In 1875, the clippings from the Examiner show that various salesmen visited Cardigan on a regular basis:

——Mr. L.T. Holland, a well-known commercial traveller, passed through the village on Monday last. ‘

—G.J. McCormack, insurance agent, passed through the village yesterday on route to Montague.

—Mr. Richard Jordan of Murray Harbour, was here a few days ago supplying his famous cod liver oil.

—Mr. Jerome McDonald, the well-known fancy goods man, with a sugply of toilet seats and other notions arrived by Mitchell R. coach to ay.

The supplies and services offered by these men were varied and they offered a valuable service to the community.

THE LOST SALE by J .M. MacSwain

When I was a child, a nearby neighbour, a close relative of my mother’s, acquired the agency for Renfrew products, such as stoves and washing machines. He was an able salesman, but, able as he was, he met more than his match when he tried to pressure-sell a kitchen range to a Mr. Wat Walsh who lived in the Cardigan area and who was reputed to be able to afford this product.

The agent himself, the late Mr. Allan Shaw of Cardigan, recounted at my father’s house many years ago the following story of his sale’s adventure with the said Mr. Walsh.

After expounding for some hours upon the virtues of the Renfrew range and finding himself still far from breaking down Mr. Walsh’s sales resistance, in desperation Mr. Shaw said: “Look here, Wat, if you buy one of these ranges, you’ll save half your wood! And that’s the gospel truth.” Like a flash Mr. Walsh replied: “I’ll tell you what I’ll do Allan. I’ll buy two of your stoves, and I’ll save all the wood.” Needless to say after Mr. Walsh’s comment, Mr. Shaw quietly left Mr. Walsh’s premises.

The following is an excerpt from a newspaper article written in 1875. The article tells of changes in Cardigan over the past year.

Like most villages on the Island, Cardigan has benefited from the railway and the businessmen of the area are preparing for the expected prosperity.

One evidence of this expectation was a bold movement in the direc- tion of town planning. W.P. Lewis, who owns a beautiful and com- manding site running from James E. MacDonald’s shipyard to the bridge and running back to Lewis’ Creek had the entire estate laid off in lots, with streets running at right angles. It was expected that shortly thereafter a town would rise on the spot.

The coming of the railway has brought some prosperity to the village. Quite a number of new buildings sprang up during the summer and others are planned.

A new store for James E. MacDonald, two stories high and with dimensions of 40 x 25 ft. had just been completed. Other new buildings

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