Tales of the Road

MERCHANT'S

r, poking his head into the Pull

s goodnight and turned in, but soon tw

an go at him in a listless sort of a way. This is where the old timer has the bulge over the new man. I once knew a man who had been a successful clerk for many years who started on the road with a line of pants. He had worked for one of my old customers. I cha

for him whatever I could. But here he made a mistake. When a man starts out on the road he must paddle his own canoe. It is about as much as his friend can do to sell his own line of goods, much less to put in a boost for somebody e

that just about paid his expenses. He was just beginning to find that the road w

'clock in the morning. It was Thanksgiving Day. To be sure, I went to bed and had

out there and I, too, had to go out and rustle some man. Just as I started over toward town, I met my German friend Henr

y, how goes

in to see anodder man and he said, "I haf an olt friend dot I buy from," and vat archument could I make against dot? I vent in to see still anodder, and he said, "I haf just bought," so, vat archument could I make against dot? The next man

d I; 'but I guess I'll g

t to have one day in the year to rest. He was the biggest merchant in the town in my line. When I rea

.' He sold me the collars and then, just for a bluff, I made out that mine was hurting me and took a few minutes to put on another one. I

pe that I shall not be very much lon

ician, then?' sa

act, if the eye looks upon anything that is not pleasing to it, it does it an injury. Now, my way of getting down to the root of all this eye trouble is to place before it things that are pleasing to look upon, and in this way, make eye salves and things of that kind unnecessary. In just a word,' said I (I had his attention completely), 'I am selling

e down to my sample room on Thanksgiving Day-he h

nry until the next morning. The train

luck yesterda

where I was sitting with a frien

ought o

othing m

e he vas going to haf von day in de year for his

ld Henry of m

t vas goot

better write that dow

nr

twinkle came into my theatrical friend's eye when Henry did, in fact, ask my permission to use this line of talk. I told Henry, 'Why, sure, go on and use that argument anywhere you w

ith a pencil, Henry,' said the a

own,' said Henry. 'Dot archurnent va

ts in the back of his order book. In the next town we struck, one of the m

face toward the hat case; the furnishing goods man will size up the display of neckwear; in fact, a merchant once told me that he could even tell the difference betwe

o up he marched to a clothing table and began to feel of a pile of pants. After the customer went out he went

hing,' said the old man.

earted that he almost felt like going back home. In fact, he didn't last more than abou

if I showed my goods to any one, I would have to get his consent to let me bring my stuff into his store. When I struck old Murphy to let me bring my goods in, he gave me a stand-off so hard that another one of the boys who was in the store gave me the laugh. Th

t over to the old gentleman, said, 'Take one, neighbor. These are out of my private box.' It was really a good cigar and the old man, giving me a little blarney, said, 'Surre, that cigare is a birrd.' 'I'm glad you li

to run through my samples. I've been aiming to do some work on them for several days but really haven't had the time-I've been so busy. But, as there's nobody else here in the town that I care to see (a mild dose of "smoosh," given

ke all the room you will but ye know Oime not for look

urphy, that I'll not show you any goods. I merely wish

samples lie there and went up the street, but came back several times and peeped into the front window to see what the old man wa

h was near where my samples were, marched

spoke up one

de the man who had lost the hat come down

ne. For my own part, whenever a customer gets clear off the hook, I let him swim. You have a great deal better luck casting your fly for new fish than you do in

here is a stiff hat that I buy for twenty-four dollars a dozen that is just as good as the one that you are selling me for the same money. Look at it.' He passed it over to me. I rubbed my hand over the crown and quickly I rapped the derby over my fist knocking the crown clean off it. I threw the

ou a good many straight tips

e not a great while ago down in Pittsburgh. Last season I placed a small bunch of stuff in a big store there. I had been late in getting aro

amples they look at but according to the goods delivered to them. It is the house that delivers good mer

is was just a few weeks ago-and

says the trimmings and everything are all right and I wish they did fit because your prices look cheap to me.' 'Well, let's go over and see about that,' said I. 'There's no one in

boy who waits on you at table and if pretty good coin is not dr

said, 'Johnny, what's the matter with this clothing you've received from me? Mr.

. The tailor to his royal highness could

re in this store and pick out some coats your size from other peop

a thing is so, I want to know it

titor's coats that he brought and they hung upon

great deal better to make clothing for the properly built man than for the invalid. Now, I just want to show you how this clothing does fit. You take any coat that you wish. Bring me half a dozen of them if you will-one from every line that you bought from me, if you wish. I wear a 38. Bring my size and let's see how they look. If they are not all right, I am the man who, most of all, wishes to know it. I can't afford to go around the country showing good samples and selling poor stuff. If my stuff i

bought it. I, myself, have not had time to pay much attention to it and I will have to

t three lots to save his life. I put these on and they fit to a 'T'.

"Shure, that ci

Now, you remember you thought when you bought my goods that they were from one to two dollars a suit cheaper and just as good as anything you ha

e, Jim,' said Gr

is good. Thirty-eight is a size of which you bought many and you haven't that size left in but three lines out of ten. Here you see very plainly that my goods have moved faster than any other clothing you have bought this sea

in favor of one of his old friends. Of course I wouldn't come right out and say this but the old man himself grew wise on this point because that afternoon he came down

buyer in my department. He said he would come over and look at my line. He took the hook so quickly that I ought to have been on to him to start with, but I didn't. He came over to my sample room in the evening. Now that, you know, isn't a very good time to buy clothing. Nothing is as good as daylight for that. He didn't question my price or anything of that sort. He would look at a few

stuff. 'Now,' said the buyer, 'to-night I can only make up a list of what's here. These t

here, you're making a pretty good commission on this stuff -here's a good bill, and I can throw it to you if I wish, or I can kill it if I like. I'

?" said one

a matter of time before the buyer who will be bribed will be jumped and lose his job. I simply told the fellow that I didn't do t

id he say to

get you down a little and make that much more for the house. I like to do business mysel

ouse himself had really canceled the order, so the next time I went to that town, I waltzed straight up to the office and asked to see the head of the establishment. I asked him why he had cance

and told the old man that his buyer had wanted to get $20.00 from me to make the bill stick; and I be

eave. He thanked me for putting him wise and from that time on, h

ttle ofttimes must order a flank movement, or a spirited cavalry dash; but he wins his battle by following a well-thought-out plan. So with the salesman. He must rely, in the main, upon good, quiet, steady, well-plan