lp him out at times when he was badly in need of
money.

I lost no time in getting out canvassing again and had set my mind on
some day having a nice stock of auction goods.

It occurred to me about this time that I might possibly prevail upon
merchants doing business in country towns to advertise and make an
auction sale and clean out their old hard stock. I suggested the idea to
one of the leading merchants of a town where I was canvassing. He
readily fell in with it, and after I convinced him of my ability to sell
the goods, he advertised a sale which brought large crowds of people
from all directions, and our success was more than gratifying.

He acknowledged that we had converted hundreds of dollars' worth of
goods into money that had been in his store for years and probably would
have remained there for years to come.

With a strong letter of recommendation from this merchant, I found no
trouble in persuading the leading merchant in each and every town I
visited to make an auction sale. I was to receive a regular commission
on all sales made, and to sell only during the evenings and Saturday
afternoons. This afforded me a very nice income, but I still clung to my
polish, and kept hus'ling when I wasn't selling at auction.

It is not generally known by auctioneers that this plan of operating is
a practical one. Nevertheless it is, and there is not only a wide field
for them, but it is a fact that the average merchant can well afford to
and _will_ give a good live auctioneer a large percentage for clearing
out his odds and ends, as often as once a year, and this can be
continued from place to place the year round.

Many a young man, who has the ability and might easily learn the
profession and adapt himself to it, could as easily establish himself in
a well-paying business in that way as to plod along in the same old rut
year in and year out, without any future prospect for obtaining either
money or experience.

As for the latter, I have always considered every year's experience I
had as an auctioneer equal to any three years of other business.

On my new plan of operating, I at once saw that success, especially
during the fall and winter season, was assured me.

This was in the fall of 1876, when Hayes and Tilden were candidates for
the Presidency. I had never interested myself in politics in the least,
up to this time, and hardly knew which side either man was running on.
But Mr. Hayes being from my own