erchant
Prince, and seeing sights in a city; and having read an account of the
great fortunes piled up in course of a few years, by poor, friendless
country boys, like Abbot Lawrence, John Jacob Astor, he up and came
right straight to Boston, having read it in the papers that clerks,
salesmen, book-keepers, and so on, were wanted, dreadfully--"young men
from the country preferred"--so he called on the _suffering_ agent for
the public, and paying down his _fee_, was sent off to an _Importing
House_, on ---- street, where a clerk and salesman were wanted. Jeremiah
found his idea of an _Importing House_ knocked into a disarranged
chapeau, by finding the one in the "present case," a large and luminous
_store_, filled up with paper boxes and sham bundles; while gaudily
festooned, were any quantity of calicoes, cheap shawls, ribbons, tapes,
and innumerable other tuppenny affairs.

Nebuchadnezzar Cheatum, the proprietor of this importing and jobbing
house, was a keen, little, slick-as-a-whistle, heavy-bearded, shaved and
starched genus, of six-and-thirty, more or less; and received Jeremiah
with a rather patronizing survey _personelle_, and opened the engagement
with a few remarks.

"From the country, are you?"

"Sniffensville, sir," said Jeremiah; "County of Scrub-oak, State of New
Hampshire."

"Ah, well, I prefer country-bred young men; they are better trained,"
said Cheatum, "to industry, perseverance, honest frugality, and the
duties of a Christian man. I was brought up in the country myself. I've
made myself; carved out, and built up my own position, sir. Yes, sir,
give me good, sound, country-bred young men; I've tried them, I know
what they are," said Cheatum; and he spoke near enough the truth to be
partly true, for he _had_ "tried them;" he averaged some fifty-two
clerks and an equal number of _salesmen_--yearly.

Jeremiah Bumps grew red in the face at the complimentary manner in which
Nebuchadnezzar Cheatum was pleased to review the country and its
institutions.

"What salary did you think of allowing?" says Jeremiah.

"Well," said Cheatum, "I allow my salesmen three dollars a week the
first year, (Jeremiah's ears cocked up,) and three per cent. on the
sales they make the second year."

By cyphering it up "in his head," Jeremiah came to the conclusion that
the _first_ year wouldn't add much to his pecuniary elevation, whatever
the second did with its three per cents. But he was bound to try it on,
anyhow.