Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1903-10-08


than any you ever undertook. They
tell me you didn't crack rock"
Finchcr laughed as he closed his
book and struck Baker with 1t play
fully. pole was too tired to do that
job" he said. "IIe was born that way"
"Say, Mr.. Trabue," retaliated Pole,
did you ever heer how I got the best
o Mr. Fincher in a chicken trader"
Il don't think I ever did, Pole"
laughed the lawyer, expectantly. How
was itT'
ooh, come off, don't go over that
again." said Fincher, flushing.
at was this away" said Pole, with
broad, wholesome grin. "My cousin,
Bart Wiks, was runnin' the restaurant
under the car shed about two yeer ago.
He was new hand at the business,
an one day he had awful rush. lie
got n telegram that a train load O. pas
sengers Ind missed connection at Chat
| tanooga an would have to eat with
him. He was powerful ratified, run
| MIN round like dog after its tail. He
knowCd he'd have to have lot o fry
in chickens an he couldn't leave the
restaurant so he aXed me eff I'd take
the money an go out in town an buy
'em fer i'm. | consented, an struck
Mr.. Fincher. who was sellin' sech truck
then. He lowed, you know, that l
jest wanted one, or two at the outside,
fer my own use, so when l seed fine
coop out in front an axed the price of
'em he kinder drawed on his beerd till
his mouth fell open an studied how
he could make the most out O me.
After awhile he said. Well. Pole. III
make 'rm 10 cents apiece Of | pick en-
an II If YOU picl; EN- | sorter skeerd
the chickens around an seed thar was
two or three tiny ones hidin' under the
big ones, an seed what he was up to,
but | was ready fer i'm. All right
scs |, YOU pick EN- Thar was two
or three loafers standin' round an
they all laughed at me when Mr..
Flnchcr got down over the coop an
finally ketched ono about the size of
a robin an hauled it out. Keep on
a-pickin',' SOS L. an he made Il grab
fer one little bigger an handed it up
to me. Then he stuck his hands down
| in his pockets, doin' his best to keep
from laughin'. The gang yelled then,
but wasn't done. Keep on a-pickin','
scs |. An he got down agin. An, sir,
] got that coop at about 1 cents apiece
lcsS'n he'd paid fer 'em. He tried to
back, but the gang wouldn't let i'm.
1t was the cheapest lot o chickens
ever seed. turned the little ones out
to fattcn and made Wilks pay me the
market price all round fer the bunch"
III he bound you made some'n' out
of it," said Trabue. "Finchcr, did you
ever hrer how that scamp tuck in ev-
/ cry merchant Oh this street about two
yccr ago.
Never heerd anything except his
OWN EN- ALL" said Iincher, with q
laugh
Il could put i'm in the penitentiary
fer it," affirmed the lawyer. "You
know about that time thar was a pow
crful rivalry goin' on among the store
keepers. They was moyin' heaven an
earth to sell Their big stocks. Well, one
Of the sprvest in the lot. Joe Gaylord,
noticed that Pole was powerful popu-
lar with mountain folks an he made
i'm proposition. bindln' i'm down to
secrecy. He proposed to give Pole 10
per cent commission on all the goods
he'd hep sell by briECin' customers
In the store Pole hesitated beca Sc. he
said, they mrht find it out, an Joe
finally agreed that all Pole would have
to do was to fetch EN- in, give the
wink, an him an his clerks would do
the rest 1t worked mighty slick fer
awhile, but Pole noticed that very Of
ten the folks he'd fetch in wouldn't he
pleased with the goods an prices an
I'D go trade Somer'S else. Then what
do you think the scamp did? lie went
to every store in town an made Sc
Cret contract to git 10 per cent on all
sales, an he had the sottest snap you
ever heerd Of Ned simply hang on TO
: gang from the country, Whei her he
know2d 'em or not. an foller 'em
around till they bought; then he'd walk
up an rake in his part"
II got left once" said Pole, laughing
with the others. "One gang that l
stuck 10 all day went over TO Melton
an bought
well. the merchants caught on after
awhile an stopped him. said Trabue,
but he made good money while he
was at it. They'd "a sent i'm up fer it
Ell it hadn't been sech good joke on
EN-"
81 don't know about that" replied
Pole thoughttuly. Il was dom all l
agreed, an ef they could afford to pay
10 per cent to anybody they mought as
well "a paid it to me. | drawed trade
to the whole town. The cigars an
whisky ! give away amounted to a
lot I've set up many night tellln
them mossbacks tales TO make 'em
laugh"
"Well, eff you ever git into any trou-
BILE let me know" said Trabue as he
rose to go I'm defend you at half
price. You'd be a sight o help TO a
lawyer. I'll be hanged if ever seed
better case AN you made out in the
mayors court, an you hadn't thing
TO back it up with nuther."
The hay was unloaded and the wag-
ons driven away. Fincher stood eyinS
Pole with admiration. Its fact,
he said. "You could "a made some'n'
out O. yore'se'f if you'd "a been edu-
Gated an had a shown
Pole jerked his thumb over his shout
der at Craig, who was standing in the