n disposing
of goods.

When at the depots awaiting trains I always got into the good graces of
the Telegraph Operator by convincing him that I could read readily from
his instrument, and usually sold him an article of jewelry, and often
several dollars' worth. I might add here that in traveling about the
country it was quite entertaining to listen to every telegraph
instrument, while waiting for trains, and consequently I kept in fair
practice. As I still cling to that habit, I find little difficulty, even
now, in reading rapidly.

When going from place to place on the cars, I made it a point to "spot"
my man as soon as I entered the car, and managed to either get into the
same seat with him or one very near; and before I was fairly settled I
would find it necessary to open my sample case, and if possible would
ask my would-be victim to hold some of the trays while I arranged a few
goods in the bottom of my case. It was never necessary for me to offer
to sell to them, as they were usually eager to look through my stock,
and very anxious to buy when informed that I was a wholesaler.

It used to amuse me to come in contact with the high-salaried drummers,
upon whose personal sales their houses solely depended for success, and
see them spend a large share of their valuable time in "getting
acquainted" with some prominent merchant prior to inviting him to the
hotel to see their samples, which only for the disgrace of carrying
their cases from store to store they would have had with them. It was
always an easy matter for me to frustrate this class of salesmen in
their schemes of getting acquainted, as I always had my sample case
ready to spring open at the very first opportunity; and as I usually
managed to get the floor, and almost invariably did all the talking, the
"box," as a rule, was opened up to the merchant on short notice; and
although I considered a sale half made when this was accomplished, I
never quit talking or quit pushing sales, and always hurried my customer
through as fast as possible, and as soon as finished bade him good-bye
and left his store.

Many a good sale I made in this way while my modest, sleek,
forty-dollar-a-month friend stood by and wondered how long I had been
acquainted with the proprietor.

We traveled through Michigan, visiting the same towns we had sold
auction goods in the year before; and wherever I traveled, the moment I
would step off the cars I would hear such remarks as these