The Dalles daily chronicle. [volume] (The Dalles, Or.) 1890-1948, 1897-07-06
The HONEST FARMER.
He Is Simple and Unsuspecting, But Scoops
the Piano Drummer.


E"Talk all YOU want to about the
bunco steerers and other sharpers of
the metropolis remarked drummer
the other evening at downtown hotel
TO a Star reporter, ''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 inno-
cent things, don't you know"
That's because you don't expect to
find such sharpness among the rurals,"
explained the reporter, who was born
and raised in the country, and didn't
like to see his fellow-countrymen Ii
beled.
.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 him
self for longer heat, ''some years ago,
when 1 was drummer in pianos, I'll
tell YOU what an experience 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 caution to snakes"
"AIso tip to alleged business men
who don't ADVERTISE" interrupted the
reporter.
"Your also is sustained" said the
drummer, and proceeded: 'As 1 was
saying, we sold pianos right and left,
and, as might be expected, we picked
up a bad customer at frequent inter
walls. One of these had got a $500 piano
on a small spot cash payment, bal
ance monthly, on the strength OF a
farm we thought was his, also on his
general reputation, which up 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. eff
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 more
than he could stand, and he went down
before it. 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 1t.
came back, and we put it i'll stock. A
month later it was shipped to another
customer, and we heard from it soon
to the effect that there wasn't any
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 de-
tails. Now we had to make up for
that neglect, and went after our bunco
4 friend in the country. He lived 200
miles away, and at a short distance
| 70 which had
shipped the piano, which was on the
railroad. Well, got there one morn
ing about II o'clock, and, tackling the
first driver 1 saw, L asked him II he
could take me to Jim Peters place. he
was a nice, honest-appearing sort OF
chap, and he told me Jim had moved
+o another place. about 20 miles away,
and that 1 could only get there by drlv-
ing over five miles to another road and
po ahead on that to Jim's station. ]
maid him a. dollar to drive me over, and
he told me, as I had never seen MI
Peters, to ask anybody, and he would be
pointed out, as everybody knew him
The station where he caught the train
was only crossing, and my driver
Tagged the accommodation, the con
ductor nodding familiarly to him as
got aboard. As the train moved off my
driver drove briskly away, and when
the conductor came around ten minutes
later. I asked him if he knew jim
Peters, and he almost toppled over OF
me in his surprise. 'Why-why,' ne
stammered, that was Jim Peters drlv
ING vou.' Then it occurred to me tina
the piano card on my satchel had give1
me away, and Mr.. Peters had done th'
rest. We tried to get the piano again.
continued the drummer, 'but we los
all trace of it, and finally gave 1T up
l and Mr.. Peters, 1 presume, went witt
it"-Washington Star.