Pullman herald. [volume] (Pullman, W.T. [Wash.]) 1888-1989, 1913-12-12


flushed in his eagerness to make
them see--"don't you see where the
uIIerence comes in? He's a com
mission agent. He's trying to make
his commission big, not to give you
good prices"
How about your commission If
You do the selling?' called a voice
from the rear. "Aint it the same
thing?"
The Kids flush deepened No, it
Ism the same thing he declared.
me commission man buys to sell
again, and he gets the difference be-
tween the two prices, doesn't he?
Well, then, isn't he going to make
mat difference as big as possible?
Isn't he going to pay you as little as
possible to make his commission that
much bigger. Now your business
manager-who happens to be I
wants you to get the biggest possible
pr es because what he gets is a per-
centage of those prices. In other
words both he and the commission
agent try to go to the best buyers,
but your manager gives you the very
prices the best buyers offer, less the
percentage you yourself have agreed
upon; while Blinkenson or any other
agent takes the big prices and gives
you the smallest sum he can beat
you down to. Don't you see?" He
pleaded with them to see. Cant
you see how it is?"
Mr.. Timlin of the big buckwheat
farm got up. Now it looks to me
this way, he said. I'm from Mis-
souri, and you'll have to show me. |
reckon we all are. If you can show
me that | can sell my buckwheat bet
ter through the Associated Farmers,
that's how my buckwheat is going to
be sold. But when | can see with
my own eyes that we can get more
from Blinkenson, why, then | say we
are fools and idiots if we don't sell
to him. may not be a very smart
man, but I'm smart enough to know
that a dollar thirty-seven is better
than dollar thirty-five. Now | say,
let this young fellow keep on trying
and when he can get us good prices
We'll take 'em in a hurry, but when
we can do better with Blinkenson |,
for my part intend to sell my buck
wheat to Blinkenson."
You talk as if l or some other
person were the Associated Farmers, "
retorted the Kid. You are the Asso-
clated Farmers, MIR. Timlin; it's you.
Don't you understand? It's you! So
you cant talk about filling orders
there when you feel like it, and not
when you don't. But you can go back
on your word, if you want to. And
then what will your word be worth :?
Your reputation will be ruined, And
that's just what is going to happen
here. We're agreed to furnish Green
Brothers with that buckwheat. They
need it and they're counting on it.
They're the biggest buyers around
here. If we go back on our word
how much chance will we have of
selling there next year? Or the next?
Or anywhere either? The Associat-
ed Farmers would be killed and that
is just what Blinkenson wants. He's
afraid of US. He want to kill u.s."
A voice called out: "If Blinkenson
can get dollar thirty-seven, why
can't you?"
"Blinkenson cant get a dollar
thirty-seyen, the Kid asserted dar-
ingly. mo one is paying more than a
dollar thirty-five. But don't you see
that Blinkenson has to lose money on
this deal to kill us? He's willing to
do it to save his business for next
year.
The silence that met the Kid s
words filled his heart with hope. He
had shown them; he had made them
see it; it was the silence of conVic-
ton.
Then he caught the rumble of some
one muttering to his neighbor; then
more under-yoice talking from an
other part of the room. And then
someone said aloud, You can't be
sure" and someone else said some
thing about Blinkenson always being
square sort, and a third voice an
nounced that a dollar thirty-seyen
was not to be laughed at.
To the Kid it seemed as II giant
hand had turned off the light in his
life. 1t wasn't worth while; nothing
was worth even trying. He wanted
only to get away from it all as fast
as he could go.
Suddenly old Barnabas Leadly
made an effort to get up. A cranky,
rheumatic muscle pulled him back to
his seat, but the second try brought
him to his feet and he took his old
nloca of tho taachar'c dosk