Document text
ORIGINAL MSS. OR FIELD NOTES (CHECK
ONE)
Pug. WE WORK ON THE WPA
TITLE MYRON BUXTON
WRITER SEYMO1JR BUCK
DATE jULY 25'1939 WDS
CHECKER
PP.
15
SOURCES GIVEN
COMMENTS
Berkshire _orner
Geore )ode Yankee
Qua tjo0 an
L'461--
61ATE
uF fiORKrt ;..Atalh 193
1-tittb, 1,..iLaAohU6E11
a:JALUARY, 16,
uIVIM LWiE
uF L.J.Eta..1\d' G 6huE ,AYDGE
AJOIAL6S1niLjiJ A6SACHUS,ITTS
Lr. George .Joage, orthington carpenter,
mason and dirt farmer is typical of the
many old iankees who live in the bills of
western i,,assachusetts. Although modern
conveniences have orought them into closer
contact with the city people than ever oefore,
and every summer, orowus of vacationists
invade their small towns, these hill towners
retain many of the oeliefs, cue.tothe and view
points of an older era in .,,merican life. -ome
of them have learned Iv experience the value
of such slogans as "price siashillg," "we try
to ,:lease", "prices ,re lower here," 'clearance
prices touch bottom." But to most of them,
there are no SUL:II words in their vocaoul_ry.
1“r. Lude oeionLe to the iatter 6roup and it
was lanuouotealy this lack of sympathy with
ouu3inese ILethou6 of tne city that prevented him
from meaeuring up 6.6 a salesman, when he tended
a ohristmas tree stand in =.:pringfiela recently.
Name: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Worthington
Topic: George Dodge
"I was down to Springfield selling Christmas trees at
Christmas time. My sons and I have been cutting trees and picking
evergreen for wreaths for some years now in the winter time. You
know that's a big business up here in the hills. Most everybody
takes a hand in cutting or hauling trees and fixing wreaths for sale.
I heard one of the summer visitors here say once, 'You folks are
a crowd of Santa Clauses. How wonderful,' I guess she wouldn't
say it was so wonderful if she had to bend her back picking evergreen
all day out in the woods when its mighty cold. But then, its not a
bad business, and it fills in at the off season. We used to send our
trees down to New York City to sell, but that's too much of a haul to
make any profit on these days when times are bad and people don't buy
so many trees. The past few years we've been selling our trees at
a gas station down to Springfield. I go down to help sell the trees
and I can tell you I don't like the work.
"Some of those women who came in to buy trees got on my nerves.
They'd pretend to be so fussy and then they'd probably take the worst
tree in the bunch in the end. They made me so mad. Why, one morning
just when I was getting my trees out a woman came in and asked me if
I would show her some. I asked her what size she wanted but she said
she didn't know. Well, I brought out at least sixty before she finally
decided upon one. I must have spent almost an hour with her. Then
she asked me if I would tag it for her and she said she would call
for it that night. I told her I'd be glad to tag it, but that WR
Name: Rosalie Smith
Title: Living Lore
(2)
Assignment: Worthington
Topic: George Dodge
usually got paid for them when we tagged trees. No, she said she
didn't want to pay for it then; her word was good, she said and
she'd be back that night. I didn't want to set it aside, but I did.
Well, about nine o'clock that night she and her husband came in and I
said, 'Oh, yes, I remember you. Your tree is right over here.' Her
husband looked at the tree and said he didn't like it. 'There's the
tag,' I said, 'Your wife wrote it, and I've saved it for you; and I may
have lost the sale of that tree to someone else.' The man said he
didn't like it, and as they were walking off I said, 'You're about
the cheapest skate I ever saw.' I don't suppose I should have said it,
but I was so mad I couldn't help it." He sounded almost as penitent
as a small boy reluctantly apologizing to a playmate, whom he had given
a black eye.
"And another timeFt-e,entrliatteel-lir-g—Beffige-i- woman came in and
said she would like to see some of my fift5;,:cent trees. I think I
showed her forty or fifty and still she couldn't decide on one, so
finally I said, 'Madam, I just can't afford to spend any more time
with you looking over this pile, because the profit on a fifty cent
tree isn't ten cents, and I have another customer waiting, so if you'll
just keep looking them over and when you find one you like, bring it
to me and I'll take care of it.' 'And then I walked off and left her.
She looked mad and I thought she was going to leave, but she didn't.
A few minutes later she brought me over a tree.11`
Dodge may not have been able to cope with the vagaries
of women shoppers, but when it came to a sound, business -like, man-
(3)
Name: Rosalie Smith
Assignment: Worthington
Title: Living Lore Topic: George Dodge
to -man deal, he was much more successful:I:Oki/hen I first got &rim
to Springfield e said, 'I didn't know just where to get my meals,
but the man at the gasitation told me they served good food, at fairly
reasonable prices, at a saloon right around the corner. I went in
there one day and got my dinner and after I'd finished eating I went
up to the manager and told him that I had a Christmas tree stand right
near there and that I was going to be in town about two weeks; and that
I would greatly appreciate it if he and his help would buy their trees
from me; and if they would I would be glad to patronize him all the
time I was there. He said he couldn't be bothered with Christmas trees.
He always let his wife attend to that. 'All right,' I said and walked
out. The next day I went across the street and ate at his competitor's
place; and after I'd finished eating I put the same proposition up to
the manager there. He was very pleasant and agreeable and he said
he'd be very glad to patronize me. I ate at his place every day T was
there; and I think that he sent me almost thirty customers.
"One thing I don't like about selling things down in the city
is the haggling over prices. When I have a thing to sell,. I put a price
on it and that's the price I'll sell it for no more and no less. If
I can't sell it at my price, then I don't sell it I'll give it away.
A few years ago I made about two hundred gallons of maple syrup. After
figuring out expenses and profit I set the price at $1.75 a gallon,
and sold 175 gallons without any trouble. A man down in Chester offered
to take the twenty-five gallons I had left at $1.50 a gallon. I told
("1)
iiame:aosalie smith signment: worthinAton
litle: Livinm I.Jore Topic: (TeorAe age
him my price was 4)1.75, take it or leave it. e uidn't take it.
gave most of it away to friends and neighbors. I can't see anything
in this mouern method of cutting prices. You know how much you have
to make on a proposition, and that's all there is to it."
7-- odge had cust come back from tending the 6pringfield stand
mr.
ior-the last time this year. he wa6 stretched out on the studio
couch with -ickie, his bulldog at his side, relaxed and at ease.
his brown eyes twinkled as he said, "I'm just as glad that job's
over ior another year. i don't care so much for the city it isn't
home."