Twenty Years of Hus'ling
over and above all our expenses.
On calling for my mail at this place I received a letter from the
proprietor of the wholesale house I had been dealing with, requesting me
to come to Chicago at once, as they had a very important proposition to
make to me. When I returned to the hotel I met my wife in the hall and
said: "Flo., I guess _G. & S._ want to take me in partnership with them;
at any rate they have written me to come to Chicago, and I think we'd
better start at once."
We boarded a small steamer for Traverse City, where we took the steamer
"City of Traverse," and after about forty-eight hours' ride arrived in
Chicago, and I immediately called on the firm with a feeling of almost
absolute assurance that thirty minutes later would find me a member of
the concern. After shaking hands and passing the time of day, one of the
firm called me into his private office and informed me that they had
concluded to put me on the road at a stipulated salary.
"But I never work on a salary. It's against my principles and ideas of
business."
"Yet you would certainly prefer a sure thing, wouldn't you, Johnston?"
"No, sir; not a bit of it. I wouldn't snap my finger for a sure thing.
There is no fun, excitement or satisfaction in a sure thing, and worse
still, no money in it."
"Well, you wouldn't refuse an extra good offer, would you?"
"Yes, sir, I think I would."
"Do you mean to say that money wouldn't hire you?"
"Oh, no. I don't say that."
"Well, now just stop to consider, Johnston, how many years you have been
working for yourself; and how much are you worth?"
"Indeed, Mr. S., I am worth more than you are, to-day."
"How so?"
"Experience."
"Experience? Do you claim that as capital?"
"Indeed I do, sir, and worth more than all your store. I have been
several years getting ready to make money, while you have been making it
before you got ready. I have had too many ups and downs in my early life
not to be able to profit by at least some of them sooner or later; and I
can't afford now to go to work for you on a salary, and give you the
benefit of all these years' experience. Not much, sir, and I'll just
keep 'hus'ling.' If I can't win, I can die in the cause."
"But the probabilities are, you will never get enough ahead to start a
business of your own, and will always keep in the same old rut."
"But I am not the 'rutty' kind, Mr. S. Besides, I dislike to work for
any one but Johnston."
"Well, let's see how much it will take to hire you for a year."
"Very well; you mark on a piece of paper how much you will give, and
I'll mark how much I'll take."
He agreed, and assured me he was going to make me an extra good offer
for a new-beginner. When we had both put down our figures we threw our
papers on the desk. He had marked six hundred dollars a year and
expenses, and I had put down thousand dollars and expenses.
I asked, with much astonishment, if he didn't mean thousands, and he,
with equal astonishment, asked if I didn't mean hundreds.
On my assuring him that I meant just what I had put down, he asked on
what basis I figured. I answered, on the basis of having cleared over
six hundred dollars the first month, on a capital of fifty dollars'
worth of goods and one million dollars' worth of experience.
"Great Heavens! have you cleared that much since you commenced?"
I convinced him by showing my stock and cash on hand. He said he knew,
of course, that I had been selling a great many goods, but he supposed I
had done so by cutting prices.
I at once made arrangements to start out again.
The firm offered me a limited credit of one hundred dollars, which I
accepted, realizing that some day I would find it convenient to have
some one to refer to in case I should get in shape to begin business for
myself.
My wife again accompanied me, and we returned to Northern Michigan and
began with excellent sales. I delivered all my goods on the spot, and
sold exclusively for cash.
We continued on in this manner till fall, visiting almost every town in
Northern Michigan and Wisconsin, when I had increased my stock to
several hundred dollars, and was making money fast.
CHAPTER XXXI.
ROBBED OF A TRUNK OF JEWELRY--ONLY A SMALL STOCK LEFT--A TERRIBLE
CALAMITY--COLLAPSED--AN EMPTY SAMPLE-CASE MY SOLE POSSESSION--PEDDLING
POLISH AGAIN--MAKING A RAISE--UNINTENTIONAL GENEROSITY BREAKS ME
UP--MEETING AN OLD PARTNER--THE JOBBER SUPPLIES ME WITH
JEWELRY--HUS'LING AGAIN WITH GREAT SUCCESS--MAKING SIX HUNDRED DOLLARS
IN ONE DAY--MY HEALTH FAILS ME--I RETURN TO OHIO--A PHYSICIAN GIVES ME
BUT TWO YEARS TO LIVE--HOW I FOOLED HIM.
As cold weather was approaching, my wife concluded to return to Chicago,
and I proceeded towards the Northwest. At Duluth I received two large
packages of new goods, which came C.O.D., and which took nearly my last
dollar.
I carried with me a leather trunk in which to keep my reserved stock,
and as I had but a few moments' spare time, after receiving the goods
at Duluth, before the train left for Aiken, Minnesota, I put all of my
new goods in the leather trunk, leaving but a small stock in my sample
case. I then checked the trunk to Aiken, where I arrived at one o'clock
in the morning.
From force of habit I had become accustomed to stepping forward towards
the baggage car, whenever I alighted at a depot, to see that my baggage
was taken off; and this time not being an exception, I remained standing
by till I saw my trunk taken off and set to one side, when I proceeded
to the hotel.
I expected to have a porter return to the depot and assist me in
carrying it to the hotel, but on reaching there found a cheap
fourth-rate house, with not less than fifty or sixty drunken woodsmen,
and at once decided that the jewelry would be safer at the depot than
there, and retired without it.
The next morning I presented my check and was informed that there was no
piece of baggage there with a corresponding number. I told the
baggage-man that I saw him take it off and set it on the platform.
He was sure he had never seen it, and at once accompanied me to
Brainerd, where the general baggage-agent's report showed that the trunk
had been reported taken off at Aiken; the agent at this place then
produced the duplicate to my check, and stated that the conductor of the
train on which I had come from Duluth had found it on the rear end of
the hind car, just after leaving Aiken. The superintendent took
immediate steps towards having the matter ferreted out, and very kindly
gave me a pass over the road.
It was plain to be seen that the baggage-man at Aiken had gathered up
some other pieces of baggage and carried them inside, and left mine on
the outside, when a couple of men picked it up, and putting it on the
rear end of the car, rode a mile or two upgrade to an Indian camp, where
they threw it off and then jumped off themselves. These men were traced
to the head of the Mississippi River, where they took a canoe and
started down stream. Nothing more was ever heard of them or the goods;
and as the State laws made the Railroad Company responsible for wearing
apparel only, I could collect nothing from them. But as the trunk
happened to contain a small compartment in which I carried my shirts,
underwear, handkerchiefs, socks, etc., I made Mr. Superintendent smile,
a few weeks later, when I handed in my bill for them, at Fargo. He
laughed, and said he had never happened to meet a man before who wore
such high-priced shirts and underwear.
After giving up my trunk and goods as lost, I looked over my stock of
jewelry in the case; and although it was badly in need of a few extras
to make it complete, I considered it enough to commence with again, and
started out to see what I could do.
I was unable to do anything at Brainerd, and concluded to visit smaller
towns, where my little stock would look larger. I took an evening train,
arriving at a small hamlet a few miles west, in time to work the town
that evening. But fate seemed to be against me, for I couldn't make a
sale, and to make time I would have to get up the next morning about
half past two to get a local freight train going west.
The landlord called me, and after making my toilet I started for the
depot, a few rods distant across the track. He had cautioned me about
the fast express, which would be due in a few minutes going west, and
which did not stop there, but passed through at lightning speed. On
passing out I discovered that a terrible snow and wind storm was raging,
and with much difficulty found my way towards the depot. Just as I was
crossing the Railroad track the lock on my case gave way and the side
lid fell down, and the top cover to which the handle was fastened raised
up, letting every tray of jewelry fall in a heap in the middle of the
track. I stopped to pick it up, but at that instant heard the engine
whistle close by, and had no sooner gained a foothold on the platform of
the depot than the engine came dashing along, with its bright
head-light, and the sparks flying from it in all directions, and the
steam whistle blowing and screeching like a demon, and struck my pile of
trays and jewelry and sent them skyward and entirely out of existence.
A million things ran through my mind in an instant, but I think about
the first I thought of was the "Incomprehensible."
I saw the utter foolishness of trying to find any of the jewelry, as the
storm was raging furiously; besides, it was long before daylight. But I
decided to return to the hotel and remain till morning.
When I walked into the office with my sample case still in the shape
as when it "busted," the landlord gazed at me a moment, and asked what
in thunder I'd been doing with my jewelry. I explained, and he said he
supposed the jewelry, trays and all were still flying through the air,
and if the storm kept up they probably would never stop.
His idea was about correct, I think. At any rate I never saw one
dollar's worth of my goods afterwards. Of course the heavy fall of snow
would very soon cover it up any how, but it is very doubtful if any of
it was ever found any where in the vicinity of the depot.
The next day after satisfying myself that my stock of jewelry had
vanished and that I was again "busted," I took the train for Brainerd,
where I once more resorted to selling furniture polish.
While at this town I called at a house, rang the door bell and was
admitted by a person whom I at once recognized as an old school teacher
who had taught our district school at Galetown Corners years before. As
he did not recognize me I thought I would have a little fun with him,
and after introducing my polish, I produced a small book containing the
names of my patrons at Brainerd, and said:
"Mister, I have here the names of those who have been buying, which I
will read, to show you that it is an article of value and one that is
appreciated by almost every housekeeper."
So saying I began to read off the names of people living in the old
Galetown school-district, such as Mrs. M. Keefer, Mrs. John Bartlett,
Mrs. Curt Dirlam, Mrs. R. E. Betts, Mrs. Alfred Hutchinson, Mrs. James
Drown, Mrs. John Lefever, Mrs. Dave Ramsey, Mrs. Sidney Tuck, Mrs. Calif
Luce, Mrs. Samuel Chapin, Mrs.----
"Great Scott! Do all those people live in this town?"
"Why not?" I asked.
"Why not? Caesar-ation! I used to teach school in Ohio. In a neighborhood
which contained the sir names, given names, initials and all, of every
person you have mentioned."
I slipped the book into my pocket and told him I could not help that,
and then began to show the polish to him and the lady of the house. He
was too much excited to give any attention to it, but as he was only a