Page:The Tales of a Traveller.djvu/104

92 T. O'Connor and Farquhar and John A. Macrae, Providence

Among those who are no longer of the living, I like to recall two men, T. O'Connor and Farquhar Macrae.

Mr. T. O'Connor, who died but recently, at the age of seventy-odd, reminded me in certain ways of the type of man, rarely met with nowadays, of which Lincoln is said to have been representative. Kindly though blunt in his manner, at times reserved and at others witty and talkative, rough-hewn in appearance, with a face indicative of strength and honesty of purpose, he stood out as a figure not unlike that of the martyred President.

For some reason inexplicable to me, Mr. O'Connor during my early calls did not extend me the welcome I had expected. Not only did my efforts to do business with him prove a failure, but his very manner of receiving me was brusque, and anything but courteous. Unlike the case of Mr. Whiting, where I was spurred on by Mr. Coombs, I was determined to test my strength and capability of winning over a man despite his evident opposition. I approached him in various ways, and from various angles, now talking about my own business, again about things of general interest to the florists, and at other times about my traveling experiences in the West; but all proved of no avail.

And the more I failed, the harder I persisted. The opportunity came in course of time. Mr. O'Connor happened to be in need of a certain variety of plants, which he found it impossible to procure from the growers with whom he was in communication about it. He wanted to know if I knew of a reliable place where such plants could be had.

"Remember," he added, "I want good plants, for I will have no trash at any price."

To be sure I knew the place; and I was equally sure that the plants would suit Mr. O'Connor, and so would the price. Almost reluctantly, it seemed to me, he gave me the order. Remembering that first impressions count for much, and in this particular case much more than in the average, I put forth my best efforts, making it a point to take a special trip and see the plants for myself. The upshot was that Mr. O'Connor received his plants and was not in the least disappointed by virtue of having entrusted the order to me.

I had won my point; and what pleased me much more than the order itself was the fact that I had won the confidence of a man so conservative, and who at the outset was almost antagonistic to me.

I learned a few years later that Mr. O'Connor for some reason had a certain amount of prejudice against my race. Whether or not a descendant of Abraham had ever entrapped or taken advantage of him, I do not know. If that was the case, then certainly I had to bear the brunt for a while of the possible misdeeds of some Hebrew of whose existence I was not even aware. Be that as it may, as we became better acquainted, Mr. O'Connor's confidence in me grew in proportion to the fair treatment I accorded him in our dealings. I took especial care with all the orders he gave me. If a certain article was below the standard in quality, I would advise him to that effect, often suggesting that in the circumstances it might be better for him not to touch it.

Some of the best Carnations that Mr. O'Connor grew on his place during the past fifteen years were purchased through me. Nor would I find any difficulty in booking an order for a variety if I put my stamp of approval upon it. I do not mean to say that every variety I ever sold him turned out satisfactorily. There were some, indeed, that he was obliged to discard the season following. But in no case did he ever attribute his failures to "the wiles and trickeries of a Jew." He would charge me with error of judgment and not with deliberate ill intent. I was told at one time that he referred to me as "a white Jew," which was but another name for an honest man, in his way of expressing it.