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Show Y T50K ngenting Is a (JO? fj"? I trained craft, and sjy I may even bo made Ha fliie art' 11 re 1 (ulres much besides AM It I the traditional gall. shO S 'ffl' n ls a mlstak0 t0 - ftfe.&ft). JL.lil think that literature MjMMIjlMdliljj can be peddled by the mun who when lucked out of the front door returns by the back door, smiling and suave. Crust is an element; but the big thing that counts is the value of the book in ratio to, its price, as you will liere see. People are people, whether they are entertaining a book agent or shopping at a counter. Of course, when one goes eeckjpt; merchandise the chances for a ffTare much brighter than when one who has merchandise that one may or may not want or can or cannot afford seeks a buyer. But folks are wary of their raoney in eitrter event. Thereforethe spieler who can cause the highest opinion of his wares, so that they seem great, and the price he carelessly mentions seems mild, is the one who will make the most' commission. The commission usually ls 20 per cent of the price. The best "proposition" (a book is a proposition in such cases) is a set of timely or popular material that can make a handsome home library flash, help to fill shelves, furnish welcome read-- read-- ing In fancy binding, obtainable at from 530 to 550, payable in installments of gentle gen-tle size. Book agents are neither born nor made; they are found. The process of discovery begins with a classified advertisement adver-tisement setting forth a brilliant and lucrative lu-crative opportunity for light and little work; the word "book" is never mentioned men-tioned in the ad; it would alarm the candidate. can-didate. When he calls to seek the rarest thing under the sun big money for small effort the proposition is eased to him. He is shown records, genuine or only Inspiring, revealing that others in the same line have made gaudy pay. The popular superstitions su-perstitions and prejudices against book ngenting are deftly attacked by the "teajr" or district manager who is ' 'king agents, and the aspirant for prosperity is probably hooked, at least V-on a promise to give the game a tryout. He is then appointed to arrive next rnMng and begin a week's tuition. He Is givt?n a prospectus (professionally referred re-ferred to as a "pros") with samples of the bindings, excerpts from the reading matter, sample illustrations and testi-j testi-j monials from great men who got free copies. The agent has to learn his "pros" by heart, so that he can sing it or whistle it or gargle it or hum it or recite It. He must learn, besides, set selling arguments argu-ments composed to answer speciously any reasonable question or stifle any unreasonable un-reasonable argument. The teacher examines the tyro, refusing refus-ing angrily to buy the books, and expecting expect-ing the novitiate to answer him by rote, hut as though with spontaneity, why he should why he must buy. Thus the agent can prove that his set of books ls , a household necessity, an uplift for the children, diversion for the housewife, distraction for the business man; a ref- erence work of clearest merit, an indis pensable earmark of the Intellectual character of . the home, a thing of beauty, worth the price asked in the mere paper poundage a long-felt want and the consummation con-summation of any earthly desire that normal mortal might contemplate, before he ets into action. When he has memorized and mastered all this, he takes his "pros," which is always al-ways small enough to fold and go into a pocket, so that It will not 6erve as a danger signal to a prospect, and goes forth into his "territory." Territory ls the bounded area In which the agent Is franchlsed to operate. He will not meet competition there from others pushing the same books; and he must not Infringe In-fringe Into the territory of his fellows. - , Sometimes agents operate in squads, with a submanager along to watch and guide them. They "work" medium-sized towns, subdividing it among the members mem-bers of the shift, and when they have sucked it dry they move on, en masse. In a city of 25,000, in Indiana, a gang of half a dozen agents arrived to "plant1" sets of the "Unabridged Library of Mark Twain's Classics," together with the "Life of the Author b.y One Who Knew Him Intimately." The mess went with a year's subscription to a. weekly journal and a monthly magazine for scarcely more than the price of the ink to print the order-form terms, a dollar down and a collector a week for the remainder of lifetime of this generation. They were a motley lot, drawn from the two sources that have given the world its adventurers, its crooks, Its poets, Its self-made men middle aged failures in other endeavors and untried youths just starting out. Of the latter classification there were two an honor student fresh from an academy, who had ' worked his way through school by washing laboratory blackboards, and whose parents were bitterly poor; and a recent high school graduate in a fresh water city whose parents were dead and who had a small inheritance that would sustain him while he experimented with life. Of the ones who had pulled up lame ' after losing races 'round the flint tracks, of competition there were three a former for-mer drug clerk In Atlantic City who had been run out of town because he couldn't help flirting with the girl customers; a former butcher's apprentice in New York who had been refused a raise;' and a lubricated, slender, wiry, quick-eyed, well dressed man of about 40. who didn't tell much about his past, but who let it be guessed that he had been an impor-. impor-. tant cog In the machinery of a metropolitan metro-politan broker's affairs. His name was Tripp, and he was soon nicknamed "Pierp," a take-off on the Christian name of a famous financier, In acknowledgment acknowledg-ment of his superior manner and his Wall street genesis. Tripp took his "pros" and went forth on the very first day and sold seven sets, which was going it strong, for the next and nearest Cass, the quondam pill roller roll-er bagged only six, whereas Hyman, the used-to-be steak slapper, came back "skunked," having sold none. The academy acad-emy youth, Leonard, had sold three; Ma-gill, Ma-gill, the high schooler, had landed two. They all ate together in the dingy dining-room of the second-rate American "Wh-what's the meaning of this?" "It's an order for forty-six sets," said Hyman as calmly as he could. plan hotel where they had all put up, and they exchanged experiences and views andj hopes. "Pierp" had earned more than $50 that day! The gushing promises of the teacher were not, then, Impossible. If a man could keep up that pace he could get rich. Even Leonard had coined $15, and Magill, who never before had earned a dime, had made 510. So everyone eyept Hyman was in high spirits that night. On the second evening reunion the total to-tal score stood: Tripp, 33; Cass, 9; Leonard, Leon-ard, 4; Magill, 2; Hyman, 0. It will be seen that the Initial enthusiasm had brought extraordinary results, and that no one could keep up the first dp.y's pace except Hyman, who was still empty handed. The road manager, a book agent of many years' training, called the ex-butcher ex-butcher aside after the second evening meal and asked him what was the matter. mat-ter. Hyman couldn't explain he only knew that nobody would let him finish his talk; he knew it word for word, and though he mispronounced a few of the longer ones, he got them all in as long as anyone would listen but they all cut the butcher off and begged to be i ex- - cused; that is, they begged at first, and when Hyman resisted they insisted. The manager filled him with excellent and sage advice and told ' him to be of good cheer he would surely bring home a. little bacon on the third day to sharpen sharp-en his wits and cleave to' his courage, to rib up his ambition. So Hyman smiled and said he'd try. But it was futile. Not every one made a sale on that day, but Hyman hadn't made one at any time, and his jaw . sagged as he sat about and heard the others tell how they had cajoled this or that prospect into being interested or remaining re-maining good natured and the like, up to the climax of each incident, the star performance and opus majus of each operation getting the victim to sign. Hyman wished himself back behind the counter on Second avenue, hacking off pigs' knuckles or skinning a goose, or whatever it is that is to the butcher's clerk like kicking high and faking a melody mel-ody is to a chorus girl plain, humdrum work. But he had solid' stuff in hint, had Hyman. He resolved that he would sell a set of the Mark Twalns if it took him a year. "Pierp" had turned In more than twenty signed slips, meaning that he had earned beyond $100,' by Saturday, the sixth night; Cass panted behind with thirteen. Leonard had sold seven, and Magill, in his frank, sweet, civil way, convinced enough prospects to let him turn in six. Hyman, with a hang-dog look and a puzzled sensation, regretted to report that nothing doing. Granger, the manager, threw up the .sponge. As decently as he could and the book business is not famous or Its parlor manners he served notice on Hyman Hy-man that he would be given his railroad fare back to the city next day, that he was hopeless, and no more hotel bills would be guaranteed for him' tiy" the management. Hyman turned and walked out of the room, out of the dowdy hotel. The book agent does much of his heaviest cannonading after dinner, at . night, when the head of the family is usually at home to listen and to sign. And on each other evening th whole squad had labored after the "supper" hour. But this being Saturday, when villagers usually go visiting or shopping or loafing about town, and the end of a hard week's toil, it had been voted that a game of penny ante would be in order. So every one repaired to the room of Tripp, now the hero of the battalion. All ayf-emblcd except Hyman he had disappeared. disap-peared. And nothing was hoard from him until un-til shortly before midnight, when he entered en-tered softly softly for a butcher, anyway any-way and, not without a slight trembling of his right hand, laid before Granger a piece of paper. The manager glanced down, then put on his spectacles and took a second, more searching, look, then leaped to his feet and cried; "Wli what's the meaning of this?" "It's an order for forty-six sets," said Hyman, as calmly as ho could. "Who why wha whose name Is this, signed here?" "Jacob H. Schisselhaus, the mayor of this town." "But I don't understand. How can he what does he want with how can he take " "He bought fortv-slx copies of the books from me. I just left him," said Hyman. "If you don't believe he signed it, call him up." "But for what?" "Two for each school In town; four for each of the two hicjh schools, six for the Carnegie Library, two for the Soldiers' Sol-diers' Home, one for each hospital, one for himself and I don't know what all lie's gonna do with them, but he's got a place for every sot, and the city pays for the lot." The book agents bounced to their feet, studied the signed order, looked dumbly at Hyman, who beamed a bit; a butcher ls not always subtle enough to conceal strong emotions. "What kind of a selling talk did you give him?" gasped Granger, satisfied that Hyman had told the truth. "I never heard of such a sale. We've tried the library and hospital racket and the schools and such, and we couldn't dent anything; they were always too wise; they wouldn't buy installment bookB at our prices." "This isn't Installment: this is spot cash on delivery," said Hyman. "And that adds 50 per cent to the commission, as I remember it." "Yes. But how? How did you do it? What did you say to him?" "I went to see him in his store. Ile't a small' town guy, though he's a big man here, and what he didn't know about his own business would have made a child sick. So I whispered in his ear and told him I could show him where he could run the knifo up the other way and make veal chops out of spare ribs. He handed me an. apron; I put It on and learned him more about modern methods than he had ever dreamt. Oh, I forgot to tell you he's a butcher. "And, by the way, I'd like my com- . mission Monday morning in cash. And you can cancel the railroad ticket. I'm gonna stay here. I don't want to book agent any more. I don't guess I'd over make another sale, anyhow, because I'm not gonna show any other butchers any grand circuit tricks. I'm gonna go to v, ork for the mayor next week, and he says if I stay here and make good he'll got me elected an alderman. And you can bet that whenI get in power I'll have a law passed barring book agents out of tho town. Good night." Copyright, 1917, by J. Keeley |