ull description of everything, to the great
satisfaction of my audience and the surprise of my partner, who was in
ignorance of the fact of my ever having been in the auction business.

I kept this up for over two hours and kept the crowd laughing almost
constantly. This, I considered, was about as much as any show could do,
and felt that I was not only entitled to their money, but that I had
struck quite a novel way of utilizing my knowledge of auctioneering.

After closing the entertainment the people gathered around, and many of
them wanted me to stay in the neighborhood and deliver a lecture the
next night on Phrenology. But as we were billed at Elkhart for that
date, it was impossible to do so. We remained over night with the school
director, and the next morning he requested me to delineate the
character of his son by an examination of his head.

I had always been interested in the study of human nature, and
consequently had taken considerable pains to read up and post myself on
Physiognomy. I had a fair knowledge of temperaments, and altogether was
enabled to pass fair judgment on the lad. While I hadn't the slightest
knowledge of Phrenology, I was more or less familiar with the terms used
by them, such as benevolence, veneration, firmness, self-esteem,
approbativeness, caution, combativeness, ideality, etc., etc., and began
at once to delineate the boy's character.

When I placed my fingers on the front part of the boy's head and looked
wise, saying "large combativeness," the father said:

"Great Caesar! do you locate combativeness in the front of the head?"

"Who in thunder said it was in the front of the head?"

"But you put your fingers on the front part of the head."

"Yes, possibly so, but if I did my thumb was at the same time resting
on the bump of combativeness. My gracious, any one knows where that is!"

This satisfied him, and the whole family were delighted with the boy's
prospects when I had finished.

We were then ready to leave, and when I asked how much our bill would
be, he said he guessed two dollars would be about right, and then
inquired what my charges would be for examining the boy's head. I told
him two dollars and a half was the usual price, but we'd call it square
on our board bill. He said he thought it would be about right to call it
even.

My partner thought it the most wonderful thing he had ever heard of that
I should be able to jump up before that large crowd of people, a