Twenty years a fakir

Getting onto Scheme Goods—Frightening the Ladies—Trick at Church Fair—Street Work—The Catchy Little Look-backs, and Giving Them Away—The Horse and the Loaf of Bread Trick—Handli...

The Museum Scheme and the Six Widows—Traveling Without Paying Railroad Fare—Living on Free Lunches—At a Low Ebb—The Animated Chocolate Drop—Old Auntie from Smoky Row—The Corn Do...

The New Doctor and Professional Grafter—Medicine Fake—The Electric Battery and Money—Fun with Crowd in the Street—Selling Pipes and Giving Watches Away—Fooling the Farmers—The C...

Side Lines and Schemes of Various Kinds—The Glass Pen—Pie Scheme Choked Off—Selling Notions from Wagon—Fighting the Railroad Bonds—Forced to Leave Town—Legislated Out of Busines...

Working the Saloon Keeper for an Extra Five—Alone Again—Arrested—Fighting the License—Sick—The Insurance Scheme—The Wheel and Cigar Dodge—The Stage Hold-up—The Horse Doctor and...

Temperance Town and Cold Tea Racket—Busted Again—Money Making Schemes—The Shoemaker Couldn’t Sleep—Going Back to Street Work—The Fifty Thousand Dollar Money Deception—Jewelry Pa...

Adding to Bank Account—Looked Better, Felt Better and Was Better—Selling Encyclopedias—Complete Canvass—Tricky and Persistent—Advertising Schemes—Tricks of the Present Day—Disgu...

The Real Estate Fake—Booming a Town—Making a Fortune—Tricks of Other People—All This World Is a Fake and Every Person in It a Fakir—The Politician and the Widow—A Diamond Ring f...

The old adage, “An open confession is good for the soul,” has no bearing on my case. I did not write this book to ease my conscience; but of my own free will, for my own amuseme...

I was born in the good old State of Illinois, my birthplace being on a farm just twenty miles out of Chicago. Here I lived until I was eighteen years of age. My father was fairl...

Every man who has ever rustled on the road has had his experiences with that peculiar disease known as shortness of cash. I believe I have been “busted” more times than any othe...

I did not allow myself to be troubled over the disappearance of the other members of the Milton Combination. In such an affair every tub has to stand on its own bottom, and I ha...

“Nevertheless, there are tricks; and there are other tricks. I have no patience with the others. My principle, as I have already explained, is to always give a man the worth of...

“My son,” he said, beaming on me in a proud and happy way—for were not his pockets filled to bursting with the result of the raid on B——.? “it is dead easy to work the public if...

GETTING A KNOWLEDGE OF SCHEME GOODS—FRIGHTENING THE LADIES—TRICK AT CHURCH FAIR—STREET WORK—THE CATCHY LITTLE LOOKBACKS—GIVING THEM AWAY—THE HORSE AND LOAF OF BREAD TRICK—HANDLI...

THE MUSEUM SCHEME AND THE SIX WIDOWS—TRAVELING WITHOUT PAYING RAILROAD FARE—LIVING ON FREE LUNCHES—AT A LOW EBB—THE ANIMATED CHOCOLATE DROP—OLD AUNTIE FROM SMOKY ROW—THE CORN DO...

THE NEW DOCTOR AND PROFESSIONAL GRAFTER—MEDICINE FAKE—THE ELECTRIC BATTERY AND MONEY—FUN WITH CROWD ON THE STREET—SELLING PIPES AND GIVING WATCHES AWAY—FOOLING THE FARMERS—THE C...

SIDE LINES AND SCHEMES OF VARIOUS KINDS—THE GLASS PEN—PIE SCHEME CHOKED OFF—SELLING NOTIONS FROM WAGON—FIGHTING THE RAILROAD BONDS—FORCED TO LEAVE TOWN—LEGISLATED OUT OF BUSINES...

As I have already hinted, the work of the fakir changes with the seasons, and though some winters it was possible to continue street business successfully, especially by travel...

The season came when I was to go on the road again. The winter had been one largely of rest and study, during which I had practiced my vocation enough to make a little money and...

In the previous chapters I have said something about orders that were turned back on my hands, and the methods I employed to make at least some profit out of my failures. I want...

WORKING THE SALOON KEEPER FOR AN EXTRA FIVE—ALONE AGAIN—ARRESTED—FIGHTING THE LICENSE—SICK—THE INSURANCE SCHEME—THE WHEEL AND CIGAR DODGE—THE STAGE HOLD-UP—THE HORSE DOCTOR AND...

TEMPERANCE TOWN AND COLD TEA RACKET—BUSTED AGAIN—MONEY MAKING SCHEMES—THE SHOEMAKER COULDN’T SLEEP—GOING BACK TO STREET WORK—THE FIFTY THOUSAND DOLLAR MONEY DECEPTION—JEWELRY PA...

I was canvassing with a furniture polish, which was really a very good thing, and one day went into a store where musical instruments were sold, hoping to do a stroke of busines...

It was altogether an accident that I ever got into bible selling. I stumbled across a man who was probably in many respects better fitted than I to handle the business.

ADDING TO BANK ACCOUNT—LOOKED BETTER, FELT BETTER AND WAS BETTER—SELLING ENCYCLOPEDIAS—COMPLETE CANVASS—TRICKY AND PERSISTENT—ADVERTISING SCHEMES—TRICKS OF THE PRESENT DAY—DISGU...

I do not care how careful and polite a man may be, he is always bound to meet with occasional insults. I found the three classes who were most apt to be insulting were those who...

THE REAL ESTATE FAKE—BOOMING A TOWN—MAKING A FORTUNE—TRICKS OF OTHER PEOPLE—ALL THIS WORLD IS A FAKE AND EVERY PERSON IN IT A FAKIR—THE POLITICIAN AND THE WIDOW—A DIAMOND RING F...

In this narrative I have given a clear, comprehensive view of a fakir’s life, as I saw it in my own experience. I have made it no better and no worse, but just as I found it. In...