The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-09-15
TALES OF TOLL ROAD
OLD HIGHWAYS OF TRAVEL STILL
HAVE THEIR TRADITIONAL
CHARM
ODD WAYS OF MAKING LIVING
Residents OF Rural Communities
Follow Che vocations, Their
Fathers Pursued Before
Them.

)AOD!a
as to how people make living in tbe
rural districts says the New York SIN
Inns concerns not only the number and
variety of employments, but also meth
DDS. ii-e =
NO place in the world offers a better
opportunity for the study of wage earn
ing mankind than one of the old tprn-
pixies which lead from great cities for
uuIufeas OF miles toward the West. In
rue OF lew days you encounter more
queer things than you would meet in a
"Teh IN large center of population.
Every little store has its own stor;os
IT'S own CHARACTERISTICS ana its own anec-
u t, Ihe inns, the blacksmith saops.
the roll gates, possess their Deculiar5ties
ana make their contributions to tho stoalS
OF human curiosities.
IN spite Of modern TRANSPORTATION
lnethods, these old highways of travel
sui nave their traditional charm ON
.heH one meets drivers and dealers who
, poast that they are still dong the work
begun generations ago by their ancestors
and they have a sturdy nride in 49,.
dolily TO trace the family calling back
hundred years. Of this they ara as
proud as the members of the Revolution
"[y Socleties are of their family trees.
LOU may go INTO a tavern and find that
Lile keeper belongs to a tavern dar1ilv
ecfne OF the peddlers will tell Won how
utleS nave changed since their fa +per,
or thelr grandfathers worked along the
same routes. The tcllgate keeper has
the garrullty of his forefathers The
teanster sWears just as his grandfather
~ie hlt OF IUo years ago, save for a few
IIouefn improvements. Some of the men
mention brothers or relatives who +,a-a
gone out into the world. and made
names in wealth getting or in politics
Out there is seldom a tone of envy in
such references The old turnpike aoin q,
over nil and through valley with it's
stopping places for food and for d,,ink
ana with its constant change OF scene
ana incident fulffls their idea of earthly
happiness. 1t is not a very moral show.
and the language is apt to be marked bv
considerable profanity, but there is sharp
ness of wit and wealth of story to
tighten the miles,
All of those who have an employment.
and who work for a daily wage how
ever small, have a profane- contempt for
the tramp and the questions that are
put to him as to why he does not
work contain various expressions of en-
phaSls that could not be printed in a
family newspaper. The tramp realizes
that he is everybody's enemy, and tries
to keep as far away as possible from
his critics. Very seldom does he raise
his voice in protest, for he is reason
ably sure of getting a sound thrashing
in the good old way; the travellers of
! the pixies have strong fists and know
how to use them. Comparatively few
of them carry firearms, and when a
! revolver is produced in any fight the fin
ger of sccrn is generally pointed at the
owner.
Next to tramps the person most looked
! down upon is probably the seller of gilt
framed pictures, cheap books and sub
scription schemes. An old fellow who
! for years earned his living as a three
| card-monte sharp related this eXpe-
rience:
Business had got little dull and
had time to think over things, and SO
one day I decided to give up the old
/ game and try tic earn a living in a diff
! ferent way. So 1 bought some of these
| yere chromos with lot of color in them
| and frames around them that looked like
/ they were made of SO gold pieces. They
| cost me 67 cents a piece, and the scheme
| was to sell the $40 work all the way from
| S. to as much as you could get for it.
We'll. 1 started out and found a poor
woman who would listen to my prayer,
| and I showed her one of the pictures
with a lot of angels and such in it.
J
! clear gain of 1888 [ went on down the
| pike and the more [ thought of it, the
more that poor womans face haunted
me, and l just couldn't stand it. 1 turn
| ed on my heels, went back and told her
! that 1 had swindled her and she got to
I crying and I'll be doggoned if it didn't
end in my giving her the picture for
| nothing. Then I sold out the rest for ST
! apiece to a storelleeper and stopped.
| been good enough for me- 1t is a little
slow sometimes, but it seems TO me to he
more honest. for / don't get the money
! of poor working women, and anyhow it's
my trade"
TITS such an old thing was suggest
ed; where Go you find customers?'
MY friend was the reply, you sec
! that sun up there? Well, every time that
| shines new sucker is born and the only
trouble is to find him and get what mes
got"
A small, smart. active, black mus
! tached man whose age might be any
where from twenty-five to forty, stopped
in front of one of the inns. He was
! travelling in a covered wagon. After he
secured his refreshrne he sat down anc
! enjoyed conversation, and then told hi:
story. He sold cheap cigars by sample
to the dealers at the crossroads and sma.
as little as IS cents a hundred, and the
| highest point Of extravaganza was
three-doll2r- a-hundred cigar which re.
tailed at five cents each.
well, he said, 81 have got even witt
/ that fellow who reported me to the
authorities. You know the law lets yo,
sell cigars by sample, but you can't de
liver them at the same time. and on m,
| last trip, not wanting to take the drive
! 7 or he rio A.
part of my wagon-woildn't be surprised
if l had some there now-and / went tt
the stores and sold my sample accord
ing to the law. Then | drove around 2
| block and in about two minutes delivered
the goods wasn't cheating anybody al
all 1t may have been little out OF
the ordinary, but the government got al
| that was coming to it and l was s'nnpll
doing things for my own convenience. but
4 it seems l cut into the trade of fell
low who makes cigars at Blanktown an6
he reported me. All l got was a warn
/ ing, but ! was mad and l made up my
mind TO get even if it took me a thousan6
years! SO when came to the town tbs
other day l went to see Mr.. Manu-
facturer and found him hard up.
He had been running two or three
brands for the local market and charg. NJ
| $15 and $16 thousand for them. Befag
i pressed for money, he begged me to take
all he had and We got to work over
the price until finally h. let me have the
4 lot for SO a thousand. Now, gentlemen,
what did do but so to every dealer in
I the place and offer him cigars that he
! had been paying SIS and sic for at 50 a
thousand
! of course I was losing collar. but J
knew what | was doing. l sold enough
4 cigars in that place to kill Mr.. Manu-
-,
/ Before left the town he came to me
4 with tears in his eyes looking siclSer