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“This time, I went into his store and said to myself, ‘Well, if I can’t get this old codger to go down to my sample room, I’m not going to do any business with him at all.’

“When I went into his store I shook hands with him and offered him a cigar. He said, ‘Vell, I vont smoke dis now. I lay it avay.’

“If there is anything on earth that makes me mad it is to offer a cigar to a merchant or a clerk who, in truth, doesn’t smoke, and have him put it aside and hand it to somebody else after I have left town; but, you know, you bump into that kind once in a while.

“The old man was back in the office. He shook hands pretty friendly, and said, ‘How’s peezness?’

“‘Best ever,’ said I. It’s always a good thing to be cheerful. All traveling men who go around the country saying that business is poor ought to be knocked in the head. Even if they are not doing a great deal, they should at least say, even in the dullest of times, that business might be a ‘lot worse.’ It’s these croakers on the road who really make business dull when there is every reason for it to be good. I never kick and I don’t think any up-to-date man will.

“Well, sir, when the old man had asked me how business was and I’d told him that it was strictly good, I went right square at him. I said: ‘Now, look here, Brother Mondheimer, I have been selling you a few goods right along and you’ve told me that they were satisfactory, but I haven’t been doing either myself or you justice. I want you, this time, to come right down with me and see what a line of goods I really have. My stuff is strictly swell. The patterns are up-to-date and I’ve styles enough to line the whole side of your house. Now, don’t let me run in with just a handful of samples and sell you a little stuff, but come down and give me a square chance at a decent order.’

“‘Dot’s all ride,’ said he, ‘but I can’t get avay. I must stay hier. Ven cost’mers com in, somebody must be hier to vait on ’em.’

“‘That’s all right,’ said I, ‘but all your clerks are idle now. There isn’t a customer in the store. Things are quiet just now. Suppose you come on down with me.’

“‘No, I can’t do dot,’ said the old man. ‘I’d like to but I can’t. Von’t you breeng op a leedle stoff?’

“I didn’t answer his question directly, but I said, ‘Now, look here, Brother Mondheimer, suppose a man were to come into your store and want to buy a good suit of clothes. How much profit would you make?’

“‘Aboud fife tollars,’ said he.

“‘Well, how long would you, yourself, spend on that man, trying to make a sale with him?’

“‘Vell, I vood nod led him go until I solt him,’ said he.

“‘All right,–by the way–‘, said I. ‘Can you give me two tens for a twenty?’

“He handed me out two ten dollar gold pieces.

“‘Here’ said I, slapping down one of the slugs and shoving it over to him, ‘Here’s ten dollars for ten minutes of your time. That’s yours now,–take it! I’ve bought your time and I dare you come down to my sample room. If you do, I’ll make that ten back in less than ten minutes and you’ll stay with me an hour and buy a decent bill of goods.’

“Well, sir, the old man wouldn’t take the ten–but he did get his hat and he’s been an easy customer ever since!”

“Second and last call for dinner,” called the dining car boy again.

“Guess this is our last chance,” spoke up one of the boys. Then, stretching a little, we washed our hands and went in to dinner.