The Hood River glacier. (Hood River, Or.) 1889-1933, 1909-04-01

tiou alcng these lines among the
counties Of the state would, to the
merchant, be the most fruitful, in
dollars aud cents, and whole lot less
heavy to all,
| have lain down at night many and
many a time, and commenced to turn
the ledger over in my sleep, and start
from Que end and go clear through to
the other while John Y. FarHell, and
Carson, Pierre d Scott, or somebody
else, were coming after the dough,
while we we're needing the money,
aud were trying to figure out whether
John Smith was going to be able to
pay, and | tell you, it gives You
headache and shorteDs your life. 1t
is a part of the business, and If you
will select the people that you are 60
ing to put on your hooks and know
by consensus of opinion beforehand
who they are, you will be able to save
q whole lot. One OF the best men we
bad In our organization when it came
to compiling these rates, was 10 the
chop and mill business. | don't be.
lieve there Is man or a woman or a
child that this old fellow had not had
some kind Of bill against in the last
20 years. He was not bashful about
speaking right out in meeting, aud
when some hard case would come up
that We would think Was entitled to
about thu ee, this old fellow says,
"Now, look here, of course it isn't
possible, but / think that fellow
ought to have 7, 7" and he would tell
the reason why. Another case c4me
up in which man, perfectly able to
pay his bills one time Was in ques-
tion. He bad farm about mile
and halt or two miles from town,
and brought from hardware dealer
six incubators, When the inoubators
came the hardware man says, "You
go down to the depot and load them
in TO our wagon aud take them
home They we're checked out by
the railroad agent and charged to
him. At the end OF the month his
statement came in, Rud he said, 81
cannot pay that right now, but will
pay it inside OF 30 dgys.' The
hardware man said, "All right, 30
days will do, /"
Within the 30 days the hen house
took fire and burned the ineu bators,
and when it camo to settling the bill
he claimed he di1 not get six, bat he
only got five We tried to chase the
thing down and find ont. The depot
agent checked him out six, and six
came through. There vas u clear bill
OF lading, no loss at all, and the agent
checked out six to bin. 1t was II
matter of S25 or S26 or In the
neighborhood OF 500, and he declared
that he would only pay for five, that
five was all he got, and they we're all
burned up. The hardware dealer did
net want to sue him Tor $40 or S25,
so be let him pay tor five and gave
him a Ieceipted bill.
A similar instance on another bill
came up with one of the other mer-
chants, the bill amounted to $l20,
and he disagreed about the bill, and
said, 81 will give you 500 and call
it square. " ~ don't know, but
believe | would rather sue for the Sl20
than to take 800, " but they finally
compromised and he got reeeipted
bill for Sl00 1t was brought up be-
fore the association at the next meet
ing, as to what the members thought
that man was entitled to, aud we
gave him three. When he gets him.
self out of the three rating he will
deserve it. lie is not entitled to credit
and he will not be able to receive it,