The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1910-02-23
BUYING RUGS N CAIRO
It's a Risky Business For the
Man Who Doesn't Know.
LURING ON AN .EASY MARK" :"

The Story Of How Rich American
Was Worked by Crafty oriensa!
SaIesman-Under the Mystic Spell of
the Dim, Religious Light.
Writing OF The Passing Of the An
tiqre Rug" in the Century. John Kim
berry Munford tells this story:
It Is beyond question cheaper to buy
IN America your ruS and the ingenious
tale that goes with it than to wait un-
til you visit Constantinoplc or Smyrna
or Cairo or TiHis They are much
more skillful and insinuatins over
there They have the advantage Of
local color and environment. and your
common sense is under the spell Of the
east 70 begin with.
Here is :n inciden, to illustrate. a
party Of rich Americans arrived In
Cairo one day seS.-a! win ago on
yachting trip and passed 4 week or
more in sightseeing One OF them bad
just finished L palatiai house not laT
from New York and throughout Eu-
rope had bought marbles and broaZess.
woodwork and ye!yctS for il with 4
lavish hand The journey to Cairo
was made IN order 20 secure rugs.
What happened is best told in the
words of dealer in The bazaar. from
whom | had IL
There was :. fellow in our con-
cern." be said. who was always buy
Ing nightmares. and l had 10 Work
myself black ii the face TO get rid OF
them. The week before the Ameri-
cans came this chap had taken in q
shockingiy bad pair Of kirnans. cnor-
mously big. new and. TO my mind. ut
terly unsuitable. When the head Of
the house saw them be held up bis
hands and shouted. Get rid OF those
things for q hundred pounds 10 the
first rerSon who'll buy them
$50 rolled them up and put them
one side. intending to send them TO
commission man in the bazaar to un-
lead. Next morning in came Money
'bacs from New York with bis whole
company. He said be wanted to see
the best carpets had. and be saw
them. turned the place inside out.
Nothing pleased him. for the reason
that made the common mistake OF
showing him too much. he thought
had something hidden away. so be
winked ne over into one corner and
told me who he was. Now. said he.
I want you to timber up. want the
best. and ! don't mind price 4 get
what suits ne.
Il was 10 despair. FOR had actually
shown the man every carpet bad.
All Of sudden thought OF these two
freaks baled away the day before. /
almost laughed in his face. but finally
pulled my mouth down and began
salaamins and asked him wing in the
world be hadn't told me who be was
in the beginning. then shouldn't have
wasted his time and abused his pa
tience so.
He srinned triumphantly. thought
you had them. he said.
But said l, it will take o little
time to get at them. and | must ask
you and your friends {, wait pa
t!ently.'
They waited and tell you for the
next half hour the men around that
shop earned their pay. We went up
stairs and urrol!ed those two rugs.
We had 4 great big curtain OF green
plush. which we hung against the
wall. Then We pressed the carpets
out and put them mp against the cur
tain. That. you know. is worth so per
cent 10 the looks. Then we adjusted
the lights and stationed men all
around to look as solemn as worship
ers. Nobody was to speak above q
whisper. and every man was to nur-
mur Mashallah" at appropriate inter
rals.
When everything was ready ush-
cred the customers up and on tiptoe
led them in. There IS no doubt about
1t, the effect was fine At 6Tst every.
body was still. 1t was like church.
".Ah,' said the great man. that IS
what I came Cor. knew you had
them. You needn't tell me the price
Just send them &c the yacht at Alex
andria.'
That aight l went up to the hote!
where they were stopping and got bis
check FOR 60.o00 francs for the pair.
And that wasn't the best Of it. l had
got into my stride then. and while he
was busy annexinS the kirmaos / had
the porters bring up seven Of the car
pets he had refused downstairs and
showed them in that dim religious
light. unrol!ing them rs II they had
been sacred and signing soulfully every
row and then. BE bought the whole
seven and to the day Of his death fully
believed that was the original wiZars:
OF the east"
Etiquette Of Letters
Eighty years ago the etiquette OF
letters WIS fnr more ricA than now.