Page:The Tales of a Traveller.djvu/74

62 Another salesman, just as energetic, though not quite so economical, had peculiarities of his own. He was a kind-hearted chap, and a good mixer; though careless in dress, small and unprepossessing, he somehow succeeded in working up quite a patronage and in making a good many friends in the trade. On one occasion, he was sent out by his concern to the Wisconsin woods, to superintend the packing and shipping of Lycopodium, or green roping, so much used for Christmas decorative work. It was customary then, as it is now, for salesmen to itemize their daily expense accounts, and at the end of the week send in the total. One item aroused the suspicion of his employer. Upon his return, his employer asked him good-naturedly if he discovered a place in the Wisconsin woods where they were charging seventy-five cents for a dinner.

"I thought," added the employer, "that a quarter was the highest price up there."

"Yes," replied the salesman, "a quarter was all I paid for it. But it was worth fifty cents to eat it!"

W. W. Coles of Kokomo Among my friends in Indiana I am glad to include Mr. W. W. Coles of Kokomo. Mr. Coles was originally a Philadelphia man, although I never had the pleasure of meeting him there. In fact, he had left Philadelphia a few years prior to my becoming connected with horticulture. I had, however, heard of him before. His remarkable success with the "Kaiserin" Rose made him known far and wide. His exhibitions at Chicago, and at shows in other towns, won for him a reputation as a grower of no mean ability. His departure for the western town is but a typical story of the man who pulls up his stakes and pitches his tent in new fields. Although his business in Philadelphia enabled him to get along without any difficulties, his ambition carried him beyond contentment with eking out a mere living. He had heard of Horace Greeley's advice, "Go West, young man!" and toward the West he turned his thoughts. Mr. E. G. Hill was undoubtedly the man to advise him; and he advised him right. Kokomo was a small town, with an exceptionally promising future. They had just discovered and developed some gas wells; and where fuel is cheap prosperity is bound to find its way. So Kokomo was the town he determined upon.

When I first met Mr. Coles, in Kokomo, he had already fully established himself. The dimensions of his greenhouse plant were larger than any I had been accustomed to see in towns of that size. His stock, which was marketed in Chicago, invariably sold well; for, as I said, Mr. Coles is a good grower and produces quality.

He prospered from the start, investing his surplus in land and houses, and enlarging his plant as the demand for his products warranted. Unlike many a man on the road to prosperity, Mr. Coles has not become entirely engrossed in his business, realizing that a man in order to be a good citizen must give part of his time and attention for the benefit of the community. He is active in public affairs, and has become quite a figure in the town where for the past twenty-three years he has made his home. Aside from this, he takes a keen interest in the affairs of the Indiana State Society of Florists, having served as its president for a term or two. The S. A. F. and O. H. has no member more loyal nor more devoted to its interests than Mr. W. W. Coles. He seldom misses a convention, and to hear him speak about the society, the good work it has accomplished, and the work he would like to see it accomplish, is to hear a man speak on a topic directly concerning his personal interest. At one time Mr. Coles served as diectordirector [sic] on the board of the S. A. F. and O. H.

In my visits to Indiana I invariably make it a point to stop at Kokomo, and spend a pleasant evening with Mr. Coles and his delightful family.