Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1911-02-16

up more prescriptions in the next few
days than he had within the Inst fv,
years. Everybody wanted TO take
look at the renovated store aboh,
Sans hand and sec what the neu
partner was really like. Sothern
Lees was for some days quite desert
ed. especially after Duncan took n leaf
out or their book, bought an ice cream
freezer and began to serve dabs Of
cream in the soda.
VIII Bigelow even dropped round
and bought samples Of the tobacco
stock, from two-fors up to ten-centcrs.
and smoked them with expressive
shorts Tracey Tanners soda and Gig
---~--v ;.~,-v '-u-' ,r5ins,eiieu uui,y :.
Grahams from the first, and Roland
Barnette gave 1t his patronage, albei,
grudgingly, as soon as he found it i'm.
possible to shake Josie Lockwood's al
legiance. | say grudgingly because
Roland didn't like the new partner
and had said so from the first. But
every one else did like him almost
without exception His attentivenes,
and courtesy were not ungrateful aft
er the way things were thrown at you
ut Sothern e. Lees, we declared.
Duncan certainly did strive to please
No man ever worked harder In a Rad.
vile store than he did. And from tho
time that he began to believe there
would be some reward for his exer
tions. that the business was suscepti.
BILE to being built up by the employ,
ment Of progressive methods, he grew
astonishingly prolific Of ideas, from
our sleepy point OF view. The win.
dow displays were changed almost
daily, to begin with, and were made al
interesting AZ possible. We learned te
go blocks out of our way to find out
what Graham & Duncan were exploit
ing today. And daily bargain salea
were instituted low priced articles OF
everyday use, such as shaving soap,
toothbrushes and the like, being sold
at a few cents above cost on certain
days, which were announced In ad.
vance by means of hand lettered cards
In the show windows, whereas for
merry we had always been obliged to
pay full list prices.
Still earlier In his career as O bust.
ness man he noticed that the local
practitioners wrote their prescriptions
/ on odd scraps of paper.
That's all wrong" he declared.
We'll have to fix It," And by next
/ morning the job printing press back OF
the courthouse was grooming under an
order from Graham & Duncan's. and
few days later every physician within
several miles of Radville received half
n dozen neat pads Of blanks with his
name and address printed at the top
and the advice across the bottom. 60
to Grahams for the best and purest
drugs and chemicals" The backs Of
the blanks were utilized to request
people living out Of reach. but on rural
free delivery routes. either to mail
their prescriptions and other orders In
or have the physicians telephone them
promising to Ill and dispatch them by
the first post.
For he had telephone installed
within the first fortnight and the next
day advertised in the Gazette that or
ders by telephone would receive
prompt attention and be delivered
without delay. Tracey Tanner be-
came his delivery boy. deserving his
fathers stables for the obvious advan.
tages of s. week with a chance to
learn the business.
Starting with line Of five and ten
cent packages of indigestihle sweets,
Duncan in time made arrangements
with a big Pttsburg confectionery
RI m i'm n
ment of pound and half pound fancy"
boxes Of chocolates and bonbons twice
week And tafy pulls and fudge
parties apsed into desuetude
Later Sperry introduced him to an
association OF druggists, Of which he
became member. for the mainte-
nance and exploitation OF the cigar
and tobacco trade in connection with
the drug business.
Again. he treated Radville to its first
circulating library, establishing a
branch in the store One could buy a
book at moderate price and either
keep il or exchange 1t for n fee of a
few cents.
Undoubtedly he made the business
hum during those first few months
and after that it settled down to q
steady forward movement. The store
herame social center. place for peo
pie to meet In time Tracey was pro
noted to be assistant and another boy
engaged to make deliveries.
But this chronicle of progress has
run away altogether with a desutory
pen. which started to tell why Duncan
didn't want to so to Josie Lock wood s
party | was long in finding out but
not so long as Duncan himself. per.
haps, by which | mean to say that he
was conscious OF the desire not to sc
and determined not TO without stop.
ping 10 annlyze the cause of that de-
sire more than very superhcially.
1t happened toward the close of tina
eventfu day already detailed at such
length. thut as Duncan was entering
the house with a load Of boxed goods
he heard voices in the store-younR
voices. Of which one was already too
familiar to his ears, He paused. wait
ing for them to get through with their
business and go, for he had no time
to waste just then, even upon the
heiress of his manufactured destiny.
Betty was then working in the shop
(old Sam having gone upstairs for a
little rest, who was overweight and
weary with the excitement OF that