Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1910-03-10
BUYING RUGS IN CAIRO
It's a Risky Business For the
Man Who Doesn't Know.
LURlNG ON AN "EASY MARK"

The Story of How Rich American
Was Worked by Crafty Oriental
saIesman-Under the Mystic Spell Of
the Dim, Religious Light.
Writing of 1.-THE Passing Of the An
tique Rug" in the Century, John KIM
berly Mumford tells this story:
1t is beyond question cheaper to buy
in America your rug and the ingenious
tale that goes with it than to wait un-
til you visit Constantinople or Smyrna
or Cairo or Tiflis. They are much
more skillful and insinuating over
there. They have the advantage Of
local color and environment, and your
common sense is under the spell of the
east to begin with.
Here is an incident to illustrate. A
party of rich Americans arrived in
Cairo one day several winters ago on
a yachting trip and passed week or
more in sightseeing. One Of them had
just finished a palatial house not far
from New York and throughout Eu,
rope had bought marbles and bronzes.
woodwork and velvets for it with a
lavish hand. The journey to Cairo
was made in order to secure rugs.
What happened is best told in the
words Of a dealer in the bazaar, from
whom l had it.
"There was fellow in our con-
cern," he said. "who was always buy
ing nightmares, and l had to work
myself black in the face to get rid Of
them. The week before the Ameri-
cans came this chap had taken in
shockingly bad pair Of Kirmans, enor-
mously big, new and, to my mind, ut
terly unstable. When the head Of
the house saw them he held up his
hands and shouted, Get rid of those
things for a hundred pounds to the
first person who'll buy them
$50 I rolled them up and put them
one side, intending to send them to
commission man in the bazaar to I'm.
load. Next morning in came Money
bags from New York with his whole
company. He said he wanted to see
the best carpets had, and he saw
them. I 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 he
winked me over into one corner and
told me who he was. Now said he,
4 want you to timber up. I want the
best, and don't mind price if I get
what suits me-
81 was in despair, for had actually
shown the man every carpet 1 had.
All of sudden l thought Of these two
freaks baled away the day before. l
almost laughed in his face, but finally
I pulled my mouth down and began
salaaming and asked him why in the
world he hadn't told me who he was
in the beginning, then shouldn't have
wasted his time and abused his pa
tience so.
''He grinned triumphantly. 4 thought
you had Them he said.
But said 1, it will take little
time to get at them, and l must ask
you and your friends to wait pa
tiently.'
''They waited, and tell you for the
next half hour the men around that
shop earned their pay. We went up
stairs and unrolled those two rugs.
We had great big curtain Of green
plush, which we hung against the
wall Then we pressed the carpets
out and put them up against the cur
tain. That. you know, is worth so per
cent to the looks. Then we adjusted
the lights and stationed men all
around to look as solemn as worship
ers. Nobody was to speak above a
whisper, and every man was to muir
muir sMashallahv at appropriate inter-
walls.
s.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 first every
body was still. 1t was like church.
"tAh,' said the great man, that is
what I came for. / knew you had
them. You needn't tell me the price
Just send them to the yacht at Alex
andria'
'That night went up to the hotel
where they were stopping and got his
check for 10000 francs for the pair.
And that wasn't the best of it. / had
got into my stride then, and while he
was busy annexing the Kirmans l had
the porters bring up seven Of the car
pets he had refused downstairs and
showed them in that dim religious
light. unrolling them as II they had
been sacred and signing soulfully every
now and then. He bought the whole
seven and to the day OF his death fully
believed that was the original wizard
Of the east