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Show P--- r' TheLineThatSells ifh:lf6it T'm NOT through yet, Mary," said Joe Morris. "Your father doesn't want us to marry now, but I'll keep right on trying to convince him." Mary Delanty kissed him lightly through a ring of tobacco smoke from his pipe. "Father will like that," she said. "He's a salesman at heart, and so are you. He certainly certain-ly won't think less of you for trying." try-ing." 1' Joe smiled wryly. "How much less than nothing?" "You know that isn't so," Mary said. "He really likes you a lot." "Then he has a strange way of showing It," Joe replied. "When I sion change as a young couple went by arm in arm. "They seem to be very happy," Joe remarked. A taxi rolled up and Mr. Gould leaned back in his seat. "Yes," he said, "that young couple seemed happy. Married, Mar-ried, I suppose. That's what I like. I like married people, t like to do business with a married man." Joe sensed what was coming next. He thought of Mr. Delanty's speech and he made a quick decision. He was prepared for Mr. Gould's question. ques-tion. Joe looked at him brightly. ''Yes, indeed, Mr. Gould," he said. "Just recently. And to the finest girl in the world." The taxi drew to a stop at the hotel. "That's good, my boy," said Mr. Gould. "I'm very glad to know that. Well, I'll see you tomorrow, and we'll get down to business then. Make it for lunch right here at the hotel. And I'll tell you what, I'd like to meet your bride. Bring her along." Joe could hardly wait until Mr. Gould entered the hotel. He rushed for a telephone. Mary did not quite understand what he was trying to tell her. But from his excitement, she knew something important Had happened. Mary agreed to meet him Immediately at their favorite spot. He told her about Mr. Gould. "It came to me like a flash,", Joe explained. ex-plained. "Right out of your father's sales slogan. 'Find the line that sells and stick to it!' Mary, I've found that line. There's only one way I can stick to it. I need your help to do it. Will you marry me?" "You mean now? Right away, Joe?" ' ' He nodded eagerly. "It's-the only way," he said. "I've only got until noon tomorrow." "But, Joe, there's father ..." "Don't worry about your father," Joe broke in. "I'm sure I've found the line that will sell him, too. One thing he'll never do, and that's go back on his own slogan." Mary looked at him. Joe had his answer. "Honey," he said, "let's go!" At lunch the next day Mr. Gould asked MaVy, "How long did you say you've been married?" Happily, Mary repl'ed, "Oh, rc-. rc-. cently, very recji' ." "You've sold me. And who says yon can't sell Father, too?" Mary asked. came out of the army and got my old job back, your father told me I hadn't lost my knack. He said I was a better salesman than ever." "Do you know what I think, Joe?" said Mary earnestly, "I think you are just being terribly self-conscious. But please don't worry. You've sold me. And who says you can't sell father, too? There isn't another salesman like you In that old company." com-pany." At the weekly sales conference the next day, Joe was listening to Mr. Delanty deliver his usual fifteen-minute fifteen-minute pep talk. In one guise or another, an-other, Joe had heard it all before. But towards the end he grew keenly keen-ly atentive as Mr. Delanty in his gruff, hearty manner said, "Find the line that sells, and stick to it! That's my personal slogan. And I don't , mean a line of goods, i mean that little something that goes to the heart of your customer. When you find it, use it. Get right under his skin. The rest is as easy as eating eat-ing apple pie. You'll sell him! I know because it has worked for me for twenty years." The idea excited Joe. But how was he to find the line that would sell a hardened customer like Mr. Delanty? He wanted to think about It when the meeting ended. He had just reached the door when Mr. Delanty, De-lanty, stepping away from the other salesmen crowding around him, called call-ed out, "Joe, just a minute. I want to see you." Joe turned back. Mr. Delanty's tone worried .him. After the room was cleared Mr. Delanty said, "I'm turning over the Hiram Gould account to you. Mr. Gould is expected in from Chicago tonight. to-night. Meet him at the station. Now, Joe, this 'time the company wants his business. Dick Travers had the assignment three months ago. He did not get Gould's order. See that you do!" Joe found Mr. Gould a short, stout man with sharp eyes. Joe, himself, was watchful and very attentive. at-tentive. He saw Mr. Gould's expres- Mr. Gould looked at Joe. "Yes, I thought so. That's what your husband hus-band told me last night." Mr. Gould laughed, and had a good time. After lunch he gave Joe an order that made his eyes pop. "Since you've only recently been married," Mr. Gould said to Joe, "you can tell Mr. Delanty that this order of mine is sort of a wedding present. On second sec-ond thought, I think I'll tell him myself." Joe and Mary exchanged glances. Joe put his arm around her, reassuringly. Mr. Gould beamed. Mary telephoned her father early that evening. Joe stood by whispering, whisper-ing, "Now don't forget the slogan. It's our trump card." When the connection con-nection was finally completed Joe heard Mr. Delanty's explosive, "Mary! Where are you? After that he heard only an assortment of sounds boom over the telephone, then suddenly Mary's happy laughter. laugh-ter. "There, what did I say?" Joe shouted. "I said your father wouldn't go back on his own slogan. Worked Work-ed like magic. Isn't it wonderful?" "And so are you," Mary said, hugging hug-ging him. "Father said to tell you he's not the company salesmanager just for the fun of the job. He wanted want-ed to be sure you had what it takes. He knew Mr. Gould's little peculiarity, pecu-liarity, that he would buy only from a married man. . He learned that when Dick Travers lost the first sale. That's why he gave you the assignment. He hoped you would know what to do. You didn't disappoint disap-point him or me." |