The mirror. (Stillwater, Minn.) 1894-1925, 1903-07-02

- y! - -----z---Il II
of them" And both sides said, "It is
WELL"
So independent firms sent a steamer
over now and then and when they got
the fruit here, the Italians said: aYou
want too much mon for Them" "But
Antonio we can't sell them for less. It
costs too much to bring them over, etc"
"AlI right" said Tony-And he threat
ened to "ditch" the whole thing. Well,
for several years the banana husil ess
was failure for everybody. Instead
of buying wagonload, Tony bought
ten bunches and Salvador said five
would do him and hot weather would
set in. People wanted bananas but the
Italians had scared the Americans and
they were afraid to handle any For it
is strange fact that Tony will pay
about twelve and half cents a dozen
and yet sell at ten cents. An American
can't and won't try to live on such re-
ceding profits. Sothe trust was formed.
Today Tony buys bananas so he can
sell at ten cents. The American trust
makes money. Tony makes money.
Everybody is happy. Tony has his eye
on the California orange business. Bet
ter look out, Mr.. American.
So while at New Orleans 1 had an
| order for car of bananas for Cincin-
natl. ! went to the Office of the trust.
A steamer was due. She arrived. I
went to the dock. Now in Baltimore,
Philadelphia, Boston and New York
bananas are always auctioned off at the
ship. But in New Orleans I was po-
| litely informed by a trust officer that
the price for lists was so much, for End s
so much and so on. I.had to pay cash,
too. BY the time I fooled around get
ting check certified the boat was
nearly unloadsd, but I got there just
| the same. There was string of bare
footed darkies who carried the fruit to
the after deck as it was passed UP
out of the hold of the boat by other
darkies, who, by the way, were singing
as they counted the punches. 1t was
a sort of sing-song, but very musical
at that. One big fellow whose shoul.
ders we're on level with the deck
called out: "Dar's one, and two, and
three, oh my, and four and five, oh yes
and six and yere's yonr ole seben, OF
my, ole eight, ETC." He made up tune
as he went along. The man who tool
: the bunch would repeat the strain tt
: the carriers who came in rotation unit
the air was full of s'sixes" and "sebens
!. There were several buyers still OF
: : deck, and as the last part of the cargt
/. was being unloaded we had time il
selecting our~fruit. The buyers finall,
: dwindled down to two, myself and ;
: young man who lived in New Orleans
We stood at the pile of fruit at tn
Istern and as the carriers came we tool
r turn about in setting aside the fancies
IS punches. He remarked to me: "Ml
/ Blank, it's getting pretty close picking
|: but I'll bet the cigars that the next tsl
3. punches happen to get will bea
IS yours" cts co. replied. The frs
y one that came was carried by littl
g bow-legged coon with chuckle head
Is 1t was Jumbo. 1t was my friend
s. turn, and he remarked, "Ah ha, that
II one!" The second was mine, not q
d large as his. Pretty soon the littl
70 bow-legged fellow came staggerin
n under an immense bunch. It wa
r my turn. "Whoop" / yelled. M
at friend laughed. The little coon locke
le at me in half-scared way, but soon b
rs came again and it was my turn ono
in more. They must have saved the bes
ne punches until last. The fruit We
~ cleaner and better than ever. I gral
ne bed the bunch and hollered, "Whoop
10 Now the little coon ac0s scared. E
ne had never seen white agsmmenD carr
a. on like that I'm sure.
Ie AS turned to set the bunch by n
et pile, the little coon went siding up
he tmy friend and said something I didr
It: hear. When he had gone, my frien
"a said he had asked, "What make d
ng gemmen heller Whoop at me :" Al