Middlebury register. (Middlebury, Vt.) 1886-1937, 1904-09-09
THE MAN WITH A HEAD
toopyrseht. 1904. by c. B. Lewis. ]


erpool, and Liverpool had about 1000
Inhabitants. There was a good deal
about the town and more about the
stores which might be called old fash
Toned. In addition to drugs and fancy
articles each store dealt In outside
goods. One was half grocery, another
had boots and shoes and the third sold
agricultural implements and Ohio car
riages, and It's proprietor was also in
terested in a spring bed and patent
churn. If any man had declared his
belief that straight out drug store
would pay expenses he would have
been called fool in answer. Things
had been going on in this mixed up
way for many years when a stranger
appeared in town and began loafing
around the drug stores. He was a Gu
riosity and q subject of gossip, and
most of the gossipers whitfield away
at pine shingles and decided that he
didn't amount to no great shakes. The
only citizen who sized him up correctly
was Uncle Eben Schemerhorn. He
| took his time about 1t and chewed up
half plug of tobacco before he said:
"Waal, boys, hain't givin' no opin-
ion as to how Eaters will pan out this
fall, but as to that stranger, he's got
head on him. Yes, stree, you can see
that he's got a head on him."
"Of course he's got a head on him,
| but what of it," asked one Of his hear
| ers.
Never you mind-never you mind"
replied Uncle Eben as he winked his
left eye and nodded his head in a
knowing way. when the band begins
to play and the Bengal tiger to roar
you jest remember that l said he had
q head on him."
After few days the band struck up
that is, the stranger bought out
Druggist White. The roar of the Ben
gal followed-that is, again Mr.. Har-
per, the new man, decided to get rid
of grindstones, corn shelters, patent
churns, groceries, confectionery and
top buggies and run Il drug store by
itself. He was called q fool by some
and lunatic by others, and the rest Of
the town predicted that he would go to
the wall in less than three months.
Mr.. Harper visited all the business
houses and assured their proprietors
that he didn't propose to carry any Of
their lines. That announcement ap-
pealed to their selfish interests, and he
made a score of friends at once. He
brought on his family and divided his
custom evenly around in the matter
of meats. groceries and dry goods.
That increased his list of friends. He
changed the interior of his store all
over, put in a display window and a
soda fountain and one day was ready
for business. Business came, but not
with a rush. People wanted to wait
and see"
The other druggists were aroused
and meant to hang on to their custom
ers. Mr.. Harper might be all right,
but he was cutting q wide swath for
Liverpool. One day he dropped into
the Weekly Herald office and had a
confidential chat with the editor. When
he left it was to go over to the Banner
and have another confidential chat.
Uncle Eben knew nothing about these
visits, but a day or two later when
some one remarked In his hearing that
the druggist with head wasn't taking
IN barrel of money per day the old
man bit a fresh hunk off his plug and
replied:
Don't you worry your gizzard about
that new Teller. l was in his store last
| NIGHT cII1r nj nd co w
sunthin' In his eye that told me there
was hen on"
The "hen" betrayed herself when the
next issue Of the Herald appeared. In
q double loaded article, nearly two col
umns long, 1t attacked the new drug
gist in savage style. 1t purported to
give his history for many years past
and about the pleasantest thing it said
Of him was that he was an escaped
convict That article was written by
Mr.. Harper himself, and he paid S15
for It's insertion. The excitement
around town was added to day later
when the druggist sued the Herald for
100000 damages. 1t got still another
boost when the Banner came out with
two column article and denied each
and every charge Of Its esteemed con-
temporary. 1t did more. 1t boldly
announced that the editor Of the Her
aid had spent six months in an Ohio
Jail for stealing hogs. The nbeled edi-
tor at once sued for heavy damages
and called the other man a thief, rob
Der and pirate.
There were thousand people in Liv-
erpool who said that Mr.. Harper ought
to be arrested and who wondered why
It wasn't done, but at the same time at
least half of them sneaked into his
store to get a closer look at him and,
Of course, bought more or less. Sher.
IFS were even sent for from the sur.
rounding counties in hope that he
might be identified, but 1t was remark
ID that they all looked silly after leav.
ting his store. Reporters came from