The log cabin Democrat., 1909-11-04
TT SEEMED A SHAME The Book Agent Was Sure He Was an Easy Mark

Ut INelOi Bltu iOOOh ENSOiN "e'S 'N citing a few Of his adventures to the 1 bunch in the hotel lobby.
 You know" observed the R. B. A., 1 in the course of the dissertation. there always comes a time sooner or l later when the rule you've been going l by won't work It had got to be rule | with me that school teachers were ] comparatively easy marks for man who desired to enter negotiations for i the sale of a book the size ot child Bible. bound in either plain cloth or ] half morocco. with title in gilt letters , | was selling a book that was prae- ucally the same thing as e5-cent ] N oC;d almanac. containing all sorts of useful information. and If you didn't care for the best binding you could 1 get it for as little as s2.55. IL was work taat appealed strongly 10 teach CTS. principals, mothers and all who had the education of the youal oi any given community at heart.
 Now. one feature of the book agents game that's as old as the ] statutes and city ordinances of the Nedes and Persians is to get the lead i ing educator Of the town you're in to 1 buy the book or al least make him {. think hes bought it-give it 10 him for nothing ii need 0e-and, then. ] having bought 1t, to write you out q i brief recommendation for the work. l With that recommendation every wo- ] man in town. and everybody else who goes in for 'cHltchuh and ant and all that-you know the type-becomes ] your prey. Most of them will fall for your great educational work, just like d lot Of school children crow ding in line for special matinee Of Ten ] Nights in Barroom
 The first move knowing book l agent makes, therefore, is to get the l Endorsement of the superintendent Of public schools. or the president of the ! college lf there Is one of these fresh ! water colleges around. and the lead ing highbrow minister. But il is a sort CT unwritten law that the superintend- ent Of schools must be made to come over. first of all
 The publishing house l was work ing for sent me 10 one of those little 1 county seat towns where nothing of l importance ever happens except the next number on the Star lecture ! course Somebody pointed out the head of the public school system to me. and 1 chuckled to myself, Tor he ! looked 50 easy that had notion just 10 sell hiI. the book by telephone without even bothering to go to his of flee and have him send his indorse- ment to me at my hotel by a messen- ger boy. 1 knew that there was no possible way that he could turn me down. He looked so gentle and amia- ole that you would have sworn he was the local representative of the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Some thing
 T went over 10 see bim the next morning. At first l tlSught of telling him right of that l vG book agent, and what l wanted him to do. In the light of later developments that's what 1 should have done But 1 fol- lowed the usual rule made and pro sded for book agents in such cases, and talked to him as if l were inter ested in education some way or other, and had just dropped into visit with nim for d spell and get his views
 He was such d benevolent old party that l had chatted along for half an hour on general topics before thought of mentioning my book By that time We were as friendly as hired help and l knew that 1 could sell him anything from book to second hand gas engine.
 "I was just going to pull out my prospectus when young man came into the reception room just outside the office and started to walk in where We were, but stopped when he saw me 1 told the old man that 1 would let my business wait if the man in the next room wanted to see him for a minute, but he waved me back into my chair.
 Stay right where you are, he says, smiling amiably, and added in a whisper: I think l know who that is. It's a young man who's been coming around to bother me about book 1t won't do him any good, for l never buy books from agents. but l suppose he'll succeed in taking up lot of my time before 1 get rid of him.
 Wow, Put me in fine, didn't it? l about abandoned any idea right then of owning up that l was a book agent myself, but to make matters worse, the young chap walked in right then and my intended victim turned around and recognized him as his own son
 We'll, we'll he chuckled, to think that 1 would take my own son for a book agent, That's pretty good, guess' And he laughed heartily. We all laughed. Mine must have sounded
 like the cold calculating laugh of the man who wears gray derby hat in show. for there was no mirth in it, that's cinch.
 Well, sir, do you know, l was so put out over that deal that l went on