Elk City mining news. (Elk City, Idaho) 1903-1913, 1911-06-08
Business is Business

Henry J. Aufgang was a prosperous
| farmer. lie saved his money and got to
be well off. He bought his stuff at his
store in town and so did his neighbors,
says Encampment (Wyo.) Herald.
Almost every day Henry drove to the
store with load of something which
he sold and then "visited around I"
with his neighbors in town and his
brother farmers, who, like him, drove
| in often.
The women folks came sometimes, and
it was nice and sociable and everybody
grew to know everybody else.
Henry j. Aufgang had telephone in
his house and a rural free delivery car
rier brought him a daily paper from
the Big Cities every day, He could
call up the doctor in town if his folks
took sick or he could ask the store
keeper the price of eggs over the
phone and take some in if the price
was right.
One day he got catalogue from
email order house" and read what it
said about saving money by buying of
the big concern (Which was many
stories high according to the picture
on the cover of the catalogue and en-
ployed thousands and thousands of peo-
ple).
Henry thought as he read the cata-
logue.
Cuisines is business" he said, and
sent in an order-not to his friend, the
storekeeper in the town, who in the
past had trusted and credited him when
he was hard up, but to the man he had
never seen-the man who ran the mail
order house in the Big City.
Cuisines is business. - Henry got
his stove. One of the legs was loose
wouldn't fit. His friend the black
smith in town fixed it. He ordered his
clothes and his hats and his shoes and
his drugs and his furniture and his
carpets and his crockery and his boots
and shoes and rubber boots from the
mail order house.
Business is business.'
Many of his neighbors followed his
example business is business
Henry had been so busy getting in
the crop and sending orders to the mail
order house that he forgot all about
going to town for some months.
One day he thought he would take in
some dressed poultry and fresh eggs
and visit round.
He called up the storekeeper to find
the price of his stuff.
Central said Cline disconnected. ,,
and Henry wondered.
Finally he went out and hitched ND.
Went to town; didn' seem to be much
doing there.
Drove to the store-it was closedi
Went over to the furniture store
closed, too. So was the drug store:
also the hardware store and the hotel
and restaurant didn't look prosperous.
Nobody makes the town now,V said
the hotel man to Henry Cuisines too
poor-town going Bookstores all
closed
Henry sought his friend, the black
smlth-yes, he was doing business at
the old stand.
What s the matter with the town9''
inquired Aufgang.
Nothln,,' said the blacksmith, tex
cept lot of crazy people around here
have taken the notion that they don t
need any town and are sending all their
money away to millionaires who run the
catalogue houses. Course they've got
to come to me, and 1 IN here vet lust
because the catalogue fellows haven It
devised ways and means for shoeing
horses by mail. But when they do III
have to fit, too"
Henry was astounded.
"Why, I'd no idea" he COM
nenced.
course you hadn't" rejoined the
"Course you hadn It. Won
1adn t an idea. You don It think. We'll
you had better do so now. Where are
you going to sell your butter and eggsY
IAN you sell 'em to the mail order
house? You can get rid of your wheat
1t the elevator, but you won't have
my fun any more in this town visiting
your neighbors, cause there ism Il arY
own, and the people you used to know
nave all gone away to some place where
hey can make living.
Pretty soon the town will be all
gone. Then your good roads will he
gone, too. And you can't bring vonr
nall order jewelry and castings to town
TO be repaired. If your mail order
'hoes don't fit you'll just naturally
nave to squeeze your foot and bear if
II your mail order clothes which Won
BUY sight unseen aren't what Won
want, what are you going to do about
The blacksmith paused. It was
ong speech for him and it had got TO
Aufgang.
Cuisines is business" finally said
Henry. '''"
Yes, and foolishness is foolishness ,,
answered his friend. "You NAV think
IT'S business to kill off our town bnt
It over.n '"inA
Henry did "think it overn as he
1rove slowly homeward with the
dressed poultry and eggs which he had
to sell 70 hin CT a, 49,