CONTINUING THE JEWELRY AND SPECTACLE BUSINESS ALONE--TRADING A WATCH
CHAIN FOR A HORSE--PEDDLING ON HORSEBACK--TRADING JEWELRY FOR A HARNESS
AND BUGGY--SELLING AT WHOLESALE--RETIRING FROM THE JEWELRY BUSINESS.
After dissolving partnership I returned
to Columbus, replenished my stock, and started out
alone. I took the first train out from the city
and stopped about ten miles distant, at a small country
village, and commenced operations. My success
was gratifying. I walked through the country,
peddling from house to house.
After my third day out, I came to
a spacious looking farm house just at nightfall, and
asked the lady if she would keep me over night.
She said she had no objections, but her husband was
prejudiced against keeping peddlers or agents, and
she was sure he would object. I asked where he
was, and she said he was away on a horse trade.
While we were talking he drove up
with a handsome bay mare, and called his wife out
to show her what a “bang up” trade
he had made, adding with much ardor and excitement
that if the fellow he had traded with was horseman
enough to get the other horse to pull a pound he would
do more than any one else had ever done.
I asked him to keep me over night,
when he turned on me with a volley of oaths sufficient
to color the atmosphere blue for some distance around.
I assured him, in the blandest manner
possible, that I was no horse thief nor burglar, and
that I had plenty of money and expected to pay my
bills.
His wife reminded him that they had
plenty of room, and as it was late he had better let
me stay.
He then consented, asking at the same
time if I was a good “story teller.”
This of course gave me an “inkling” as
to the best means of getting in his good graces.
During the evening I lost no time in arriving at a
point in our conversation where I could relate a few
of my latest stories, which pleased him greatly.
He became so much interested in me and my business
as to propose to go into partnership with me, he to
furnish the traveling conveyance and half the money,
and I to do the selling.
His wife ridiculed the idea and laughed
at his foolishness.
He then leaned forward in a very familiar,
friendly manner, and took hold of a long neck chain
I was wearing, and asked what I would take for that
chain.
“Oh,” I answered, “I don’t
want to sell it.”
“Well, but you would sell it, wouldn’t
you?” he asked.
“A man would be a fool to refuse
to sell anything he owned, if he got enough for it,”
I replied, “but I have no desire to sell this
particular chain.”
The next morning, while I was trading
with his wife, he again mentioned the chain, and remarked
that he would rather have that than all the jewelry
in the box.
I said: “I should think you would.”
He then said: “Look here,
young feller, I’ll tell you what I’ll do.
I’ll give you that bay mare I traded for last
night, even up, for that chain.”
I asked if she was sound. He assured me that
she was.
“Well, then,” said I,
“oughtn’t she to fetch two hundred and
fifty dollars?”
“Yes sir, you can bet on that,” he answered,
excitedly.
“Well then,” said I, “if
you will throw in a saddle and bridle I’ll trade.”
“I have no saddle,” said
he, “but I will give you a blanket and bridle.”
“All right, it’s a trade.”
We bridled and blanketed the mare,
I delivered the chain to him and mounted, ready for
a start.
“Now, young feller,” said
he, “the trade is made and there must be no
‘kicking’ on either side. You agree
to that do you?”
“Yes sir,” I answered,
“I’ll never kick if the old mare dies in
five minutes from now.”
“That’s right,”
said he, “you’re a dandy, and just the
sort of feller I like to deal with.”
“Well, I’ll bid you good day” tipping
my hat.
“See here, one moment,”
he yelled, as I had gotten well on my way. “Say!
the trade is made and no squealing on either side.
How much is this chain actually worth?”
“Well,” I answered, in
a loud tone, “those kind cost me ten dollars
per dozen, or eighty-odd cents each.”
He staggered and fell back against
the fence. His wife yelled in a high pitched
voice:
“Well there, John, you
have been taken in for once in your life.”
I raised my hat and cantered away.
I traveled on horse-back all day,
and found it up-hill business, as it was difficult
to mount and dismount, and very hard to carry my sample
case and valise on horse-back.
That evening I arrived in a small
burg where I put up, and determined to turn my horse
out to pasture, until I could deal for a buggy and
harness.
That night while in conversation with
some men at the hotel, I learned that one of them
was a carriage and wagon maker. I asked if he
had anything in the way of a light second-handed buggy,
which he could sell at a low price.
He said that he had one that he had
just been repairing and it was all ready to run out.
I prevailed upon him to take me to his shop and show
it by the light of a lantern.
I asked his price which was forty-five dollars.
On re-entering the hotel, I took him
into the sitting room and showed him my jewelry.
He was pleased with it, and I asked him how he would
like to trade his buggy for some of it. He said
he wouldn’t care to take it all in jewelry,
but if I had any good watches he would take one, and
some jewelry on a trade.
I then showed him the watch I was
carrying, and was not long in making a trade.
I gave him a bill of sale for the watch and jewelry,
and took one from him for the buggy.
I retired that night feeling that
I had made fair progress towards procuring a traveling
conveyance of my own. When morning came, my only
desire was to deal for a harness. As soon as breakfast
was over, I took my jewelry case and “hus’led”
around among the business men, as well as at different
residences in the town. I gave but little thought
to selling goods, but inquired, wherever I called,
if they knew of any one who had a harness for sale.
At last I called upon an old couple
who were in need of spectacles. I succeeded in
fitting both of them, when I suggested the idea of
taking their old glasses in exchange for mine, and
letting them pay the difference. The old gentleman
said I would have to trust them for the difference,
as they had just paid out the last money they had.
Almost the last thing I thought of,
was to ask them if they knew of any who had a harness
for sale, as I had become so interested in the spectacle
deal.
“Why bless you,” the old
man replied, “I have got a nice single harness
up stairs that I will sell cheap.” He brought
it down, and I traded the spectacles, a very nice
pair of sleeve-buttons, and a handsome set of jewelry
for it.
I was now ready to start with my newly
completed torn-out, which I lost no time in doing.
I traveled in the direction of Kirkersville,
where I arrived a few days later and promptly exhibited
my horse, harness and buggy to my late partner and
his acquaintances.
After a careful scrutiny of the turn-out,
and a look at the goods I had left in stock, he remarked
that “some one must have been taken in.”
I continued peddling for some time,
meeting with splendid success on the average, with
occasionally a poor day.
I never lost an opportunity of trading
horses, and as a rule, preferred to keep trading for
a better one each time where I would be obliged to
pay boot, which I invariably manipulated so as to pay
the difference in jewelry, instead of the cash.
I also traded buggies frequently in this way, and
in a very short time I was driving a first-class turn-out.
My early boyhood experience with horses
had given me a fair knowledge of them, and the blemishes
they were subjected to, which enabled me to pass reasonable
judgment on them, when making trades.
My best deals were always made with
professional horse-men, who generally seemed to think
they had a “soft snap,” and I never attempted
to convince them differently, except when I could do
so at their expense.
Peddling jewelry and spectacles was
the business I gave my special attention to for sometime,
and it proved a very satisfactory one. With the
exception of a few disagreeable features which are
sure to attend any business of that nature, I found
it very pleasant.
One day I drove into a small country
village and stopped at a blacksmith’s shop to
have my horse shod. While waiting, I happened
to drop into a large general store, and very soon
entered into conversation with the proprietor, who
was a jovial, good-natured fellow. He told me
his latest story, when I thought to try and amuse him
with one or two of mine, which I was very successful
in doing.
In a few moments I mentioned that
I was in the jewelry business, and before I had time
to ask him to look at my goods, he said: “Bring
in your truck, let’s see what you’ve got,
anyhow.”
I brought them in and began quoting
prices. He began picking out and laying to one
side. I was worried to know whether he expected
to buy on credit or pay cash.
He kept picking out and I told another
story. He laughed heartily and said that was
“the boss” and laid out more goods.
Finally he said: “What
are your terms anyway or haven’t you got any.”
I answered: “No, I have
no terms, everything net spot cash.”
“What! Don’t you give any cash discount?”
“I never have given any yet,” was my reply.
“Well then, I suppose there is no use in my
trying to get any.”
In a few moments he directed me to
make out my bill, which I did on a piece of brown
paper. It amounted to a little over eighty-two
dollars.
I threw off the extra few cents and
he paid me the cash, after which I receipted the bill.
This particular sale was the ruination
of my jewelry business for the time being, but as
will be seen, proved to be the key-note to a very
successful business in after years.
Having turned wholesaler, I was wholly
and entirely unfitted for the business of peddling.
My thoughts were completely turned from the latter
and absorbed in the former.
Although I readily understood that
it must necessarily take large capital to conduct
such a business, I yet determined to give it a trial
with my little stock.
I therefore telegraphed for more goods,
and began driving from town to town making a few sales
to the merchants, but none equal to my first one.
I never found another merchant so anxious to look at
my goods, nor so ready to buy. However, I readily
understood that I must be persistent in showing to
them the same as I had always been at private houses,
and in many cases more so. I came in contact
with one merchant whom I failed to understand perfectly
well.
I called at his store and found him
reading the paper. After introducing myself and
explaining my business, he simply said he didn’t
want any jewelry.
“Well,” said I, “I
don’t suppose you will object to looking at it,
will you?” He made no reply. I then began
laying my trays out on his counter.
After displaying them nicely, I stepped
back to where he was sitting and still reading, and
said to him: “I have them ready now, sir.”
He stepped behind the counter, gathered
up the trays, piled them in a heap, stepped to the
front door, pitched the entire outfit into the middle
of the street, and returned to his newspaper without
a word.
My first impulse was to “have
it out with him, then and there,” but I suddenly
thought of my stock in trade lying in the middle of
the street, and “hus’led” to gather
it up.
It took me a whole day to clean and
re-card and get it in good shape, which work I did
at the hotel, in the same town. I remained there
over night and prepared for a new start the following
morning.
The more I thought of the treatment
I had received at his hands, the more I felt like
having the matter settled before leaving. So after
making all preparations for a start, I drove to his
store, and just as I stepped from my buggy, he came
around the corner from his residence and was about
to enter the door.
I headed him off and said, “Mr.
, I am about to leave this town,
and before doing so, I propose to have a little settlement
with you. Now, sir, you can have your choice
of three things. Either make an apology for your
beastly conduct yesterday, take a good thrashing or
look my goods over in a gentlemanly manner. Now
which do you prefer?”
At this I began laying off my coat.
He said he had no desire to look at
my goods and didn’t crave a thrashing, and guessed
he would rather apologize, which he did, and I went
on my way rejoicing, and I dare say in much better
shape than I might have been in, had he shown as much
fight as he did meanness the day before.
On account of my extremely small stock
I found it up-hill work to succeed as a wholesaler.
My first large sale had so completely turned my
head, that I was unable to return to my former
successful plan of peddling from house to house and
continued on as a wholesaler, wending my way homeward.
On arriving there I drove to the old
farm, and with much pride related my experience and
success to the folks.
My mother said she wouldn’t
give fifty cents for all the jewelry in the box, and
in all probability the horse would die or something
happen to him sooner or later.
Mr. Keefer said he didn’t know
about the jewelry, but one thing was sure, the horse
and buggy were fine.
I saw the utter foolishness of trying
to be a wholesaler, and began searching about for
a customer for my entire lot of jewelry, whom I soon
found in the person of a young man, whose note I took
for two hundred and fifty dollars, and his father
as signer, payable six months after date.
The next day I drove down town, and
as was my custom after arriving home from a trip,
my creditors were the very first persons I called on,
and as usual, assured them that I was still alive
and “hus’ling.”
I also showed them the note I had
and offered to turn it over to either of them who
would pay me the difference between its face value
and what I owed them.
They said they would rather take my
individual note for the amount of my indebtedness,
which I gave, drawing interest at eight per cent.,
all of which footed up to several hundred dollars.
Now I was ready for other business.