A Man of Samples. Something about the men he met On the Road""

n you begin to realize that you are alone. There's but little difference, I imagine, in the feelings of a prisoner going into his cell at the close of day and those of a m

se, and wish I was at home. I think of fires, of sudden sickness, of to-morrow's trade, of to-day's orders, and of all the pros and cons of business. Through the night I hear scurrying feet in the hall, the late

ing in my line. It is a sleepy town. Time was when it had a large trade in the surrounding States, but of late it sells near home. A town of its size might and ought to support

t we never get our orders filled. There's always something l

surprised at what I had just heard. I remarked this, and that I was the st

orandum regarding the items. To be sure they were goods we never kept in stock and never intended to. I explained this, but he took th

or time for that when you are hunting for an order, but I

our stock

ask for the Lafouch

fif

e way out

e with a man at any time, but it's esp

them," said

$10.50 is best I can

So does Tryon's ma

do

as a needle, and a mighty sight better than his house. If h

resting; but I had

d any Lafou

can buy t

" I didn't want to; I wanted to get better prices than they were quoting

ather promised him an order the last time he w

s the kind of speech to do it. I had no grudge against Clayton, but I was bound to ge

and knows his business; if he only l

now he was

his breath as if he was trying to

ing the U. M.

o discount Reachum and I gave him the c

and

but I saw he ha

u doing on C

and

Zul

ld at these prices, but I was in for it, and proposed to keep on. The partner came up t

ave no figures but yours and are not sure you are quoting bottom prices. There is a disinclination in all men to buy even in good times, and in these days there is almost a determination in

his own fault if he does not go on. Several times in our work we were interrupted, so that the forenoon was pretty well spent when I was through. It was the hour when many men

? It surely does do this, but I don't know why. In his store we were in the p

ation as if it was part of their samples, others as if they saw I was cross, and proposed to spend five cents in beer to make me

I was pretty muc

e best salesmen out of New York sold me my first stock. He was paid $5,000 a year, and was worth it. He went on a drunk here, but br

own a good many m

ons. Poor Hank Woodbury, who sold me thousands of dollars from Sargents', went insane and died. I remember a man dropping in one day who looked a good deal more like a school teacher than a salesman. His n

es

sweeter than the angels can sing. They tell me he's grown rich and lives like a lord; owns an island

an make money for others ought to be able to do that for himself, but this does not always follow. I have met some traveling men who were once superior salesmen and then steadily ran down. Perhaps whisky is back of it, or, perhaps, circ