The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1906-10-29
THEIR BUYIN0s.


mo, s'pose not Bnt now mucn 90
ye think we got, Lish?'' her face still
| anxious. =
II dunno" he confessed slowly, "an'
! amt even an idee. tried to go slow
| at first an keep count, but I got off the
track. Mebbe thousand, two thou
! sand,' three thousand, though faint
likely so much as the last. We've new
er bought more'n 500 or $50 worth at
| time before, an it's hard to guess.
But $4,000 or $1,000 is good for a
! mighty big pile O stuff ...5.-ss
The second day the goods came down
in boxes and barrels and kegs and bun
dies and in great square cases that re-
| quired two men to roll from the freight
platform into the wagon. Lish hired a
team and man to help and did all the
hauling himself: The next morning the
bill came. ILL. .-s-. ,-,..sr. !,
Lish opened and looked at it eagerly,
then drew long breath and rubbed
| his eyes and looked at it again. 4
He seized his cap and jammed it vi
ciously upon his head and left the
store. The village bank was upon the
principal street, and the cashier was
an old friend. It was upon this bank
that Squire Brown had given him a
check for So, 500. The cashier happened
to be alone.
By this time Lish had regained con-
troll OF himself. Slipping the invoice
into his pocket, he drew out the check
and placed it in the cashiers window.
'I'd like that cashed, Mr.. White" he
said, San want to borry 5000 more.
Ye know I'm good for 1t, an anyhow
there's stock enough in the store"
ooh, that's all right, Mr.. Hopkins
laughed the cashier. 81 never knew
the time when your word wasn't good
for 5000. But how happens it you need
more just now?. You were telling me
the other day that you only intended
to put half the money into goods now
and hold the rest as a reserve" r..
Lish grinned ruefully. ,
II guess I want much used to buy
in" he confessed. ''Look here"
He produced the invoice and spread
it out in the window. The cashier look
ed it over curiously.
| II don't know much about this line
of goods, Mr.. Hopkins" he said at
length, "but it seems to me there's d
! good many things here that won't find
much sale. Now, this six dozen door
bells, for instance"
'.The drummer said they were good
sellers" ventured Lish.
"Well, perhaps they are, acquiesced
the cashier "Of course 1 don't know.
But about the 5000. If I were you l
wouldn't hire the money just vet.
Drummers have prices that are sup
posed to cover a generous system.
Didn't your man say anything about
| it?"
"He said could have thirty or sixty
days. time jest as wells not, but told
him I'd ruther pay cash.
Every good, provided you have the
money to pay and also provided he al.
lows you fair discount for paying It
You'd better wait and find that out. Send
the firm what money you have and slet
the six hundred go until the drummer
comes round again. You may take II
enough by that time to pay him. At any
rate, find out his discount for cash.. and
IL it's more than our interest, come to me
and will let you have the money. Only
don't hire unless you're obliged to-
One morning few weeks later Nathan
Taylor entered the store. Lish was look
Ing over his account book, kept with :
lead pencil in much the same manner q.
he had jotted down items while on the
farm. Sairy was at another counter. en-
i gagged In rubbing her hand back and forth
across new piece of 'velveteen which hat
Just been taken from the case. Nathan
said, Good morning. and then paused
and glanced critically about the store
with evident disapprova1 In his eyes.
you've done Just what was afraid OF
Lish," he said, at length, "A third Of thu
goods won't sell In all the world. Tha
4 fellow was too slippery and has loaded
you with lot OF unsalable stun. y Es7 5lSi
y Several times during the spring ant
summer Lish was sorely pressed 70
money, and more than once he startet
to the bank, but each time he turnet
back before reaching there.
hut the end did not come until -a0othe