ob first? Where would I come out against all them
sellin' experts with letters and so forth to prove it? Why, they'd
laugh me outa the office! _B-u-t!--if I go to them with an order for
fifty or sixty of their cars as actual proof that I can sell not only
autos, but their autos_, what will they say, then? D'ye see the point
now? They ask me for a reference and I reach in my pocket and give
them the order, _which I've got before applyin' for the job_, to prove
to myself and them that I can sell automobiles!"

Oh, boy!

"Alex," I says, when I got my breath, "I gotta hand it to you! When it
comes to inventin' things, you got Edison lookin' like a backward
pupil. Go to it, old kid! If you put this over the way you have just
told it to me, you'll own Broadway in a week!"

"I'm figurin' on ten days!" he says.

We arrive at the Mastadon Department Store and shoot up in the elevator
to the office of G. C. Munson, the general manager. Alex has been
readin' the notes he made on Gaflooey delivery wagons like the same was
a French novel, and, by the time we got there, he could repeat their
advertisement by heart. He starts to breeze right into the office and
some dame appears on the scene and nails him.

"One moment, please!" she says, very cold--givin' Alex a look that took
in everything from his hick clothes to his rube haircut. "This happens
to be a private office. Whom did you desire to see?"

"If I thought they was anybody prettier than you here, I'd ask to have
them brought out," says Alex, in that simple rube way of his which give
no offense, "but of course I know that's impossible. Still, as long as
I'm here, I'd like to see Mister Munson."

The dame melts and releases a smile.

"What did you wish to see him about?" she asks.

"About ten minutes," pipes Alex. "D'ye know there's somethin' about
them navy blue eyes of yours that makes me think of my mother--isn't
that funny?"

The dame surrenders and shows Alex all her nice front teeth.

"I'll see if Mister Munson is in," she says, handin' him a card, "but
you'll have to fill this out."

Alex looks at the card which had this on it,

Mr ...................................

Desires to see .......................

Regarding ............................

He laughs suddenly, takes out his fountain pen and fills the thing out.
Lookin' over his shoulder I seen him write this,

Mr......... _Alex Hanley_

Desires to see ...... _Mr. Muns