"Can't do that. I'm going into business myself."

"Ah! what business?"

"Don't know yet; haven't decided. Into your business, maybe."

"My business!" The Dutchman looked surprised.

"Yes; it appears to me like a very good business. Don't you think I
could start very fair on five hundred dollars?"

The Dutchman hesitated to answer that question; he didn't want to
say yes, and he was conscious that the Yankee knew too much of his
affairs to believe him if he said no. He, therefore, merely shrugged
his shoulders, looked stupid, and remained silent.

"You don't know of a large room that I could get anywhere, do you?"

The Dutchman shook his head, and gave a decided negative.

Jonathan said no more on that occasion. Two days afterwards, he
dropped in again. "Have you fount a room yet?" asked the Dutchman.

"I've seen two or three," replied Jonathan. "One of them will suit
me, I guess. But I'll tell you what I've been thinking about since I
saw you. If I open another establishment, the business will be
divided. Now, it has struck me, that, perhaps, it might be better,
all round, for me to put my five hundred dollars into your business
as a partner, and push the whole thing with might and main. How does
it strike you?"

"Vell, I can't say shust now; I'll dink of him. You put in fife
hunnard dollar, you say?"

"Yes; five hundred down, in hard cash--every dollar in gold."

"Fife hunnard. Let us see." And the Dutchman raised his chin and
dropped his eyes, and stood for some minutes in a deep study.

"Fife hunnard," he repeated several times.

"Come to-morrow," he at length said. "Den I tell you."

"Very well. I'll drop in to-morrow," replied the Yankee. "I'm not
very anxious about it, you see; but, as the thing occurred to me, I
thought I would mention it. Five hundred dollars will make a great
difference in your business."

On the next day, Jonathan appeared, looking quite indifferent about
the matter. The Dutchman had turned over the proposition, and
dreamed about it, both sleeping and waking. His final decision was
to take in the Yankee as a partner.

Now, a cool, thoughtful Dutchman, and a quick-witted Yankee, are not
a very bad match for each other, provided the former sees reason to
have his wits about him, which was the case in the present instance.
The Dutchman meant all fair; he had no thought of taking any
advantage: but he had suspicion enough of Jonathan to put him on his
guard, and look to see t