Cañon City record., 1902-08-07
A GOOD h.stt GONE
Copyright. 1902. by c. B. Lewis. !

stone at the head of his grave, should
have felt hurt If had been left out of
the affair. had known and apprcci
ated him for score Of years, and it
can be truthfully written in his case
that death loved a shining mark.
John Q. Slack was druggists sun.
dries man. He started in with the
firm when 1t had nothing but EPSON
salts and toothbrushcs 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
a 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. He was the right man in the
right place.
At the first hotel he stopped at he
| found that half II dozen old drummers
| from New York. Boston and Philadek
| phia had pre-emptcd all the best rooms.
| They were there for various houses
which could have bought and sold his
a 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 We're running the dining room.
the office, the billiard rOOm-in fact, all
the hOtel-when he arrived He had
got pointer down the road, and he
arrived on an engine hired for the last
run of fifty miles. He had telegraphed
| ahead for n carriage. and he reached
the hotel with the horses on a gallop.
l.. II. 81
! best rooms were taken he offered to
rent t..g hotel tor e.. t,s-G, and, though
the grrI@SG ment 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 long breath he explained to the
wondering and bewildered people:
philadelphia was making a 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 prices!"
From that day John Q.'s position was
established, as was that of his house.
For months and months his house was
uudDIe 10 pay lull SilulltS, anu his
watch and pin and overcoat were al
ways in pawn. but no one ever knew 1t.
John Q. had the cheek of a government
mule and the tongue of'a 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 drummers Mt the hotel, but they
came in only after John. If one Of
them bought a whole seat in a parlor
car. he bought half of another car for
himself: II any one Dragged about q
lower berth, he bought two or three
sections. He was always, at least in
Imagination. fighting the rings and
corners and trusts for the benefit of
the trade. and every druggist Oh his
long route was so grateful to him that
not shilling of his trade could be di-
verted He was a man who knew the
worth OF gall in his profession. and he
had gall by the ton. II wasn't impu
dence; 1t wasn't eXaggeration. to be
seen through as he boosted: 1t was
something TO catch the admiration ms
he leaned carelessly on the desk Of the
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-fOur
hours I've instructions from our house
to bust it If it takes $3.OOOOOO to do it.
If they make their corner, quinlne Is
to 20 up 30 per cent"
John Q. was not liar. He simply
said things. If any other drummer
had said them. he would have been
booted 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.
Hard cue and say:
"Gentlcmen. please excuse me, but |
see boy at the door with II telegram.
OF course it's for me. It's about the
castor oil syndicate in Buffalo.
thought had 'em downed. but if they
have wabbled up again I'll wipe 'em
off the face of the carth"'
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 kilograms that 1t
got to be believed he carried a 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 flax
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
| busy to hate back. When he left the
hotel in the morning to call upon the
| local druppists he didn't 20 nlOddinn