The evening times. [volume] (Grand Forks, N.D.) 1906-1914, 1906-11-08
Man About To,un

No." said the red-headed man to
the man about town the other evening
In the lobby of the Hotel Dacotah, the
commercial traveller is not a profess
sional masher. have been on the road
good many years, and l have seen
mighty few travelling men who were
not just as. respectable. just as vir-
tuous. Just as gentlemanly as the aver
age OF the stay-at-homes. 1t takes 4
pretty good all-round man to be a
successful salesman. Before he is
sent out on the road he usually has
had several years Of experience In the
house. He has been under the eye IF
the proprietor or his manager. His
ability. his honesty and his general
character have been tested. He is
sent out into his territory to sell goods,
not to ogle pretty girls. and his salary
Is based upon his sales. His position
is one OF great responsibility. for he
has not only the business of his en-
ployers in his keeping, but the honor
and integrity Of the house as we'll
Taking them as they come. the COM
mercial travellers Of this country will
compare favorably with any other class
In all that goes TO make man."
Yes, l can agree to every word Of
that" said q wholesale dry goods job
Der from Fargo. II have many trav-
cling men In my employ, and there isn't
none OF them wouldn't take TO my
home and treat as a social equal. III
| couldn't. they wouldn't be in my
employ. Most Of them are married.
have their own homes. and they are
just rs true to their families as We
who see our wives and children every
day. They are human. OF course. and
like all men OF normal mind are at
tlSacted by Il pretty woman, but they
don't get of the main road any oftener
than other people.
Just by way Of illustration of the
commercial travellers character, let me
tell you little incident that came un-
der my own observation. About ten
years ago l employed young fellow
Of IS or 10 as stock salesman and
after three years experience at home
! sent him out on the road. He was
just as successful in the field as he
was in the house, and he soon became
one Of the most valuable men in my
employ. But all this time 1 knew
nothing about his personal affairs. His
ability and honesty had been proven,
his habits were good, and beyond this
1t was not my business to inquire. Be-
sides, he was a very quiet, reserved
man, one Of those fellows who build
q hedge around their private affairs
and by their very manner forbid any
trespassers.
But one day while Perkins, will
call him-was out on the road, lit
tie woman came into my Office and
asked for a personal interview with
me. She told me that she was Perkins
sister; that her brother had not been
we'll for some time, had been acting
little queer for a few days before
his last departure for his territory,
and that they had had no word from
him for ten days, although it was his
custom to write daily. called up the
manager and found that Perkins had
failed to report to the house for over
week, and he had just been on the
point OF asking my advice about the
matter. for daily report is required
of all my travelling men, and Perkins
was always very punctual. But when
man has to enter remote districts
the mails are sometimes uncertain,
and 1t is no uncommon thing for US to
miss three or four days and then get
all the delayed reports in the same
mail. So long time as this with
out word was, however, quite unusual,
and l directed an immediate investi-
cation by wire. did not believe that
Perkins could have done anything
wrong, but l was afraid something
might have happened to him. l found
that his last report had come from a
small town In eastern Kentucky, from
which point he was about to proceed