The daily morning journal and courier. [volume] (New Haven, Conn.) 1894-1907, 1901-01-03
A WOMAN BOOK AGENT.


A WOMAN BOOK AGENT.
She Confides Secrets to the Girl in the
Flats.
The book agent was dressed in neat
tailor-made suit of dark material Hell
hat was plain little affair with nc
coquettishness about it. Her manner
was that of the real up-to-date pook
agent. and her Introductory speech was
lust what might have been expected
from her lips. The book was carried
in fat side pocket to facilitate her en-
trance into the home. The purse and
card case combined that occupied her
hand was just the sort that made her
seem like the casual caller. In all
points she was as far as possible from
the old type of book agent who used to
push her way in to see the LADY OF the
house"
But the fact remains that she was a
box agent and as such quite ready TO
meet and deal with growing coldness
of manner.
The girl in the fiat was good-natured,
for one thing. Also she was ready to
be entertained and she welcomed the
book agent and so surprised her with
cordiality that the book never came
out at all, in conversation or In reality.
you probably thought you could tell
I was an agent easily" said she of the
tailor-made, as she settled back to en-
10y an easy chair and to expand in the
otr,opSnhnrp 'R1lt dear
me, the folks that think they are good
at reading character should just see
how we agents size them up and set
them down. Half the time when we
go into an office or into a house, we
have made a pretty fair estimate of the
person we are going to see just by the
appearance Of desk or general look
of the front hall, and it is often enough
correct and often enough unflattering.
There Is one bluff that we always
see through, and that is the bluff OF
the very busy man. Say, he's always
the one who has the least to do You
just take school principals, for instance.
Those in the large towns are never one
half so important and over-rushed with
work and so superior as those in the
little bits of places. And then, you
see, we have to know how to manage
them. Flatter the self-important ones?
Never a bit. That's the thing that lots
Of folks would do, but it's the biggest.
mistake of all. If you quail and seem
impressed, why, that doesn't help you
out and it keeps them ntheir pinnacle
of self-conceit. The first thing you
want to do is to get an appointment 10
call and show your book and then you
want to keep the appointment. The
very busy man will be to much rushed
to see you when the time comes and
then you want to bluff him down. One
time / travelled with an educational
work. and it was worth any ones while
to get it, If he wanted to be up on the
subject That was when I had fun go
isg around visiting schools First I'd
go and ask for a date when / could talk
about the book. Then promptly at the
time appointed I'd foregather in the
anteroom and wait with the trembling
school teachers, who would be quakng
In anticipation of an interview with
his highness. Finally he would hustle /
nut and say he hadn't time to see any
IF u.s. When he would get around to /
me, I'd say that had an appointment, !
out that probably I would occupy my
line to better advantage somewhere |
Else. That would take him and he'd !
.hink maybe he was losing something. /
What a mistake women make is trying /
o f1atter the man that busters. If |
hey'd just buster back, why, they'd |
lave him scared in no time.
"Flattery is a no good sort of a
anyway. It's hard to find
nan who isn't conceted enough al
eady. There are ways of managing al
most asy person except the one who
wants to do the talking If those who
Wonder what is the best way of getting
id of a book agent only knew it, we
Tread the talkative individual most of
ii. It's a trick that works better than
IL the Indifference in the world, that
alking trick is. First of all, you see,
We are taken in and put at a dlsad-
antage by effusive cordialty. Then,
'efore we have recovered breath from
hats hook, there is a perfect flood of
conversation flowing toward
IS and time is passing rapidly and still
o chance to bring out the book It's
ard telling always whether there is
1ethod in it or whether it is lust a
ase of being glad to have some one to
stem. You try it the next time any
ort of an agent calls to see if she
oesn't show symptoms of nervousness
.Ght away.
Did you ever know there are folks
Tho will tell their famny troubles to
ook agents? l suppose they do to
theirs and at any rate they do to me-
Women? On, yes. They are women,
nd usually they are the women who
ress in wrappers and who look untdy I
! spite of fairly good surroundings. | {
Vhen woman looks real untidy, why.
expect to hear troubles, il hear any
hing.
Did you ever have a gushing agent 4
all upon you? Some of them do gush, :,
ut it doesn't pay. Once in a while
lere is person who likes it, but it is
ell to discriminate. You see. you
mt treat any two persons alike. With