was not rosy
one, but l lad heard of men making at
least living, and, being young and
strong, why should rot /? looked around
for something to sell and finally CHANGED
upon safety pin. could get dozen for
go cents, which l could retail for 10 cents
each, quite nice profit, and visions of
dozens sold in Il day brought speedy solu
ton Of my financial difficulties.
| Never shall forget my sensation when
rang the first doorbell. j could feel my
checks burn, and had it not been for the
presence of two men on the opposite corner
/ believe would have turned and fled. 1t
was too late. The door opened, and before
me stood my first possible customer.
For moment was too embarrassed to
speak; then l stammered, "Is-is-the
lady of the house imp (The proper formu-
la, believe.) Eyes, SIR" she was. With
grand effort 1 produced a sample of my
pin and began: 81 have here, madam, q
new safety pin, an excellent thing for chill
dren; will positively not come unfastened,
cannot bend or break and which l am sell
ing at 10 cents; would you take oneP' She
must have read my inexperience at a
glance, for 1t was with a smile she an
swered, "No, l do not need any; good
day. and the door was closed. Setback
No. l. Well, next door perhaps they will
need some. No, they had no children. The
next had children but they didn't need
pins SO on to another; perhaps they were
pinless. Here l met no response to my
ringing, and lacking courage to ring again
l walked past few houses TO brace up for
another trial.
Hardly had the bell ceased to jingle In
the place 1 was then trying when a win
dow raised, and in no gentle accents /
heard: Get off my steps with your dirty
feet We don't want anything" 1 got.
Although my shoes were neatly black
ened felt as if l had acres of mud on
them. And mean! Great heavens, if a man
convicted of some cowardly crime could
feel more abiect than did l pity him! |
walked so fast to get away and cover my
modification that l passed out of the
block before could collect my senses. 1t
seemed to me as if every window held some
one watching me and that every one knew
my errand and had contempt for me. My
purpose was an honest one, but shame WAS
on me- l had thought that being neatly
dressed and as tlattered myself of gon-
teel appearance l would not have the
agents stamp; now my disguise was torn
from me, and was scorned by ali men.
However, this was not going to do. My
last few cents were represented by thesc
wretched pins, and sell them somehow
must. 1 soothed my injured feelings by
thoughts Of better luck, and, though sadly
lacking my former confidence, | started
on another row of houses. At some | was
listened to with patience. l fancied once
had customer. At Others | scarcely be-
gan before the stereOtyped "Don't want
any, came Time and again the door was
closed in my face at the first sign of my
calling, and at several places the house
holder contented herself with answering
from window My prospects Of selling
seemed to grow less and less.
While less sensitive than at the first,
was still haunted by the idea that every
, body was looking at me, and had / moi
CHANGED upon my first customer l would
have even then given up in despair. Al
the last house iii the row CHEEKY little
woman answered the bell, and when
showed her my attractive (P) article sht
was attention at once. "Why, that is JUS
what want" Would wait minute un
til she got her purse? Would |? l would
] have waited hours. God bless herl Tn,
word of encouragement and kind good da!
was like water to II thirsty traveller.
That 10 cent piece she gave me l woult
not part with were l starving l grew
hopeful again; had walked through TIVE
blocks and sold one pin; time 30 minutes
. l had II left. Twenty-Five blocks and |
be gone Doggehly went from door t.
door, with defiant air that sadly belize
= my feeling. | really would have been sur
prised if had sold a pin, but l meant t.
see the thing through to the bitter end
Growing moro and more tired and heart
sick, kept on until dusk found me mile
from home 1t was not so much the in
ability to dispose Of my stock in trade; j
was a bitter feeling of resentment agains
the callous, hard hearted world that de
prived me of desire or courage to face it
| insult, rebutfs and thoughtless cruelty t.
one so unfortunate as to bean agent.
J have the IL pins yet. Any one cal
have them ut cost, with lots of experienc
thrown In. All | have to say to one EN-
barking on such career Is, lose you
pride and constituencies, recognize in your
self an outcast and nuisance If you can
not, go and break stones on the highways
Stones are not harder than hearts to tn
unfortunate. Philadelphia Exchange.