Argosy All-Story Weekly, May 5, 1928 — page 45: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

THE TRAIN producing a fraction of what they might if they had a market for their products, Without a market they haven’t the money to grow anything except for their own use and if they did produce more, how would they dis- pose of it? At present, they and every- body else in this county, are merely ex- isting and nothing more. So much for the first part of our program. “The second part involves advertis- ing. We must advertise the products we contemplate marketing as coming from this county. There is a reason for this. The faith of a consumer in a product depends upon its familiarity. Instead of the produce coming from this county being merely butter, cheese, pickles and canned vegetables, the fact that Pelo County butter is good butter, that Pelo County cheese is of a uni- formly high quality, that Pelo County eggs are always fresh, that Pelo Coun- ty pickles are good pickles, that Pelo County canned vegetables are depend- able and put up under the most sanitary “conditions, must be impressed upon the public mind. Not only that, but the products themselves must bear out this impression. “Of course, after the various com- panies are organized that are to manu- facture these things, each will carry the burden of advertising its individual product. ~But in the meantime, the mis- sionary work must be done directly by this organization. In order to raise the money for this missionary work, we must have membership fees. The real purpose of this meeting is to organize the Pelo County Codperative Associa- tion, to elect its officers, and to deter- mine what shall be done to carry out this program. “T shall now ask you gentlemen to elect from your number a man to pre- side over the organization, who will be in charge for the remainder of the eve- ning and who will supervise the elec- tion of other officers and the appoint- ing of specialized committees to attend to details.” EXPECTER. 611 Before Johnny could suggest a meth- od of election, the colonel was on his feet. “Gentlemen,” he said, “ I move that Johnny Webster be elected to that post by acclamation.” If there was a dissenting voice to this suggestion, it had no more chance of being heard than a mouse in a boiler factory, and Johnny was duly elected first president of the Pelo County Co- operative Association. It was a very tired Johnny who ad- journed the meeting two hours later after the election of a vice-chairman, a secretary and treasurer and the ap- pointment of a membership committee, an agricultural committee and a busi- ness committee. The secretary had an enrollment of sixty-four members and the treasurer possessed three hundred and twenty dollars in fees, either in cash or pledges. Before the hall was empty Johnny’s arm had been pumped until it seemed paralyzed. But the colonel stood by him to the end and the last well wishers were the four men who had come in during the meeting. One of them was Gordon Allister. “Where,” said Johnny, bewildered, rp did you come from?” ‘Various places,” replied Allister. “TI would have been around to see you sooner, only | got wind of your meet- ing up at the Junction, and I didn’t want to spoil your show. Let me con- gratulate you, Johnny.” “T thought you had run off and de- serted me,’ Johnny commented. “‘That’s how I got the idea of starting this association.” “Tt’s a good idea, Johnny, though I ‘ assure you I had no intention of run- _ ning away. “T had not the least idea that you would take my leaving in that way. I only wanted to surprise you. “ Gentlemen,” he addressed both the colonel and Johnny, “ this is Dr. North- beam, a world famous nerve specialist whom I have transported clear from EOPMIE MOOKS ( (F@)