The Fulton County news. [volume] (McConnellsburg, Pa.) 1899-current, 1900-04-19

Matches For s. Each--Got Awav After
. Profitable Two Hours Work.
Ll ONT talk to me any more
about Dewey and Hobson
u and that fellow that swan
from Hong Kong to the
Philippines towing q regiment OF SOL
diers with his mouth" said Promoter
Pimley. They're mere innocent
babes alongside of tho fellow ! ran
across on my last trip West
''Do you know Stoughton, Wis. +?
| It's one of those towns with future
and one business street. I'd ruu up
from Chicago after an option on some
timber lands aud lay over there one
Saturday and Sunday. Saturday
afternoon / was hanging round the
hotel Office when man aud boy drove
up outside in buggy. The boy, who
worked in the town livery stable, got
down, unhitchel the horse aud led
him away, aud the man stood up aud
began to arrange and rearrnnge pack
ages on the buggy seat
''In about two minutes there was o
small crowd around him, aud in about
| fifteen minutes the crowd included
practically the entire male population
Of tho town. Bat the mau in the
buggy seemed oblivious of auy atteu-
tion. He rearranged his packages for
| fifteen minutes more without lookin :
up. Then suddenly he stood erect,
pushed his silk hat back on his head,
and held up n silver dollar.
=" Il have here, he said, "a United
States silver dollar. What gentleman
in the crowd will give me fifty cents
for it?'
"rhe crowd didn't seem to banker
after silver dollars at fifty cents
apiece.
Its perfectly good silver dol.
lar, urged the man in the buggy. III
any gentleman wishes to examine it
let him step right up. Besides, how
long do you suppose I'd bo outside of
State prison il / went about selling
counterfeit money in the public
streets?'
'Just then his eyes lighted on the
proprietor Of the hotel who was in the
crowd.
"T put up at your house last night,
didn't ~
eyes said tho hotel man.
" Did pay you with good money
this morniug?
"The hotel man said he thought
he did.
"'Well, step up here then and risk
fifty cents to start the ball a-rolling.
You may take my word for it, it's a
hundred per cent. Investment
''The hotel man laughed and final
ly came forward and gave him fifty
cents for the dollar The man in the
buggy Immediately held up the fifty
cents.
"'Ncw,' he said, who'll give me q
| quarter for this half dollarP'
"Fhis time 1t wasn't difficult to get
taker, aud the man IN the buggy
thereupon sold the quarter for fifteen
cents, the fifteen cents for dime,
and the dime for nickel. These last
bargains went like hot cakes. Then
he held up the nickel.
'Gentlemen, he said, Il want to
buy six matches for this five cents
''He got dozen or two offers. The
crowd seemed to bo grasping the
idea that they were trading on bull
market. The man in the buggy Sc
cured his matches aud held one up.
"'What gentleman he said, will
| give me dollar for this match?'
"This was new phase and tho bull
market took on conservative tone.
"Oh, know as we'll ns you do, ,
said the man, that that's a high
price to pay for match. You can
buy fifty boxes for the money. But,
gentlemen, these don't happen to be
ordinary matches, and somebody's
| going to give me dollar for each one
Of these six, and it's going 10 be the
best bargain he's made in long
time
"There was nothing CT the sales
man about the man in the buggy. He
was the prophet pure and simple. He
stated his case calmly and carelessly
like man who was not concerned
with the result. There was pause
for few moments; then somebody
handed mp dollar. The man in the
buggy folded the match in bit of
paper aud made the buyer step up to
the wheel. Then he poked it into his
vest pocket and said;
"'Now, you button your coat mp
over that, and stay right there, 80 I'll
know where you are when l want
you
''rhen he held up a second match,
aud sold one after another of the six
at dollar apiece in less than three
minutes. After that he pulled out a
five.dollar bill aud said he wanted to
buy three more matches with it, ard
the crowd tumbed over itself He
broke these matches in halves, and
began to sell these halves ut dollar
apiece. He disposed of three aud
then the market sagged again. But
the man in the buggy was not in the
least Disconnected. He broke the re-
naming halves into quarters and Of
fered the quarters at az apiece. The
crowd began to laugh. Then they
stopped laughing. The man in the
buggy said little or nothing, but
somehow he was hung as thick with
promises as Christmas tree. The
next thing the crowd knew he had
sold four of the quarters at 81 each.
Then the market halted again.
All right, gentlemen, just as you
say, said the man in the buggy. I've
/ ~ ...aN 100, ,k.I.