The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1906-11-24
RY charlee N. cremdson.

Copyright, 1906, by Joseph 3. Bowles.)
After returning from New York to
Chicago, and helping get up a line
OF samples, Joannis Cariolanus start
ed on the road as helper for his IA
Tiers leading salesman, Watkins.
The first town they struck was lin
coin, Neb. They reached there late
at night. Joannis Cariolanus regis
tered at the Lincoln hotel as ~
Charles" Witherspoon. When Wat
hns saw the name written this way
on the register, he winked at the
slnooth-shaven, wise clerk, and re-
marked in a low voice: First trip,
Sam. Let the bell boy show us up
right away. Ice water, please, and
$50 calls. Goodnight, old man.
J. Charles and Watkins had adjoin-
ing rooms, a door between. BY the
time they were in their pajamas, the
ben boy came down the hall, with the
ice clinking against the pitcher Wat
kins sent out his trousers to be
pressed, and also those of j.
Chagles.' As the bell boy left with
the clothes on his arm, Watkins said
something to him, quietly, and slipped
half dollar into his palm.
Next morning when the clothes
came back j. Charles came into Wat
kins' room and said: why, what do
you think that abominable tailor has
done? Instead Of pressing my trous-
ers properly, he has taken the creases
out Of them"
Warned Against Too Much "Dog."
so he did! And | gave the bell
boy half dollar extra to have it done
before you went to breakfast. Now,
look here, my boy, your father thinks
as much of me nearly as he does OF
his brother. Just before you and I
left the store he took me into his Of
fee and said to me: Now, am go
ing to turn my boy over to you. He
is just out Of college, and you know
he has whole lot to learn, and /
want you to help him along all you
can, and if necessary be very blunt
with him. Now, I tell you, you
want to get over this -. Charles"
business right away-this humping
up your name in the middle like a
camePs back. just make up your
mind right from the jump to be
"Johnnie"-just plain Johnnie. 1t is
all right to dress neatly and nicely,
but this putting on dog on the road
won't do. You walk into a store and
you may find that the clerk who has
been there for ten years, and is
drawing eighteen a week, may have
his trousers nicely creased. as you
wanted yours to be, but when you
get back into the Office and find the
man who really does the business.
you will also find his trousers little
baggy at the knees.
NOW. let's slide right along and
get some breakfast. This first time
will go with you to the sample room
and show you how to open up.
When the goods were displayed
Watkins left j. Charles in the sam
pie room and went down the street
to make an engagement with his man.
This customer, who was a regular
one, and the only one he sold to in
that town, was to come up promptly
at one o'clock. After man has been
on the road a number of years, he
has his trade pat.
Merchant Promptly on Time.
Promptly at one o'clock Brew
ster, the merchant friend, with his
lists all made out, walked into the
sample room-yes, promptly at one.
Good merchants, the travelling man
must know right from the start, are
just as anxious to buy goods as he is
to sell them. Brewster and Watkins
worked the entire afternoon-the dry
goods line is tedious one, anyway
When dinner time arrived they had
not quite finished with their business
a9d Brewster, In order to let Wat
kins leave on the early morning train
was good enough, as merchants near
ly always are, to take dinner with him
and finish buying that evening. They
did not have a great deal more to do,
and did not hurry with dinner. At
the table, along with J. Charles, Brew
ster and Watkins. sat three of the
boys on the road, necktie man, a
grocery man and one who sold fur
nishing goods. Watkins told Brew
ster, as they washed their hands,
about the old mans son; that j..
Charles was fresh out of college, and
that his father had sent him along
SO that he could learn little some
thing about business.
With this in his mind, as they sat
at the table, Brewster, between soup
and fish, began: We'll, tell you,
gentlemen, I am the only victim here
at the table, SO Ill confess that the
great thing in handling a customer
is the right kind of an approach.
When stranger comes up to me. I
don't like him to introduce himself,
tell me what his name is and hand
me out D cigar, but like for him to
tell me what his business is. OF
course. the cigars come in all right
in their place. but when they are
forced in, they don't make very
good entering wedge. The way is to
make a square stroke in the center
of your log. set your wedge straight
and hard You can chop your spiin-
tiers all right with a few fancy light
strokes after the log Is fairly split.
You all know Gaylord. selling under
wear. do you not?''
THE smoothest eyer!" responded
one OF the boys.
satesran's Tact.
aYes, you bet your life, continued