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r. G.O. .11unnell Hay, Grain
and Feed kan
Paper 14
STATE kASSAChUSETTS
oF 'idORKER ROBERT WILDER
A:DDRESb NORTHFILL', kASSAOhlia_:TTS
SUBjEoT LIVING LORE
KALE OF INFORLANT G.O. DUMNELL
ADDRESS NORTHFIELD, MASSACHUSETTS
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Name: Robert Wilde': Assignment: Northfield
Title: 'Living Lore Topic: G.U. Dunnell hay,
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 14
Jim Carter, local potentate of a well known secret fraternity
had peen chatting with us in ir. Dunnell's office. Jim's a good
hearted soul, out pretty vain of his eminence in the "lodge."
Alter boasting half an hour about his various "official" honors,
tiim departed, to i. Dunnell's obvious relief.
"I don't take much stock in secret societies men dressing
themselves up like knights, or kings, or something. And learning
a lot of stuff and reciting it to each other, so's they'll know
'em when they meet 'em in Africy, or somewheres. They shake hands
with each other just so, too, so's they'll know who's who in the
dark. And hang on to themselves asif they had the bellyache as
a sign of something or other.
"1 ain't saying that it ain't a good thing to belong to a few
societies. That it don't help business. And that's why most of
'em do belong not because they think that there's anything in
the tripe. They.know they ain't.
"I understand that George 7.,shington and Benjamin Franklin and
all those fellers belonged to the Lasons once. But that was be-
cause they was scheming to chase out the British, or had some other
scheme up their sleeves that they had to have an organization for.
But now days we got a good enough government. They ain't no need
to cnange it. And I ain't sure that secret societies ought to be
allowed. We're supposed to have free speech and a free press, and
Name: Robert iider Assignment: Northfield
Title: Livink Lore Topic: G.O. Dunnell Hay,
Grain and Feed &Ian
Paper 14
the right to peaceable assemble. And we can oear arms if we want
to, sols not to hurt the chances of having a good milishy. But
we can't pear concealed arms without a permit. And how do we
know whether the secret societies ain't violating tne law?
"Sure, they say they are only in it to help one another, and
look after widders and orphans of members. But ain't that all covered
by the government? Iaybe there was need for that sort of stuff
once. But they ain't no more. And it looks to 'e that it can
be made dangerous. What if you agree to help out a brother under
certain circumstances, and that brother and some of the other
brethern are maybe runnin' a racket on the side, you got to help
tern out, if they put it up to you right, else your oath ain't a
bit of good. If your word is good, maybe you're helping out some-
thing that you wouldn't help if you knew what it was. But because
you belong to the society you don't have to understand nothing, see?
"This idea of one gang standihg together against everybody else
and helping each other out, ain't, to my way of thinking, the oest
thing for this country. I'd like to see every blamed one of 'em
busted up. They ain't supposed to oe no special classes of nobles
in this country. And if that applies to real nobles why don't it
apply to fake ones?
"NC, I ain't ever been turned down by no society.
"Sam Alexander tried to get me in one a couple of times,
but not me. I ain't got any use for them.
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Livinfr, Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G.O. Dunnell Hay
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 14
*Say, speakin' about Sam Alexander. he most made me drop
dead the other day. Never had such a surprise in my life. He come in
and paid me forty dollars that he's owed me since God knows when.
I'd dunned him, and my wife dunned him. But it didn't do no
good. he didn't have a cent that you could attach, so it wan't
no good to sue him.
"I tackled him once up in the town hall when he was keeping
time for the WPA. I asked hi what he ever come to ire and got
that stuff for. he was raising chickens and he told me that he
would pay me when he sold the chickens. But when he sold 'em he
had other use for the money and I didn't get any.
'I thought you was a man of your word,' I says. 'So I let you
have the feed. You told me you would pay me. But you shouldn't
have ought to have done that. You knew that you couldn't pay.
Why didn't you go on the welfare?' 'And let the whole town share
in your support? 'T wan't fair for you to come to me and ask me
to take on the whole burden of your welfare. You knew you couldn't
pay when you come to me,' I says, 'And yet you come and told me
you would pay me when you knew you couldn't. I'd a thought a lot
more of you,' I says, 'If you had come and asked me to give it to
you. And I might have done it. But now I need the money and you
won't give it to me.*
*The thing that got me was the way he'd talked to my women
folks. They were out collectin, one day and they stopped in at
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G.O. Dunnell Hay
Grain and Feed Man
Paper 14
Sam's. Sam come out and give 'em hell. He chased 'em off his place.
I told Sam about it and he said he did get mad and say things that he
shouldn't have. But I didn't get no money. Cior I didn't get no
money] Nor I didn't expect to. Then in walks Sam and pays ma my
money. Yes, I'd sent hip' a bill after I heard that he'd collected
sometning from his acciaent. And I added interest to it, for I
thought I might as well. But I didn't get the ifiterest. Surprised
me, though. For I'd a bold the bill for five dollars.
"I Knew Tom IcCue had a bill against Sam for three or four loads
of hay that he never expectea to get, so I told Tom about it, for I
knew he couldn't read, and might not have heard that Sam had some
money. I told him he better gurry on down there before Sam got his
money all spent.
"Tom's the feller I offered to sell my bill against Sam to one
time he come in to see whcAt he could do towards getting his pay for•
the hay. He wouldn't buy. But he offered to sell me his for five
dollars. And I guess I was a fool I didn't take it.
"Tom went down to see Sam. And Sam said that he wan't going to
pay him nothing that the hay was no good. 'No good, hey?' says Tam.
'Well, it was good enough the first time so that you wanted another
load. And that load was good enough so that you wanted another,
and so it went to the last load,' he says. 'Now,' he says, 'I didn't
come all the way down here for nothing. If I don't get my money,
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G.O. Dunnell Hay
Grain and Feed Man
Paper II
I'm going to try something else. I wpn't be back. But I'd give
ye a fair offer now. Never mind the last load, we'll forget it.
But you give me a check for twenty five dollars 1' Sam said he
didn't have no money. That he didn't get much more than a hundred
dollars anyway, and that itmas all gone. 'All right,' says Tom,
'Let's see your old battle axe of a wife. Tell her I'll call the
whole dill square for twenty five dollars now, oi I'll get a law-
yer into it. 6am went into the house and damned if he didn't come
back with a check for twenty-five dollars. And that was that. It's
a shame though. 6am could make a good living on that place of his if
he'd only livork.
"Sam used to sell papers. he made good money at that. But did
you ever hear of how he went into the business ofEelling unoreadaule
lamp chimneys frcm door to door?
"Course, that was in the days when they used kerosene lamps,
and the orainary glass chimneys used to break, so a real unbreakable
one was a good thing*
"1;rh...t happenedwas that apme fellows come 'round in a buggy and
got Sam to oe their local alent. They showed him how they could
throw a lamp chimney on the floor and it wouldn't break. And they
taught him a line of sales talk, to go with the demonstration.
"He was supposed to knock at the door with the lamp chimney in
his hand. When the door was opened he was to let the chimney slip in
Name: Robert Wilder
Title: Living Lore
Assignment: Northfield
Topic: G.O. Dunnell Hay
Grain and Feed Yen
Paper 14
a certain way so that it would fall on the floor inside. And, if it
was done right, he could close a sale pretty fast, for the chimneys
weren't a lot more expensive than those they could buy at the store.
"Sam tried it out. And he got along swell. He got along so
well that he got over-confL.ent. One afternoon, he breezes in to a
place ri ht after the woman had swept her floor after dinner, and was
figuring, on resting for a while. The door was open so Sam steps right
in, 'Good afternoon Ladam,' he says. 'I have here an unbreakable
lamp chimney that you shouldn't be without.' The woman glared at
him, and was going to tell him to get out, when he flips his wrist
in the usual way and sent the chimney spinning to the floor. But it
didn't 9iiite hit the floor. It hit a stove leg and broke into 'most
a million little pieces all over that woman's clean floor. Sam was
so astonished that he stood there and gawped. The woman startec to
crown him with a mop. But when shw saw his face she began to laugh.
And the laugh woke Sam up and sent him scuttling out of there be-
fore the woman changed her mirld again. Last he seen the woman
was sitting in a chair hanging on to her sides, so maybe she
enjoyed sweeping those bits of glass off the floor.
"No, 'course the chimneys wan't unbreakable glass. They was just
ordinary chimneys. The trick vik,.s in the way they throwed it. Guess
it was one of the first high pressure sales ideas. And about as
valuable for the public good as the other hi -h pressure sales methods
are.
"You ask sam sometime if he ever heard of unbreakable lamp
chimneys.“