s amount on account
of it having exactly the amount of my very first jewelry investment
years before at Columbus, Ohio, when I started out peddling.

I then a Goodrich steamer for Muskegon, Michigan, arriving there the
following morning.

I started out with a determination to sell a bill of goods; and although
every merchant laughed me in my face when I showed up my stock, I kept
"hus'ling," and finally struck one man who bought twenty dollars' worth.
This enabled me to take a fifteen-dollar package from the express
office which I had ordered C.O.D. from the wholesaler, after buying my
first stock on credit.

I now began traveling over precisely the same territory and visiting the
same towns and merchants that I had called upon the year before, when on
my first trip.

On my second day out, at Holton, Michigan, while sitting in the hotel, a
traveling man remarked that the firm across the street was the best in
the country to do business with, if a drummer could only manage to show
his goods to them; but as they visited the Chicago market every two
weeks they would not under any circumstances look at a drummer's goods.

Owing to the fact that I very much enjoyed calling on those who were the
hardest to be convinced, I took special delight in making this firm a
visit. I carried my case with me, and after setting it on the counter in
front of the proprietor, asked permission to show him my goods. He flew
into a rage, and declared he would not buy from any drummer. I still
persisted, and he continued to sizzle around at a fierce rate. The more
he did so the more I insisted on showing him my goods.

Finally, seeing the utter uselessness of trying to get his attention, I
very quietly put the key in the lock of my case and unlocked it, and
returned the key to my pocket. I then took hold of the case and as I
bade him good-bye swung it around off the counter as if to leave the
store. Of course the top raised up and the side lid fell down, letting
the trays fall out on the floor, the same as occurred on the railroad
track. The jewelry scattered all over the floor, and I began to
apologize, and told him of my wretched disaster once before with the
same case. I was very sorry to annoy him with such an accident. He saw
at once that I was to all appearances very much embarrassed, and in a
sympathetic manner assured me that there was no harm done, so far as he
was concerned, and began helping me to gather up the goods.

As I pi