The daily Alaskan., 1905-01-30
FRf MAN WITH A HEAD
lcoprrIght. lNl. hy c. D. LeNIs.l


 There were three drug stores in Liv' erpool, and Liverpool had about 1000 inhabitants. There was 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 hali grocery, another had boots and shoes and the third sold agricultural implements and Ohio car rlages, and its proprietor was also in' terested in a spring bed and patent churn. If any man had declared bis belief that a 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 stranger appeared in town and began loahng around the drug stores. He was a cu- riosity and subject of gossip, and most of the gossipers whittled away at pine shingles and decided that be didn't amount to no great shakes. The only citizen who sized him up correctly was Uncle Eben Schemerhorn. He took his time about it and chewed up half a plug of tobacco before he said;
 ''Naal, boys, l hain't givin' no opin- ion as to how 'taterS will pan out this fall. but as to that stranger he's got d head on him. Yes, sir-ee, you can see that hes got head on him."
 "C5 course he's got a head on him, but what of It." asked one of his hear erI.
 Never you miud-neyer you mind, replied Uncle Eben as be winGed his left eye and nodded his he0d in Knowing way. When the band begins to play and the Bengal tiger to roar you fest remember that l said he had q head on him"
 Arter few days the band struck up that is. the stranger bought out Druggist White. The roar of the Ben gal followed that is, again Mir. liar Der. the new man. decided to get rid of grindstones, corn shelters, patent chmns, groceries, confectionery and top huggles and run drug store by itself. He was called n fool by some and a lunatic by others, and the rest of the town predicted that he would go to the wall in less than three months.
 Mir. 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 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 CTS. Mir. Harper might be all right but be was cutting a wide swath for Liverpool One day he dropped into the Weekly Herald office and had confidential chat with the editor. When he left it was to go over to tue Banner and have another confidential chat Cncle Eben knew nothing about these visits, but day or two later when come one remarked in his hearing that the druggist with head wasn't taking in a barrel of money per day the old man bit fresh hunk of his plug and replied:
 Don't you worry your gizZard about that new feller. I was in his store last night after some sulphur, and saw sunthin' In his eye that told me there was hen on"
 The "hen" betrayed herself when the next issue of the Herald appeared. In a double leaded article, nearly two col umns long, 1t attacked the new drug glst in savage style. It purported to give bis 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 Nr. Harper himself, and he paid Sl5 for it's insertion. The excitement around town was added to day later when the druggist sued the Herald for $10O,0O0 damages. It got still another boost when the Banner came out with a two column article and denied each and every charge of its esteemed con temporary. It did more. It boldly announced that the editor of the Her aid had spent six months in an Ohio jail for stealing hogs. The libeled edi- tor at once sued for heavy damages and called the other man a thief, rob Der and pirate.
 There were a thousand people in Liy- erpool who said that Mir. Harper ought to be arrested and who wondered why 1t 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- iffs were even sent for from the sur rounding counties in hope that he might be identified, but it was remark ed that they all looked silly after leav- Ing his store. Reporters came from some of the big dailieS, but never a note did they jOt down in their books.
 When the excitement had continued for two months it somehow leaked out that 1t had all been created by Mir. Harper in the way of advertising. h. deed an announcement was made to this effect in both papers, and in those respective issues the hustling druggist had three full page advertisements. A few citizens were mad, but most of