The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1904-01-30
RIVALS, BUT MOT ENEMIES.


Mr.. DOten extended the sample CODY
OF the Balltown Bugle with a termina-
tive flourish, Il amt contradicting ye,'
he said. Il can't say but what on gen.
raj principles advertising pays. What |
say is, it wouldn't pay here"
The young editor, proprietor and ad-
Vertislng agent of the Bugle took the
paper and thrust it into his pocket, re-
lates Youths Companion. Seems to
me, he began with %insinuating mild
ness, that isn't quite the spirit of en-
terprise one would expect to see in the
leading citizen of Balltown."
"Mebbe not" returned the leading
citizen and then continued: You're
wasting wind. Iii subscribe for your
paper, an pay my subscription in spot
cash, although | take the Farmer, an
all-hen paper, an a religious fortnight
~ for Mis- Doten Already; but it's no
use talking advertising to me, for |
won't advertise. Gale Gill won't, Meth
er. You see that store, there?"
Yes; Mr.. ellis"
'Gill's now said the old man, but
Harrub's once. Just as my store here
was fuckers. When | bought Tucker
out 30 years ago | bought the goodwill
o fuckers customers. an Harrub threw
his goodwill in, for them two men,
Tucker an Harrub. had had enough O.
enterprise an rivalry an ~cut-your-
neighbor's-throat methods O. doing
business. An | knew all about it, an
when Gill bought out Harrub | threw
my goodwill in, as I'd been done by.
We'll, long back, before you was
born continued the stOrekee per, "a
smart young chap, fuckers nephew he
was, come down here an began telling
his uncle that he was slow; that he
oughter git up an git an advertise his
goods. He KEEP right at Tucker till
hnIy one mOrnin' some airly bird see
hat Tucker'd got half his stock an
tissue-paper festoons in his win
Ter, an was Dragging bout it. The hull
village was up to the foreside by noon
o see it. There was six cans O. corn, a
lar Of pickles, some smoked herring in
| box that hadn't been opened, an his
candy iars-stiCks an drops-right
in plain sight. An stuck on the
in big red an blue letters was:
We lead, others follow
That was a dig at Harrub," said Mr..
)oten, AN he understood it so. He =,
idnt see fuckers nephew's hand in It; r
We heard him own up to that more'n g
nee. He was always a hot-headed man, +
was, an good frien's as they'd f
ways been, he was for letting daylight n
nto fuckers skull right away. But T.
omebody that thought he knew it oil +,
aid tWould be the best way to pay 6
ucker In his own coin-to clear a wiz n
err, put in some stock, an do a little \
'ttering. Harrub vent Tucker one bet a
more stock in the winder-T "
member he had some West Injy goods II
the model of the frigate Betsey that q,
IS uncle had whitfield out with only Al
list his jack-knife-an' his lettering III
as right to the edge of calling names. m
was tit for tat after that. The hull
llage took sides, an the feeling even
ep' into families an divided EN-, one
r Tucker an another for Harrub.
Il don know" said Mr.. Doten, sage &C
, but what there'd been bloodshed if &C
lckeris nephew hadn't got a job to
e harbor. Soon's ever he was gone OF
ECKER he took all his fancy stock outnn pt
S winder. flung in some pollock an two
three pair o. ~galluses, Same's he used 10
have there, an soaked all the sass off be
e glass. Then he went over to Har-
BIS an done the squar' thing. Harrub re-
met Tucker halfway. an that was TIL
g end O. that kind O. work at Balltcwn
'eside. we
No" concluded Mr.. Doten. Il won't dir
yertise in the Bugle. I've seen enough !
d~isrupting villages. If | can't get a sh'
ing without | set myself up above an Gre
Gale Gill, III sell out an go fish j