The Meeker herald., 1897-06-05
THE HONEST FARMER.
Ho Is Simple and Unsuspccting, But Scoops
the Plano Drummer.

the Piano Drummer.
Talk all you want to about the
bunco steerers and other sharpers of
the metropolis" remarked drummer
the other evening at a downtown hotel
to Star reporter, "but some of the
sharpest of the sharps are to be found
and lambs and sheep and other inno-
cent things, don't you know
"Thats 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
fFummer, "the sharpness is there, just
the same, and it is just as sharp. For
tnstapce." and the drummer fixed him
- for q longer heat, "some years ago,
when was drummer in pianos, II!
tall you what an experience had. Our
Asuse 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 h"sA"nss mon
who don't ADVERTISE" interrupted the
aayiHH, ws psA pAaDos rIgnt md left,
and, as might he eEnsstea, we picked
up bad customer ut frequent inter-
walls. One of these had got $500 piano
on q small spot cash payment, bal
ance 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
the community"
Like Ewes in the garden ?" ventured
the reporter.
Exactly" smiled the drummer. If
the devil had not tempted that hitherto
exemplary female she would have come
through In good shape, md just so with
our customer. A 5000 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 Ms good trim as when we sent 1t,
came back, and we put it in stock. a
month later it was shipped to another
customer, and we heard from it 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 soldly
into the box. Ordinarily we would not
| have been 30 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
friend in the country. He lived 200
| OF Sh distance
from the small town to which we had
shipped the piano, which was on the
railroad. Well, I got there one morn
ing about II o'clock, and, tackling the
first driver l saw, 1 asked him II he
could take me to Jim Peters place. He
was nice, honest-appearing sort OF
chap. and he told me Jim had moved
to another place, about 20 miles away,
and that l could only get there by driv-
ing over five miles to another road and
20 ahead on that to Jim's station. l
paid him q dollar to drive me over, and
he told me, a. had never seen Mr.
Peters, to ask anybody, and he would be
pointed out, as everybody knew him.
The station where he caught the train
was only q crossing, and my driver
tagged the accommodation, the con-
ductor nodding familiarly to him Us
got aboard As the train moved OIL 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 driv'
ing YOU Then it occurred to me that
the piano card on my satchel had given
mo away, and Mr.. Peters had done the
rest. We tried to get the piano again
continued the drummer, "but we lost
ali trace of it, and finally gave it up
and Mr.. Peters, presume, went Will
it."-Wsshington Star.