A Man of Samples. Something abo

produce, had been in business three years, but had never, until the present

of it when he was a clerk; he had eagerly questioned the traveling men about it, an

began to arrange for a business trip to the city, but somehow every plan he made was interfered wi

hings at big discounts. All the jobbing houses have odds and ends that they are willing to sell at anything they can get, in order to get r

lly the first thing he told them, after be had looked at their cards. Some of them argued the matter with him. Some of the more independent members of the profession tol

ioned him as "Smarty Smart," because of certain tendencies he had of making reductions in prices, of marking

e occasionally took a little more than his conscience told him was his "rights," he soothed t

trying to get unfair advantage of him, and that he must present a bold front or he will be imposed upon. He always magni

he expected from the heads of the wholesale houses, and the invitations he would receive to dine and wine with them. But he did no

and when he reached the city hotel late in the evening the clerk sized him up as easily and as accurately a

un. Mr. Braun was not down yet but would be in a short time. Would he wait? No; Solomon didn't propose to wait. He was there on business and must attend to his business. Perhaps the young man could wait on him? No, indeed; Solomon didn't come to town to be waited on by clerks. Perhaps he would call again,

course. He would not be at the store that morning, but Mr. Birden was at the desk, yonder, if he would do. Well, it was good to find one proprietor in; and he moved over to B

s Mr. B

ir," pl

"This is Mr. Smart?" and to hold out h

of your house

abouts is y

h Por

eh? What is th

ma

ave said Smith, so far as Birden's seeming to re

trade, M

ll just at

memorandum for some of our goods, Mr. Smart? Let me

ands with him, linked his arm through his, and had him half way to the sample room. Th

crispest manner. No one seemed to kno

goes there. Waite's a good fe

stay at home. I never

at him in mild surprise. "Well

a mere clerk, and to have that man take it for granted that he was going to buy without any coaxing or figuring. He was disappointed. He expected to have bought a bill here, b

be he would come in again. Church coaxed him a little then, but it was t

and he bought readily, but he was disgusted to see that prices were no lower than the traveling man had sold at. He mentioned this to Shaw. "Lower? Of course not.

big; it costs you no

. I would be mighty glad if traveling men were done a

s he was finishing, and about to say "good-by" to Mr. Shaw, he sa

er deductions made in remittances. These little things are very annoying, and while the a

an to fee

ot pay express on your remittance. Now, Mr. Smart, this is not right. Our place of business is Toledo, not North Portage; our bills are

est from my custom

lt the same way. I squeezed every cent that I could from the men I bought from; but I discovered that it was poor policy. I saved a few cents and lost the good will of the house, which was worth dollars. I speak of all th

just given to Shaw, but that gentleman had dismissed him so politely and smoothly that he hadn't had time to do it. It had never seemed possible to him that he would ha

himself, decidedly coldly. Solomon began to think that he would go to some other house with his order rather

know as t

with you, we cannot allow anyone the privilege of ordering goods and then returning them at our expense, if he happens to change his mind.

er? I didn't order the blue pr

d a man might occasionally be expected to make a mistake, as you did the other day when you wrote us to send you three gross of corsets, when you intended, you said afterward, to order but three d

e billed half a cent t

ou are at liberty to order or not, as you think best; but if you send us an order for cambrics and say nothing about the price you have no right to express them back to us because our

ll as low as any

s a few trinkets. You knew that Mr. Goodnow would be at your place in a short time, and you might easily have waited until seeing him before returning the goods, but you evidently thought you were punishing us and showing your grit by rushing them back by express. I assu

Solomon; "I've not been troubled that way yet

(the task was getting as disagreeable as it was monotonous), saying he wanted to buy some goods. The gentleman made an excuse to go to the desk for a moment, and Solomon knew it was to consult the reference book as to h

the matter with you people down at North Portage about axes? We wrote you that four of the last six you returned were in no way covered by warrants; some were broken in solid steel, some were ground thin and h

rrant you ought t

e than that. But you do not stand up to it. You take back go

ing them back I must take

e, but I object to your taking them back and then shifting all the burden over

time you'll ever have

small affair, but the thing has to stop so

is wallet, "How much

s he walked out he did not hear the remark of Braun to the clerk: "He's one of those s

d his wife that he had been a fool to spend money when he might have stayed at home and bought of traveling men. "I tell you," said he, "a man's a mighty sight more independent when buying in his own store. The drummers are red hot for orders, and you can

having the wholesale houses my friends than I can by making them mad at me, and now we get along first rate. I guess Luce is one of the bes