CanÌƒon City record. [volume] (CanÌƒon City, Colo.) 1883-192?, 1902-06-05
A uUOD aM... lOKE
Copyright. 1902 by c. b. Lewls.l

bury John Q. Slack when he died the
other day and to put up a suitable
stone at the head of his grave. should
haze felt hurt II had been left out OF
the affair. had known and appreci,
ated him for a score Of years. and 1t
can be truthfully written in his case
that death loved a shining mark.
John Q. Slack was a druggists sun,
dries man. He started In with the
firm when It had nothing but epson
salts and toothbrushes to get orders
for and he was the only traveller. and
he died knowing that his house was
rated at half million dollars and had
dozen men on the road with big
trunk apiece. John went right to the
head of the profession the first day he
started out. and he never lost the po
sition. lie was the right man In the
right place.
At the first hotel he stopped at he
found that half dozen old drummers
from New York. Boston and Philadel
phia had pre-empted all the best rooms
They were there for various houses
which could have bought and sold his
hundred times over. Those drum
mers were used to the best in the land
and expected to see at least every sec
ond man take off his hat to them.
They were running the dining room,
the office. the billiard room-in fact. all
the hotel-when he arrived. lie had
got pointer down the road. and he
arrived on an engine hired for the last
run of iifty miles. He had telegraphed
ahA 10 rt.i. MI IN al
the hotel with the horses ON a gallop.
As he was told by the clerk that all the
best rooms were taken he offered TO
rent the hotel for II week, and, though
, the arrangement was not closed, they
turned an old drummer out and gave
him the parlor. He rushed up stairs
and down. out around town and back,
and when he finally found time to
draw a long breath he explained to the
wondering and bewildered people:
philadelphia was making corner
on epson salts, and Boston was max
ing one on toothbrushes, and our house
was fighting both. Thank God. we
have busted 'em, and there will be no
rise in pricesi' ---s--
From that day John Q.'s position was
established. as was that of his house.
For months and months his house was
unable TO pay full salaries. and his
watch and pin and overcoat were nj.
ways in pawn, but no one ever knew ii.
John Q. had the cheek of n government
mule and the tongue of woman. He
would leave hotel bills behind him
where other men had been arrested; he
would take orders where other men
had failed in disgust. There might be
other drrmmers at the hotel. but they
came in only after John. II one OF
them bought u whole seat in a parlor
car. he bought half OF another car for
himself; II any one Dragged nbcut
lower berth, he bought two or three
sections. He WAS always. at least In
Imagination. hShting the rings and
corners and trusts for the benefit OF
the trade. and every druggist on his
long route was SO grateful to him that
not a shilling OF his trade could be d.
verted. He was man who knew the
worth OF gall in his profession. and he
had gall by the ton. II wasn't impu-
dence; It wasn't exaggeration. to be
seen through as he boosted; It was
something to catch the admiration ms
ne iedHeu tHTeleSsiy Oil inc t'Sh vi tut
hotel office and said:
Sorry I've got to leave this even.
ing. but I'm going up to Chicago by
special train to bust up that ring on
quinine. They've put up million dol.
lars to corner the market. but I'll
knock 'em cold within twenty-fou
hours. I've instructions from our house
to bust 1t II It takes $3.0OO.00O to do II.
II they make their corner, quinIne is
to go up 80 per cent
John Q. was not liar. He simply
said things. II any other drummer
had said them, he would have been
hooted down. but coming from his
mouth they were entitled to belief and
respect In his quiet. calm way. but
way which always duly impressed all
listeners. he would lay down his bill.
lard cue and say.
Gentlemen. please excuse me. but
see boy at the door with a telegram.
or course it's for me. It's about the
castor oil syndicate In Buffalo. |
thought | had 'em downed. but II they
have wabbled up again I'll wipe 'em
off the face of the eartht'
The telegram was for him, and the
syndicate had "bobbed," and he would
rush to the telegraph office to send
twenty different dispatches. He used
to receive so many tclegrams that IL
got TO be believed he carried boy
and thousands of blanks with him
They came TO him every half hour OF
the day and up to 10 o'clock at night,
and as he opened them he always had
something to say about trusts. syndi-
Gates. tons of quinine, carloads of fax
seed and hundreds OF barrels of alco-
hol Other drummers envied him, but
he was above envy himself. Many
drummers hated him, but he was too