ek, which I declined
with thanks, explaining that I had started out in life to "hus'le," and
try and accomplish something of my own accord; and to go to work in a
stupid, quiet business on a salary, at that late day, would be a
disgrace to the profession. He argued that I would be sure of a
comfortable living, anyhow. I agreed with him, but declared that I would
never be sure of anything beyond that; and I would rather live from hand
to mouth till such time as I could better my condition and possibly make
money rapidly.

I felt that to settle down on a salary in such a business would be the
means of falling into a certain rut, from which it would be hard to
extricate myself. And I have thus far never had occasion to regret
having taken that position.

About this time I received a letter from my mother anxiously inquiring
what business I had engaged in after quitting the hotel, and if we were
all comfortably fixed for the winter.

She closed by saying that as she had no picture of me since I was
eighteen years of age she wished I would have my photograph taken and
sent to her.

[Illustration: THE PHOTOGRAPH OF THE SITUATION.--PAGE 388.]

On reading this letter I remarked to my wife that I would send her a
likeness that would make her sick. I replied to her, agreeing to send it
as soon as I could have some taken. I also answered her questions as
to my business engagements and how we were situated, by saying that I
occasionally fell back on the furniture polish and did considerable
canvassing with it, but my principal business was hauling coke, and had
been all winter; and as for comfort, we had never before experienced any
thing equal to it.

After mailing my letter to her I wrote to the landlord at Adrian, where
I had left the old carpet-bag which had been my companion to New York as
well as on my first polish tour, and asked him to get it from the attic
of his hotel, and forward to me by express. He did so immediately.

I then borrowed a long linen duster about three sizes too small for me
from the "man Friday" employed in the drug store, and repaired to a
photograph gallery. I pulled my suspenders up as much as possible in
order to make my pants ridiculously short. I donned the linen duster and
with tight squeezing managed to button it around me, and turning up the
collar pinned it over with a long black shawl-pin. I put on my straw
hat, ear muffs, and heavy woolen mittens, struck as awkward an attitude
as pos