Page:Adventures in Thrift (1916).djvu/217

 other fruits. Then we christened the 'Home Hamper.'

"We picked out seven New York men, each of whom we knew to have families. To each of these went a hamper, with a letter something like this:

We are sending you a Home Hamper to-day by express. It is full of fresh stuff, and we hope you will get it in time for dinner. We should like to have your opinion of it, and, incidentally, if you think it is worth $1.50, we would be glad to have the $1.50. If you do not, please accept it with our compliments—and no harm done!'

"Then we waited for returns. Every one of the seven sent us the dollar fifty and several customers besides. For each hamper we sent out first, we received three and a half customers in return—and the cash came with each order. Apparently we were filling a long-felt want.

"Here was a business started in one day. Within three years we were able to sell all that was raised on two of the company's farms.