The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1902-05-11
The Story of
an American
Promoter.

there LnuHUELEu AAOAlt VIII MS ell
Hghtenment, young Burns went to
Dumfries and dissipated his genius;
young Wilmington went to London and
became lord mayor; young Garfield
went 70 Cleveland and was brought
there again for burial. Ward and
Wanless, both 10. journeyed from their
farms 20 the metropolis of their state
and here is the story:
The two had high hopes, but little
capital. so they walked most Of the
200 miles and one night they waited
for the dawn, and watched meanwhile
with sleepless eyes the lights Of the
city. An early spring morning-every-
body knows the moment, when robins,
sparroWs and milk wagons control the
activity-such was the advent of Ward
and Wanless. These two saw for the
first time how nature looks when col
Jared and creased and cravated. A
city is nothing more than man-handled
outdoors.
During the thirty-eight years which
covered the united lives of Ward and
Wanless. a forest background and in
terrifying fields had been their world
white fields in winter, green and gold
in summer. Ward had toiled earnestly,
contentedly on his fathers farm just
out of Three Pines, Wanless, on the
q Y
dreamily. His hand had been at the
pillow, while his mind and heart we're in
the midst Of the metropolis, its schemes
and commerce and history. Three Pines
called the pair "chums," but the esti-
mate was incorrect. Ward was the
slave. and Wanless, the master. This
condition of affairs was one of the last
ing and mysterious arrangements Of
babyhood.
Wards mental structure was of the
slow, enduring kind; the mentality Of
Wanless was meteOric. The former
bowed his compact intelligence before
the passing brilliance Of the unfixed
star The dreamer was a tall slender
young man with gray eyes, closely
cropped, red brown hair and straight,
sharply cut features; the Flooding
Ward is merely a lay figure, and his
appearance may be imagined. In a
word. the material chances Of these two
boys may be estimated. The outlook Of
Ward pointed toward success in life,
the quiet hon0rs of good citizenship
the modest wealth which the years win
for q hard working. intelligent farmer
or merchant On the contrary, Wan
less seemed destined to achieve a CO.
lossal failure failure like Blaine,s.
who wanted the presidency and re-
ure like Napoleons. who wanted the
world and got a rock in the midst Of
the sea.
Ward. strange to say, was more for
tunate In obtaining a position. He was
installed as elevator boy in the large
and honorable wholesale dry goods firm
of Broad, Wells G. Co Wanless walked
the streets. his pride killing him by
inches, not because he was responsible
for three extra holes per day in Wards
meal ticket, but because Ward had OBJ
tanned a position before him. At last
an agent for a certain brand of ency-
cl0pedias came to the rescue and said
to Wanless:
Your clothes are off color and you
look hungry, but yOu may have the
vital spark. I'll give you so for every
set you sell. and you won't keep me
digging for eagles at that. What kills
book agents is just this: They're not
deep in the beginning, or they'd be at
something else
WanIess paled. The agent plunged
on:
'They rig up a little superficial yarn
and give 10 everybody alike-One that
would take with one man In a thou
sand. If they ever strike that man
he's either broke or closed to Htera-
ture. .. You've got TO be deep and
natural. and know your prey. When
you find a weakness, you've got to jab
there and uDDercut there and swing
there-till its jelly-then get out your
order blanks. One of our men took poi
son day before yesterday. He had a
little 'cuticle-spier that he showed out
on all occasions, and he couldn't find
a twin soul
These words burned into the brain
OF Wanless He left the Office as one in
a trance. All that day, learning from
door to door, he built his story and
perfected fl. At night he was too tired
TO sleep, so he planned digressions and
supplements and constructed revised
versions for the variety Of cases. The
failures of the day returned to him,
with their faces and mannerisms, and
he thought of what he would do and
say if he had another chance at these
failures. SO days passed on. He wished
the city was larger, and learned with a
thrill that ne had gift OF expression.
He studied as no book agent ever
studied before, and became formida bic.
One morning he entered a house at
S:i5 and staggered out at II. 80 with an
order and a partial payment. He had
strained every fiber in his brain. and
he was ready TO shout from JOY and
faint from fatigue.
With his first $40 he bought a hat,
shoes, collars. cuffs-and continued to
ventilate Wards meal ticket. The
fourth week he sold three sets and
purchased himself a handsome suit Of
clothing. Ward, ten hours a day at his
elevator. without the grace OF a knight
Grant but with the love Of a brother,
still cared for the incidental expenses,
kasr AID Nar1
less began 20 save money.
A year elapsed. Wen glance at the
pair on g spring Sunday morning
Traces Of the farm boy and Three Pines
still fingered IL the manner and upon
the person Of Ward. but TTanless was
studiously or the city-au Immediately
dressed young man with a fresh COM
plexion and clear eyes Of stony gray
eyes that could be quite fascinating
when the mind so willed, but in the
presence Of Ward. the mind Of Wan
less was elsewhere.
Il wish were back in Three Pines
this morning" Ward said longingly.
That complscent bigoted. eternally
Iooilsh ourg Wanless sneered
'Nitroglycerine couldn't blow me bacE
there"
I'm going to church: won't you come
along? Ward pleaded.
Every Sunday for a year this ques-
tion had been asked and Ward had
gone alone 10 church. On this morn
ing Wanless glanced peculiarly az the
other and replied that he would go
along. Ward was overjoyed.
At this period the piodder was earn
ing So a week and saving s.. Broad
Wells & Co. had boosted him from the
elevator and placed him in one of the
departments. Wanless was averaging
500 a week. and saving sos A word tc
explain this success. The book agent
had Jared indiherently, until his mind
seized the plan 20 work" public school
reacherz-VOunz hnnpff1l unmarried