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“‘The only man in this town who thinks Bryan isn’t going to win is old man Jarvis across the way. If he keeps on buying and things come out the way I think they will, I’ll have one less competitor when things all blow over.’

“I looked in my agency book. As a rule, they’re not worth a rap for anything except to give the names of merchants in a town and the sort of business they’re in, but when I got down to the J’s I saw that Jarvis was rated ten to twenty thousand. I stuck the book in my pocket and made straight for where I saw his name over the door.

“First thing he boned me about was, ‘Well, how’s the election going in Illinois and back East?’

“‘Oh, Bryan will be put under a snow bank so deep he’ll never get out,’ said I, ‘when November gets here.’

“‘Good!’ said he. ‘You’re the first man I’ve seen for a month who’s agreed with me. I don’t think he’ll run one, two, three. These fellows out here in this country are all crazy because Bryan’s come from this state; and a few hayseed Populists who’ve always been Republican heretofore are going to vote for him. Shucks! They don’t amount to anything. It’s the East that settles an election, and the working man. Why, they’re not going to see this country go to the devil because a few of these crazy Pops out here are going to vote the Democratic ticket!’

“The druggist from next door, who overheard the old man, spoke up hotly and said, ‘Well, I’m one of them crazy Pops you’re talking about. You haven’t any money that says Bryan’s goin’ to lose, have you?’

“‘Well, I’m not a betting man,’ said Jarvis, ‘but if I was, I’d put up my store against yours,–the building and all against your stock.’

“‘Well, I wish you were a betting man,’ said the druggist. ‘You’d better either put up or shut up. I’ll jest bet you ten dollars even that Bryan does win.’

“‘I’ll take that bet, my friend,’ said I, knowing that the effect of the wager on Jarvis would be worth more than the bet itself. I reached for my roll of expense money–I had about two hundred dollars on me– and slipped out a ‘tenner.’ The druggist went in next door and got his money. The old man held the stakes.

“I was the only man who’d been in that town for a long time who was willing to bet on McKinley, and pretty soon a dozen fellows were after me. In about twenty minutes I had put up all I had, and went over to the bank and drew a couple of hundred more. I drew it on personal account as I had plenty of money coming to me from the firm. Soon a couple of fellows came in who wanted to put up a hundred each. I covered their piles, went back to the bank and made another draft–in all, I planked up five hundred dollars before leaving town. Jarvis was my stake holder.

“‘Say,’ said he, ‘young fellow, I’ve never done any business with you, but, by Heavens! I like your pluck, and I’m going right over to your sample room whether you ask me to or not and give you an order. This is the best time for me to buy goods. All these other fellows around here are croaking about the election and they’re not going to have anything to sell these people. Shoes are going to wear out and the sun is going to fade calico, Bryan or no Bryan! I want some goods on my shelves. Come on, let’s go now before it gets dark!’

“I never sold a bill so easy in my life. The old man would pick up a bundle of sample cards and say, ‘Here, you send me about what you think I ought to have out of this lot,’ and while I was writing down the items, he would talk politics. I sold him a nailer.”