A Man of Samples | Page 4

learned his cost mark, and then did not need to
ask cost afterward.
How did I do it? Bless you! Every traveling man does it in spite of
himself. For instance, I pick up a box and notice it is marked L.X.K.,
and I ask the clerk, while I look at the revolver, What did this cost?
He turns the box up to see the mark, and answers, $2.25.
This may be the truth, or may not. If it is, "L" is 2 and "K" is 5, and "X"
means "repeat." So by and by I find a box marked B.L.K., and I ask the
cost of that. He answers, $1.25. I am now sure that B is 1, L is 2 and K
is 5, and I can easily guess that A and C are 3 and 4. By finding boxes
with other letters on, and learning from the boy what the mark is, I soon
have "Black horse" as the cost mark in that store. I make a note of this
in my trip book so that I can use it when I am here again, or when our
other man is here.
My way now is tolerably smooth. If he really needs goods the merchant
will be willing to order at prices paid before; if he thinks he does not
need anything I may tempt him by quoting prices a little under what he
paid. In either case I am in good shape to make a fight for an order;
thanks to the clerk's loose tongue and lack of sense.
A customer comes in and wants a file. I listen to the conversation,
trying to get hold of any hint that may be useful to me by and by.
Another man wants a box of cartridges. My ears are wide open now.
"Have you the 'U.S.'?"
"U.S.--U.S. What do you mean?" asks the clerk.
"I want the kind with U.S. on the end."

"What good is that?"
"Good to go. I like that kind. Have you got them?"
"I don't know; yes; no, they ain't either! They're U.M.C."
"Don't want 'em!"
Now I was temporarily selling the U.S. cartridge, so I made a note of
what the man said, to be used on Tucker, but I took up the conversation
and convinced the customer that the U.M.C. make of cartridges was
good; he finally bought a box and went off apparently satisfied.
Just then Tucker came in.
I made some laughing allusion to pig-headed customers, and the clerk
at once opened up on the "fool" who thought one cartridge was better
than another. When the young man was back at his stove I started out
to sell Tucker a bill. He was backward about buying; didn't know our
house; always bought of Simmons; did not like to have so many bills;
always got favors from Simmons, and despised our city on general
principles.
I agreed with him on every point, but (Oh! these "buts") I also wanted
an order. I took out my bull-dog revolver that was selling at $2.85; he
had none like it in stock; it was the leading pistol, retailing readily at $4
to $5, according to locality. "I want to send you a few of these at a
special net price," said I; "the regular price is $3; I will sell you at
$2.85." I said this as if I was making him a present of a gold watch. "I
wouldn't have the d--n things as a gift," said he.

CHAPTER III.
When a man has been on the road a year or two he is never
disappointed because a dealer refuses to buy something he was sure he
was going to sell him. He is prepared for "No" on all occasions rather
than for "Yes." But a man is terribly disappointed on his first trip every

time he starts out to sell a particular article and does not meet with
success. I was sure Tucker would give me an order for some bull-dog
revolvers, but in answer to my low price he had said he wouldn't take
them as a gift!
I would have been very glad to go straight home and let Tucker get
along without bull-dogs, but my silly head had brought me into this
business and I must keep on. Probably he saw I was a good deal
disappointed, for he added, in a rather kindly tone, "Every pistol of that
kind I have ever sold came back on my hands for repairs, and I swore
I'd never buy another."
"You are making a mistake," said I. "When the double action first came
out they did get out of order easily, and manufacturers were obliged to
take back broken ones and replace them at great expense to themselves.
In self-defense