Tales of the Road

constitutional with the drummer and diplomacy must become second nature to him. All this may have a very commercial and politic ring, but its logic is beyond q

of bronchos fairly dripped with sweat; their sides heaved like bellows-they had just come in from a long, hard drive. As the train started the commercial tourist slung his grips before him and jumped on. He shook a cloud of dust out o

call,"

and thirty-five minutes. That was the

mer qu

ould and gave it without kicking. He gave me the glad hand-and that, you know, goes a long ways-and for six years I've been going to see him twice a year, more to accommodate him than for profit. The boys all do lots of this work-more than merchants give them credit for. His

e this time it was the lonesomest place I ever saw, no more store and post office, no more nice little wife and fried chicken-not even a dog or hitching post. My friend had gone away a

and feet

nd miles

this blast

! Yes, f

pers cam

oed them

the hot wi

ad the gri

ays somethi

I've got

strike anot

how runs

you, boys,

mer is m

n up my do

fe, for you

k a fresh cigar from me, and, whistling, sauntered down the aisle hunting partners f

a plate of blue points, for he swallows them about as often. One of the severest disappointments for a road m

lesman told m

the road. I was a little pushed for time, so I wrote one of my irregular country customers that I would no

you know that to jolly up my customer a little I had to get on the good side of the wife, and the best way to do this was to play with the baby. After I had danced the little fellow around for a while I put h

'Why don't you leave the baby here with us while you're making arrangements. Mr. Percy has lots of children at home, and he

little whimper. I rolled him for a minute or two with one hand and ran the other over a line of cheviots and told my customer how good they were; but the very minute I let go of the buggy, out broke the kid again. I repeated this performance two or three times, but whenever I let go the buggy handle the baby yelled. In a few minutes he was going it good and strong, and I had to take him out and bounce

er I let go the buggy

up until I nearly wore out my throat. It seemed as if the baby's mother never would come back, but I had the happy satisfaction of knowing, thou

got the baby and I never saw her husband again! A competitor of mine had '

to a possible customer-that they have a chance to get their hands on. When the merchant gives the traveling man an opportunity to do him some sort of a favor outside of

f you were to eliminate the Hebrew from the clothing business the ranks of dealers in men's wearing apparel would be devastate

id to me, 'We want you to go to the show tomorrow n

was up against it and I had to make good. You may take my word for it that I felt a little nervous that night when I came to the big hall and saw it full of people waiting for the opening address. I needed to

ssacre. Consequently, I was able to speak from the heart in telling my audience how every human being, without regard to race, was touched by such an outrage. Had I

truest friend is his wife. The business man feels that she is his best counselor. If you can get the good w

ook the prompter in the face. He had a rich, full, deep voice which, when he sang the Holy City, made the chandeliers fairly hum. There is something in the melodious human voice, anyway, that goes away down deep into the heart. My frie

again.' Both of us did a good business in that town on the strength of the charity ball, and we have held our friends there as solid customers. I say 'solid customers' but actually there is no

however, because when you become intimate with a merchant you fail to continue to impress upon him the merits of your merchandise. However tight a rope the salesman feels that he has upon a mercha

in to see an old customer named Williams, dow

o a porter, slipped half a dollar into his hand and t

siness, and that he cannot do business well unless he has his goods in a sample room. The man who goes out to work trade with his trunks at the depot does so with only half a he

my line," continued my

lled at the window as

d ready for you at any

er

've bought your line for this season. I m

ed over the situation. The worst thing I could have done would be to get mad and pout about it. Had I done so I should have lost out for good. The salesman who drops a crippled wing weakens himself, so

ne dollars a dozen as good as you are selling for twenty-four, and I thought it was to my business inter

such good friends-Heaven knows I have not a better one in this country, Joe- that I never talk business to you and George, your buyer. Now, I'll tell you what is a fair proposition. You and George

t we dance. To-morrow w

here-you, George and myself-to see what you know about hats. If there is any line of goods in which you should know values, certainly it is the line you have been handling for six years. You have fingered them over every day and ought to know the prices of them. Here is a line of goods right out of the house from which you have been buying so long. The prices range from nine

oks fair to me,

a twenty-four dollar hat belonged, and an eighteen dollar hat right beside it, indicating that the two were of the same quality. The next hat I handed them was one worth sixteen dollars and a half a doze

you say is worth twenty- four dollars a dozen. Look at the brand. You have it on your own shelves. You have been buying them of this quality for six years at eighteen dollars a

line of goods, and perhaps you feel that you have enough for this season and that you will make the best of a bad bargain. You are satisfied in your own mind, and you have told me as plainly as you ever told me anything in your life, that my goods are better than those that you have bought. I am going to tell you one thing now that I would not say in the beginning: that you have bought from a line of samples the goods of which will not equal the samples you have looked at. It is not the samples that you buy but it is the goods that are delivered to you. Those which will be delivered will not be as good as those which you looked at. You know full well that my goods have always come up to samples. You know that they are reliable. Wh

ut me in the "pen

hey will find out whether the stuff he gives them is good or poor. Go into a large establishment with a good reputation and you will find out that they give to the people who come to buy merchandise from them good values. Now, the goods I have sold you have always given your trade satisfaction. Your business in my department is increasing, so you say, and the reason is because you are giving to your customers

ickie has us. Give him an order for $1,000 and don't let's