Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1899-08-17
HIS JOKES BRING TRADE.
A Kansas city shopkecpcr's Novel
Mode of Advertising.

At the end Of the Ninth street cable
line, across the Independence electric line
tracks, stands a little shop where George
Fl. Hough sells ice cream, watcrmclons,
candy, cigars, cold lunch, and IL you have
time and whiskcrs to spare he will give
you shave.
Hough Is talkative man, and he is do
ing n thriving business where others be-
fore him were not particularly successful.
He attributes his success to his unique
method of advertising. Not that he her
aids his wires, for in all his advertise
ments he rarely ever mentions merchan-
disc, but he goes on the theory that IL the
public gets interested in a unique idea
some Of it at least will want to see the
originator OF the plan and naturally buy
something
Hough bought two blackboards, each
4 feet long and Is inches wide, and hung
them on either side Of his store door, and
for three days they hung there black and
barren.
The children and others in the neigh
borhood came as usual, but saw new
face behind the counter. Their first and
most natural question was, HAS this
place changed handsW Hough answered
a polite yes, but the visitors became more
| numerous, so the next day ON one of the
blackboards appeared:
Eyes, this place has changed hands.
Come in and swap lies"
The opposite bore this suggestion:
| Don't wait until you get to the park
| to be cheated. Come in here"
Both signs attracted attention, but the
next evening those who passed that way
found the inscriptions changed and in
their places:
women appreciate rising young men,
especially in a street car"
The last word is the most dangerous
Show this to your wife"
The following evening everybody was
looking for the blackboard changes. They
came and were:
What are the two things in this life
for which n man is never prepared
Twins"
"lIow much ice cream can your best
girl eat? Rays arithmetic says one
galon--four quarts. Try it, Ten cents
dish"
The blackboards now began TO attra n
the attention of the passengers on tn,
electric line. No cars go by the place
that the travellers do not lean from thu
windows TO see what is posted.
The joke man was beginning to be rec
ognized as a regular thing. and here ar
some he has sprung on the public:
Some women can't believe a wor,
their husbands say unless they talk il
their sleep"
mo matter how poor n man is there wa
a time when he rode in his own car
riage--when his mother pushed it along.
What class of men are apt to MARI.
for money more than others? Clergy
men,"
"Stranger-Mr Conductor will hav
time to bid my wife goodhy? Conducto
I don't know. How long have you beef
married?'
"How did you happen to adopt tn
black board joke idea?" Mr.. Hough wa
asked.
, 81 hardly know" he replied. II want
ed something to attract attention, so
put up the board. The jokes are not al
original with me, but think the idea o
J advertising is"
Mr.. Hough declares he does not ow-
a joke book, but some of his jokes wer
favorites with the grandfathers Of man
who read them on his blackboards. Blu
jokes a joke and laugh is one Of tn
few things in the world that are wort
more than their weight in gold.-Kansa
, City Star.