Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1914-07-05

Continued from page 4

Doubtless should feel conscience stricken
at the thought of their standing SO. The
specter of their drawn, tense faces, the
thought of their shattered faith, should
haunt me at night; but it does not. They
got exactly what was coming to them. They
own the best set of Kipling in the world for
the money-they have read it too. Their
minds are richer by that reading than by
have been in that town since the railroad
came through. They would not now take
anything for the joy that their reading has
brought. But would they have purchased
single volume of Kipling on that basis? Not
in a thousand years! They bought because
they couldn't resist the opportunity to
cheat me and my publisher. And 1 beat
them to it! l cheated them!
l would much prefer to have sold them
the Kipling strictly on its merits: nearly any
book agent would. For, after all, the ordi-
nary bookman is rather good sort of fellow,
fully as honest as the majority of his GUS
toners, and far more ingenious. Indeed,
when l look back over the bookmen I have
known, and remember the varied devices
with which they have induced people to
buy books, when l compare their keenness
with that of the ordinary salesman who re-
ceives orders for staple commodities, l am
led to question whether there be any sales
nanship that, so far as ingenuity is con-
cerned, is more worthy of the name.
T REMEMBER old Pat Farley, who used
to saunter out early in the direction of one
agents were prohibited under penalty of
arrest Pat would slip along to an empty
freight car outside the high fence, and,
climbing in, sit contentedly smoking and
reading the paper until friendly engine
would push the car inside the gates. There
Pat would remain in his private car until
the noon whistle blew, releasing the thou
sands of clerks and operatives, when with
one leap he would be out of the car and
among them. No policeman could pick him
out in that crowd of men; but he picked out
eight or ten orders day without any trouble.
1 remember Harry Evans, who, having
been forbidden entrance to a great Office
building, slipped into the washroom on the
second floor, and, sitting there all day long
on the edge of the washbowl, caught his
victims one by one as they came down
from the offices for a little smoke, and sold
them Mark Twain in twenty volumes.
A ND Jesse Harrington little Jesse,
who would always call attention to the
Typographical appearance" of his books!
Jesse used TO carry a pocketful OF little
American flags, each one mounted on pin.
Entering an Office, he would march solemnly
to the desk and stick flag upright in the
middle of the blotter
whats that?' the astonished business
man would inquire.
THAT" Jess would answer dramatically.
dis the symbol and sign of the United Book
Sellers Order of America. 1 have come as
representative of that order to present to
you remarkable opportunity. Should you
accept it, that flag will remain flying before
you as warning to all members of our
order that you are to be kept free from so
licitation. But should you deny yourself
this opportunity, the members of our order
will continue to call upon you until you
make a more happy decision
And with such a canvass he helped to
make Carlyle living force in American life.
Jesse was marvel in his way, particu-
larly on canvassing women. l remember
once in Seattle, when We were both working
a juvenile set, he bet me ten dollars that he
would sell the woman in any house would
pick out, and that his talk would make her
cry before he finished it.
We went out to select the house, and
walked along until l saw Manufactured,