the business--well, is a very general kind of business."

"Yes, I understand--general jobbing--little of everything--anything that
there's money in."

"That's about it, yes."

"Are you traveling for the house now?"

"Well, partly; but not entirely. Of course I do a stroke of business if
it falls in the way--"

"Good! I like that in you! That's me every time. Go on."

"I was only going to say I am off on my vacation now."

"Well that's all right. No harm in that. A man works all the better
for a little let-up now and then. Not that I've been used to having it
myself; for I haven't. I reckon this is my first. I was born in Germany,
and when I was a couple of weeks old shipped to America, and I've been
there ever since, and that's sixty-four years by the watch. I'm
an American in principle and a German at heart, and it's the boss
combination. Well, how do you get along, as a rule--pretty fair?"

"I've a rather large family--"

"There, that's it--big family and trying to raise them on a salary. Now,
what did you go to do that for?"

"Well, I thought--"

"Of course you did. You were young and confident and thought you could
branch out and make things go with a whirl, and here you are, you see!
But never mind about that. I'm not trying to discourage you. Dear me!
I've been just where you are myself! You've got good grit; there's good
stuff in you, I can see that. You got a wrong start, that's the whole
trouble. But you hold your grip, and we'll see what can be done. Your
case ain't half as bad as it might be. You are going to come out all
right--I'm bail for that. Boys and girls?"

"My family? Yes, some of them are boys--"

"And the rest girls. It's just as I expected. But that's all right, and
it's better so, anyway. What are the boys doing--learning a trade?"

"Well, no--I thought--"

"It's a big mistake. It's the biggest mistake you ever made. You see
that in your own case. A man ought always to have a trade to fall back
on. Now, I was harness-maker at first. Did that prevent me from becoming
one of the biggest brewers in America? Oh no. I always had the harness
trick to fall back on in rough weather. Now, if you had learned how to
make harness--However, it's too late now; too late. But it's no good
plan to cry over spilt milk. But as to the boys, you see--what's to
become of them if anything happens to you?"

"It has been my idea to let the eldest one succeed me--"

"Oh, come! Suppose the firm don't