Near the beginning of the twentieth century, much of Florida was still
undeveloped. Pioneers who settled there often lived in remote areas served by
country stores. The average country store carried only the essentials of life.
One man said that he asked the country storekeeper to order a box of cigars,
assuring him that if he didn’t sell all of the first box before he got back to
town he would buy the remainder. When he got back to the store the man had sold
every cigar. “You’re going to order some more, aren’t you?” he asked.
The merchant replied, “Of course not. I won’t handle anything that won’t
stay on my shelves longer than that.” And he didn’t!


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About The Author

Robert Shannon, a retired preacher living in North Carolina, began preaching at the age of 16. He has preached in churches in Kentucky, Tennessee, Ohio, and Florida, his longest ministry at First Christian Church of Largo Florida. Now in semi-retirement, he has preached regularly for churches in North Carolina and Tennessee. He has also contributed to kingdom work as a missionary to Eastern Europe and as a Bible College professor. He is past-president of the North American Christian Convention. Bob is the author or co-author of several books.

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