The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-04-01

YOUR eyes upon him. It is, plain that
you must risk everything and walk right
up 20 him. breaking over his regal re-
serve to place your business before MIN.
You have done so, ana now you Statu
before this august parsonage, VINO is
staring at you as if uncertain as to now
you came to obtrude yourself upon nlm'
and seeming TO be debating with rem.
self as to how he will dispose of your re-
mains after he has annthilated you tie
may now condescend to scrutinlze me
business card YOU have handed him, ana
may relax sufficiently to speak TO you.
You may now be thoroughly frightened,
but you must control yourself; rhls IS d
critical moment. On your life, do not lei
him discover your perturbation in LOOK,
act or word: if you do you are undone.
Just strive TO assume that AR OF non
ciaIance you might be expected TO assume
were You confronting the King OF the
Carnibal Islands, the accredited rep
resentatIve and minister plenipotentlary
of your government. You see the whole
matter thus far has been one or dlpio-
macy in which this autocrat OF the VII
lage store has been playing the leading
hand. Your turn now; he has been Strls-
ing all along to impress you Win ms
import lance. and you are now passing m
spection in his minds eye. Woe be 70 you
Happily this mercantile specimen IS the
exception, and not the rule, among those
whom a traveller meets by the wayside.
Even This fellow after YOU nave once
broken through the crust, may prove d
iolly good fellow, in his own way w men
he begins to warm up little you are
enabled to see that he has been simply
playing a part, and you find that ne Is
stamped with enough of the leaven OF
Lea !, ;1 NIL y
nary mortals FIe is unfortunate in his;
treatment of travelling men. however.
and YOU hear him unfavorably spoken of
by others. lie gets credit for being an
undesirable person to meet. Happily, ne
is not populous along your route.
HE WAS ..WoRKED."
New here is another specimen one meets
in his wanderings. He is the chap who
quotes tictitiousy low prices on goods,
that he has bought Ghis in a Whisper, the
fellow with the transparent lie on his
tongue. He wishes you ITO think that his
predominatinS shrewdness is such that
ne corners the market in buying. He Is
not the keen, shrewd business man, nor
the man we'll up in his lines. He discovers
this TO YOU unintentionaEy in the course
of his conversation, and you find yourself
disposed to rebuke him bluntly; but con-
troll yourself for the nonce-humorlnS his
bent pGtronizinSly, laughing inwardly
meantime. as you gather from
himself how he has been worked"
in business way, with leaders,
and has paid full price as interest for hI
presumption in deals with '.::lat fellow
ahead" This specimen, like the first. is
found along the way. at intervals, and is
entitled to pity, for he invokes depart
ure from plain business methods, and finds
his counterpart in Shrewlness in the
traveller, who bats his limited knowledge
with cut prices, only to recoup losses
where ignorance shields overcharge. This
method OF doing business could not obtain
with the There ugh-sofng merchant. blse IS
frequently Il questionable resort. in order
TO sell the last described dealer. VINO
may be STYLED the smart alleck of Insr-
camille life. He enjoys a marked diSttnc-
ton, not being so numerous as to appear
at all times and places, in fact, he is
among the raritieS. The astute traveller
readily recognizes him ard soon has him
seated upon the throne of his own SELF
conceit, by accepting apparently as gospel
truth all wiaful perverssons of fact that
this Smart alleck' may see fit to indulge
in. by way Of showing that the market
breaks whenever ne essays to 'bull
prices Meantime our traveler will be
mentally asserting his .soait for suckers
COME OFF =
Tho moral to be drawn from these two
pen pictures is an invitation TO come off
your perch. pretty birds"
Then there is the follow in business WHO
is manifestly out of place. He don't know,