sooner he sold out
entirely and spent the money the sooner he could call on his wife for
more.

He said that was so, and he guessed he would telegraph her to sell
another house and lot and send him the proceeds immediately, with which
he would purchase more goods.

I laughed at the idea and little thought he would do so till about two
weeks later he opened a letter one day containing a draft for several
hundred dollars, and said:

"Johnston there is nothing like striking it rich;" and then queried in
an under tone: "If a man has nothing and his wife has plenty who does
the property belong to?"

He liked the auction business and immediately ordered more goods and
also began showing more extravagance than ever in buying clothing and a
disposition to go out with "the boys" at every town we visited.

I kept "hus'ling" with my polish and let Johnny pay my hotel bills and
the commission due me on auction sales.

I soon saw that all arguments were lost on him so long as his wife owned
another house and lot, so concluded to stay with him as long as there
was anything in it.

He was not long, however, in again bringing the business to a focus. It
happened in this way: One afternoon while I was out selling polish he
engaged in a quiet game of cards "with just enough at stake to make it
interesting," and when the game ended he had not only lost all his ready
cash, but had borrowed about twice as much on the goods as they were
worth, and had also lost that.

He then asked me to loan him some money which I refused to do, but
assured him that I would not see him want for the necessaries of life as
long as he was with me.

I now thought it a good time to urge him to try to sell polish, and lost
no time in doing so. When pressed he declared he wouldn't be caught
going to a house with a valise in his hand for fifty dollars a day.

But he said he had often wished he could be sitting in some one's house
some time when I entered and see how I managed.

I then proposed that he should make some plausible excuse for visiting a
certain house that we should agree upon, and I would call while he was
there.

The next day was Sunday, and when we were out walking he located a
house, and we fixed the next day as the time.

I asked him what excuse he would make few calling.

He said he would make believe he wanted to buy their house and lot, and
the lots adjoining them, and that his intentions were to build a stave
and barrel facto