Presto

July 23, 1927.
PRESTO-TIMES
TRIBUTE TO PIANO CLUB
FROM EDWARD H. UHL
Former President of the National Music
Merchants' Association Acknowledges
Club's Part in Recent Convention
Success.
THINGS SAID O R SUGGESTED
TOLD BY W. L. BUSH
William L. Bush of Chicago gives an instance of
supreme faith in the story of Simeon Qu-'mby, a sales-
man for C. R. Stone of Fargo, S. D., in the early days
of the Stone house. Quimby, who was one of the
close-to-the-soil salesmen who did brave pioneer work
in organs and pianos, and who had a firm belief in
the efficacy of prayer.
A summer religious meeting was being held in a
part of his territory. No rain, it seems, had fallen
for a long time; it looked as if everything would be
burned up. Consequently when Quimby was asked
to offer up a prayer, in his eloquent way he con-
cluded with this appeal for rain :
"O Lord, we need a refreshing shower! He pleased
to send us the blessed rain so that the drooping
vegetation of these prairies may be revived. None
of those light, drizzly mists, O Lord, but a regular
ground soaker! A heavy rain. O Lord! But not,"
he devoutly concluded, "heavy enough, good Lord, to
set Coyote Creek on the rampage and preventing
your humble servant Simeon from delivering organs
in Peever township, amen!"
* * =!-
THRIFT PLUS
"The piano dealer loves the thrifty customer whose
piano instalment notes are as good as gold." said
R. B. Oslund, head of the Oslund Piano House,
Spokane, Wash., during a pleasant chat with a group
in the Stevens Hotel during convention week. "But
there are varieties in thrift.
"There is the admirable virtue of wise economy;
the frugality that saves and also the parsimony that
pinches. The latter is hardly worthy of being called
thrift. Thrift is a virtue and iike all virtues may be
carried to excess and become a vice."
"That sounds like the preface to an Oslund yarn.
Let's sit down," said K. W. Murdock of the Hopper-
Kelly Co.. Seattle.
"No necessity for that. 'Tis only anecdote size,"
Mr. Oslund assured him. "It's about old Bill Archer
of Cheney, who considered himself thrifty. His
neighbors, however, called him crafty. After a cer-
tain piano incident I agreed with them.
"After evading matrimony in crafty fashion until
he was past fifty, he fell for the blandishments of a
gay widow who roped and married him. The ex-
widow wanted the nuptial nest feathered in the best
shape. But buying the furniture she fancied was a
succession of shocks for thrifty Bill. Getting a dollar
out of him was like drawing teeth.
"Of course she wanted a new piano and the best
was none too good for her. She had managed through
her period with hubby No. 1 to be satisfied with a
•in-toned upright oT great antiquity, but with Bill
Archer's shekels she purposed getting the latest and
best.
"She lariated Bill on the street one dav and
At the meeting this week of the Piano Club of
Chicago, Treasurer Roger O'Connor read the follow-
ing communication addressed to the president of the
club from Edw. H. Uhl, former president of the
dragged him struggling to the store. It was the most
National Music Merchants' Association at its recent
wonderful exhibition of tamed husband I ever saw. convention in Chicago:
The parsimonious Bill, who would rather part with
"My dear Gordon: Yours of the 23d at hand. You
his vermiform appendix than a dollar any day, stood perhaps think it strange you have not heard from me
there without hitching while his wife selected a $750 by this time, but since returning to Los Angeles, I
piano. Bill only spoke when the exchange allowance have had my hands full.
of $25 for Mrs. Bill's ancient piano was decided
"I wish to express to every member of the Piano
upon. 'It ain't enough,' he protested. But his words
Club my appreciation for the wonderful cooperation
were disregarded by the real boss.
your organization gave me during the last conven-
"Next day when Bill appeared in the store I tion. It was a pleasure, not only to work with you,
thought for a moment he came to call off the deal but every member of the different committees. They
of the previous day. I was agreeably disappointed
certainly gave unsparingly of their time, and proved,
when he produced his check-book and proceeded to beyond a doubt, their anxiety to make this one of
fill in a check for the full amount, less the discount
the most successful conventions ever held by the
for cash.
National Association of Music Merchants. I am sure
" ' I ain't tradin' in that old pianner for no $25,' that had I not received the wonderful cooperation of
your Organization, it would have been impossible for
he informed me.
us to put over such a convention. I feel deeply in-
" 'That's all I can allow," I told him.
debted to each and every one of you, and trust that
" 'Who cares? I've sold it for $150,' he chuckled.
" 'Well of all!' I gasped. 'And what softee gave some day I may have the pleasure of showing my
appreciation."
j-oii $150 for that old thumpbox ?'
" i sold it to mother-in-law,' he answered, showing
The noonday Monday meetings of the club have
yellow fangs in a crafty smile. 'This pianner busi- been turned into informal roundtablc assembles but
ner.s has horse tradin' skinned a mile.' "
the attendance holds up fairly well for midsummer.
* * *
President Laughead is in the east on a business
tour, and will be away for two weeks longer: Mr.
ONE PRICE OXLY
Brownell is on a yachting cruise in the northern
Harry W. Wert, manager of the Pearson Piano Co., lakes and Harry Bibb is fishing here and there, but
Indianapolis, is enjoying a vacation in the Ozarks. in the absence of these seniority officers Treasurer
He has not written from there but as he found
Roger O'Connor has presided the past two weeks and
enjoyment there before it is a certainty he is experi- may have to hold the chair down for the balance of
encing it again. On the former occasion he sought
the month when, he says, he is going to get away,
a restful place and he found it in a little primitive and will appoint a "pres-pro-tem" if any of the regu-
mountain village that hadn't even a garage. But it
lar officers do not show up by that time.
had the only remaining livery stable in Cedar county.
One day he concluded to go exploring along the
level dirt roads that led so delightfully through the
valleys between the forest-covered hills. He had been
warned about extortionate charges for everything
there and deckled he would pay no unreasonable price
for the horse and buggy.
After Nine Years of Constant Use Mrs. H. Mesloh
"Look here," he said to the owner of the livery
Finds It "Sweet in Tone."
stable. "I want to take a little drive. I'm neither an
Here is what a satisfied New York buyer of an
oil-well owner nor a millionaire bootlegger, so I think
F. Radle upright piano wrote Eugene Radlc, head of
you might make a reasonable arrangement about the
F. Radle, Inc., New York, after she had used the
price of that rig. Understand that clearly!"
"This ain't no cut-rate town in the livery business," instrument nine years:
"Dear Sir: The Radle piano I bought from you
responded the proprietor. "I won't cut rates for
nine (9) years ago is the best piano I ever saw.
nobody."
That sounded like a promise of extortionate prices The tone, 'sweet, full and round,' the case, 'artistic
and finely finished," and the whole instrument better
but Mr. Wert thought he would take a chance and
today than many of the so-called highest grade
ask the amount of the charge.
instruments.
"Well," he said in his most soothing warcroom
"Yours truly,
voice, "what do you think is a fair charge for an
"MRS. H. MESLOH,
hour's drive?"
"New York Citv."
"I want yo' all to unnerstand," said the liveryman,
looking his questioner over, as if doubting his ability
to come across with the figure named. "I ain't agoin'
The Levy-Page Co. of Norfolk, Va., recently
to hitch up for no man for less than two-bits."
moved into larger quarters.
NEW YORK OWNER OF F. RADLE
PIANO WRITES ABOUT IT
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