The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1909-11-25
Observation-Disclosures
THE WISE Man

! suburban storekeeper to the hosiery
| drummer, as a shabbily dressed ciu-
zen passed the window. IF | knew
all he does about business I'd be
| rich
He doesn't look to me as if he
| knew much" said the hosiery sales
man. What's his line?'
Hosiery" replied the storekeeper.
Hes an expert on socks an stock
| ms. He can look EN- over an tell
right away whether they'll ravel or
| run What's more, he could tell me
whether | ought to order from you
or not an how big an order l ought
| to give you. He can tell just what
| the trades goin' to call for, too. There
| amt nothin' about sock or stockin'
-merino isle wool, mixed or silk or
| mercerized-that he couldn't give
points wuth rememberin' on; open
work, fancy or plain, heavy or re-
enforced-don't matter what
why didn't you call him in them"
| asked the drummer. I'D like to have
him see these hose. If he knows any
thing about it he'll tell you that
they're the best ever put on the mar.
ket and he wouldn't advise you to
buy less than a couple o dozen boxes
to try. Shall | go outside and boiler
at him."
MOT on your life" replied the store
keeper, I'D sooner cake your word
for it.
Where did he learn about the hos
iery BUSINESS asked the drummer.
Search me-" answered the store
| keeper. 'Whe'a did he learn about
Fall River prints an Redditch nee.
dies? Who gives him experience in
window dressin? How did he find
out the way to arrange stock an ad-
vertise 1t? Who taught him what he
knows about the principle of bargain
Fridays an the kind o notions it pays
to keep in stock? I'll never tell you"
Maybe he's been in the same line
O business you're in"
mot him" said the storekeeper.
mo more'n he's been in the drug bus
fness or the hardware or the furni-
ture or the butcher business. | never
heard tell of his practicin' law or
drivin team or runnin' newspaper
or seryin in congress. but he can tell
you about any o them
Kind of an all-around man, isn't
he| commented the drummer
He's all around all right" said the
storekeeper That's the only thing
that saves my life. Sometimes he's
around to the butcher shop tellin'
CURLY how to cut meat an then he'll
mosey over to Roots drug store an
tell him how he might make his ever
lastin fortune putin up snakeroot
bitters after recipe his grandmother
had wrote down from another recipe
kiowa squaw had given her when
she was young gal an which she'd
improved on by 60 years experiment.
in.
Hes an all-around man sure. He's
around Williams real estate office the
best part o the mornins readin' vii.
liamS' papers an maxim plans for
putin the Standard Oil company out
o business Williams lots him stay
around because he gets lonesome in
the office waitin for the boom that's
comm when they extend the electric
line out here. Yes, sir, I'm glad he's
an all-around man, because when he's
around them other places he amt
around here"
What's his BUSINESS" asked the
drummer. Cor has he got any"
Amt | tellin' you?" said the store
keeper His business is my business.
an anybody's business It's givin'
valuable points. Mind you he don't
pretend that he knows all about dry
goods or groceries or law or posthoe
diggin' or knittin tides What he
claims is that there's fundamental
principles at the bottom of all of EN-
and that them principles is principles
o common sense He's got an idee
that most of us around here is spread
in termatter catsup on roofn ma
terial, | guess, an that's what keeps
him busy correctin' us.
There's lots like him" said the
drummer. We'll, how many boxes
are you going to take? Say three
dozen, just to start with"
Well, there it is" said the store
keeper Il told you | was oyerstockcd
on hosiery now an 1t didn't seem good
business policy TO me to order any
more, but you tell me ! need to order
three dozen boxes more What am !
goin' TO do? put it to you now. as
reasonable man I'm doin a pretty
fair business, maxim money an think.
in Of enlargin' my store an hirn'
couple more clerks this fall I've done
it by actin on my own judgment But
here's this Teller I've been speakin
of tellin' me that | don't use enough
common sense, an you're insistin
that I'm away off when | think | don't
want your darned hosiery an"
You don't need to darn these
hose said the drummer, closing his
sample case, I'm call on you some
other time Keep me in mind. that's