Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1918-05-12
Honest Graft

name regularly appeared in the soci-
ETY. columns of the Sunday newspapers.
remained in the relief society rooms
Mrs. WINNER would remain there. Mr..
Bunker tucked his napkin in neatly
under his chin and took UP his soup
spoon. He held it in the air, for his
neighbor to the left was speaking.
Now, you are just talking the way
a lot of folks talk" Mr.. Vollor was
saying to his neighbor. about what
you don't know anything about"
Mr.. Parvent, the man addressed.
opened his mouth and closed it again
without uttering the words he had al
most said in reply. Mr.. Parvent was
high-grade book agent and was a thin
little man with neat whiskers and
bald spot the size of a butter-pat. His
motto was Talk all things to all men
and women" If beans were mentioned
he would talk beans working around
to a positive statement that red beans
were the best beans in the world. If
his hearer insisted that white beans
were better Mr.. Parvent would talk
for fifteen minutes. gradually yielding
one point after another, until he finally
his life and that white beans were, as
a fact, better than red beans. Then.
having placed his hearer under the con-
queror's obligation to the vanquished,
he would take advantage of the fact
and sell a set Of books.
Mr.. Vollor was a much younger man
and a newcomer at the boarding
house. The moment you saw him you
said to yourself: Now, that man is
familiar-looking man: where have I
seen him before?" For a while you
would be greatly puzzled. Nine out of
ten persons introduced to Mr. Vollor
were sure to say: Haven't L met you
before somewhere"
The secret of this was that Mr.. Vollor
was an up-to-date young man. It was
not Mr.. Vollor as whole you remem-
bered, but his component parts. 1t
might suddenly come to you that what
seemed so familiar in Mr.. Vollor's gen.
eral appearance was the Britt, Go1dtng
& Smitz twenty-f1ve-dollar suit he wore.
1t was familiar because you had seen
it in the advertising pages of a hun
dred magazines and newspapers. Then
you would recall where you had seen
his collar; it was the --latest Spear
head Collar for Spring; the Agley."
Then you would remember where You
had seen advertised his hat. the New
Baldnap 81 Hat: The Tipitip." Next
from the advertising page. THE 81
Treadsoft Shoe for Young Men; the
Boarnose.'
AS familiarity breeds contempt. you
sad oh and
thought less Of Mr.. vollor than he de-
served. Although a frightful brag-
CART. Mr.. Vollor was not bad fellow.
He had never written motion picture
scenario.
vent after moment. this is one of
the things 1 do happen to know.
know, because I sold Mr.. Gorringe.
yesterday. set Of 'Homer's Ethics
fourteen volumes, full morocco. So I
should know what l am talking about.
Shells
'Is-that-so!" said Mr. vollor rather
overbearingly. "Well, 1 happen to know
just a little bit more than you know.
supplying the allies with anything. And
1 didn't sell him volume Of anythingrr'
''Mr GorrInge told me" said Mr..
Parvent.
thing" said Mr. Vollor "Talk's cheap.
Talk is the one thing that hasn't been
boosted to war prices. Europe hasn't
begun importing American hot air yet.
I'll tell you the truth about Gorringe. if
you want to know it."
"Gorringe has some shell contracts.
That's as far as Gorringe has gone
he's contracted with four factories to
take all the shells they can turn out
lion dollars worth Of shells a year. But
we haven't agreed to take the contracts
off his hands yet"
"You?" queried Mr. Parvent.
Garter. Blodgett & Co.," said Mr.
Vollor. naming a large banking con-
Germ in Wall street. $50 that is where
your Gorringe stands; he has contracted
to take a million dollars worth of Shells
and he hasn't got the contracts off his
hands yet. II he don't get rid Of them
he will be busted higher than a kite
And he can't dispose Of those contracts
except through US; If we don't take them
-whoosh,'
Mr.. Bunker broke into the conversa-
tion.
II thought Carter. Blodgett & Co.
were banker folks" he said. 1t was like
saying II thought the Rockefellers were
oil folks" Mr.. Vollor smiled
Bankers? Just about the biggest
bankers In the whole world today" he
said. That's how they got into this
munition game. Concentration and
Standardization! There was too much