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tented, oustung aoout nc-r wen-; ordered housework, as she was when she first came to live in ; the home on Stale street. jMy appointment was for two’ o’clock; and when I drove up to the store after a pleasant ride over the rolling hills leading to the village, I was met. hv Walter . Baker, his youngest son and taken ill to be introduced to Roy, the : elder son, and a nephew. Elmer j McNaught, who helps “J. W.” run j the store. j'Miss Inez, his daughter, by his' first wife, who was Miss Mary: Patton, is also a full time helper ' at the store, (which is certainly a family affair!) . . . but I did not meet her then.Sitting in a comfortable chair in the office was J. W. Baker, taking “just a little nap; but when his son touched him on the shoulder, he arose at oner, as gallant as a young blade, to meet the “reporter who had come to talk to him. It was decided we should go over to the house to nj£et Mrs. Baker and have nur Viiit there. So m the cozy h\ mg room, where every thing spoke ot happy, comfortable days, he told me the story of the. store wiieh has served the commur.:tvwas my noboy. I never danced. My family didn’t, believe in it. We were rock-ribbed Presbyterians and brought up pretty strictly, and, to tell the truth. I didn't have much time for girls or the kind of fun that young people have now. I was so busy getting started in business and driving the huckster wagon arrmnd five days a week. I didn't have much time to do anything else I was 28 when 1 was married the first time and pretty serious about everything. My first little store hero burned down. In 1883 I built the present, store and then 1 stopped driving the wagon and stayed jn ihe stove all the time. I got another man to drive, (his name was Wheeler) and that wagon was on the road every week for 45 years, until after the first Wo: id War. We. had a rlt;*gu» la route through Muskingum. Licking and Coshocton counties, making the same stops every two weeks. People would watch for us ;;nd give orders for the nextTHE HUCKSTER WAGONWhen he started driving himself, he had a pair of white mares, and the little canvas covDinnaav, ueecmuci io,ered wacon. with its boyish driver and the white horsey, became a familiar and welcome visitor tn remote (arm houses and small hamlets through the three counlies. Rain or shine, snow or sweltering weather, his customers could almost set their clocks by the day the wagon \\ ouid mine by. With the changing years the merchandise manned too.The good stiff silk and vel-velint* ordered by the yardfor a best” dress for a prosper* ous customer. was supplanted by gcorgelie crepe and eta-mine. Calico, once bought by the frugal mother for children's ■ dresses, gave way to more pleasing ginqham, with larger patterns and gayer colors. Overalls were still ordered, but so were shirts with stiff collars, for the men-folk. All sorts of new fangled gadgets found trfbir way from the shelves of the well-slocked store to the hampers and the shelves of the wagon where they were eagerly pounced upon by the customers. Hats and shoes, rat traps and spades.'ioatmeal and patented whit* flour, baking powder and fact powders, cough medicine and hair oil, ^ool sox and real silk stockings, blankets, hair-pins, sheets and chicken feed ♦ . . all the multitudinous things that can be found in a good old’ fashioned general store, wers ordered and then delivered on the next trip* When anything new came on the market, Baker's produced it for th« customer* almost before ih* while marcs could switch th« flies off, on a hot summer day.THERE WAS AN incident that surely ticklcd me,” reminisced the old gentleman. There was an eldei !y lady who had bought! stuff fiem me from the first trip' I over made. Wrhen I told her jII was fioing off the wagon and ] .stnv m the store all the tjme and 1 *that there would be another; driver around the nefct trip, she ' said she wouldn't like anyone! else so well and he just needn't; stop. But he did, and one day! she came into the store and con-;: ti-ssed she liked the new man bet- i ' ter than she did ME!■i He was very particular about ' hilt; drswrs and unless they were ! conscientious and interested and j court ecus to the customers he ; wouldn't let them take the wagon I out. after a trial trip to see how ! they did.1: you journey to Newark and go into the fine Cnrroli store there you v. ill see a suave and polished gentleman who has been manager . of that store for years. He was at one tune a vcrv “nODular'’ ’
Newspaper Details
Coshocton News
Coshocton, Ohio, US
Sun, Jan 27, 1946
Page 2
Full Page
Clipped by
Muskingum C.
OH, USA 02 Feb 2020
Other Publications Near Coshocton, Ohio
Coshocton Morning Tribune
Coshocton Daily Tribune
Coshocton Daily Times
Coshocton Daily Age
Coshocton County Democrat
