The Wilmington daily Republican. (Wilmington, Del.) 1890-1902, 1897-01-26
TRIALS OF AN AGENT.
ONE DAYS BITTER EXPERIENCES OF
A MAN IN NEED.

Unable TO Find Other Employment, He
Undertook the Task of Peddiing He
Now Appeals to Housewives In Behalf
of the Chaps Who Ring the DoorbelI.
II perchance my reader Is busy house
wife whose patience and temper are sore
ly tried by the incessant ringing of buck
sters, peddlers, agents and the like, adj
lure her to stay her wrath, for these men
arc trying as best they can to gain living
from a hard and unsympathetic world.
And very poor living and very hard
world 1t is to these hapless waits of for
tune, many of whom are forced by hard
luck and poverty to take up this most I'M
pleasant employment. None, am sure, does
80 from choice. 1t Is this OBSERVATION.
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.
1t fell to the writer's lot, through cir
cumstances unnecessary to detail, that he
was forced to try to earn his bread by
any honest means he could. The 'ignis
fatuus' of promised employment had
lured him into the bog of pennilessness. l
knew that an agents lie was not rosy
one, but / had heard OF men making at
least living, and being young and
strong, why should not /? / looked around
for something to sell and finally CHANGED
upon safety pin. ! could get dozen for
80 cents, which could retail for 10 cents
each, quite nice profit, and visions of
dozens sold in day brought speedy solu
ton of my financial difficulties.
Never shall forget my sensation when
rang the first doorbell. could feel my
presence of two men on the opposite corner
l believe would have turned and fled. 1t
was too late The door opened, and before
me stood my first possible customer.
For a moment was too embarrassed to
speak; then I stammered, "Is-is-the
lady Of the house inf" (The proper formu-
la, | believe.) eyes SIR" she was. With
a grand effort I produced sample of my
pin and began: II have here, madam, a
new safety pin, an excellent thing for chill
dren; will positively not come unfastened,
cannot bend or break and which am SELL
ing at 10 cents would you take oneP" She
must have read my inexperience at
glance, for 1t was with smile she an
swered, "No, I do not need any; good
day" and the door was closed. Setback
No 1. 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
/ walked past few houses to brace up for
another trial.
Hardly had the bell ceased to jingle In
the place I was then trying when q win
dow raised, and In no gentle accents l
heard: "Get off my steps with your dirty
feet We don't want anything" got.
Although my shoes were neatly black
ened, felt as II had acres of mud OH
them. And meant Great heavens, If man
convicted of some cowardly crime could
feel more abject than did pity himl l
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 II 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. had thought that being neatly
dressed and as iattered myself of gen.
teel appearance l wolld not have the
agents stamp; now my disguise was torn
from me- and was scorned by oil men.
However, this was not going to do. My
last few cents were represented by these
wretobed pins, and sell them somehow
must l 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. 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 ut me, and had not
CHANGED upon my first customer would
have even then given up in despair At
the last house in the row CHEEKY little
woman answered the bell, and when l
showed her my attractive G) article she
was attention at once "Why, that is just
what want" Would wait minute I'M
til she got her purse? Would II would
havo waited hours. God bless her! The
word of encouragement and kind good day
was like water to a thirsty traveller.
That 10 cent piece she gave me would
not part with were l starving. l grew
hopeful again; had walked through two
blocks and sold one pin; time, 90 minutes.
l had II left Twenty-Five blocks and
hours and 40 minutes mere and all would
be gone. Doggedly went from door to
door, with defiant air that sadly belied
my feeling. really would have been sur
prised if had sold a pin, but l meant to
see the thing through to the bitter end.
Growing more and more tired and heart
sick, l kept on until dusk found me miles
from home 1t was not so much the in
ability to dispose of my stock in trade; 1t
was bitter feeling of resentment against
the callous hard hearted world that de-
prived me of desire or courage to face its
insult, rebuffs and thoughtless cruelty to
one so unfortunate as to bean agent
l have the II pins yet. Any one can
have them at cost, with lots of experience
thrown In. All l have to say to one EN-
barking on such career is, lose your
pride and constituencies, recognize in your
self an outcast and nuisance If you can
not, go and break stones onAthe highways.
Stones arc not harder than hearts to the