roperly billed and charged to
me, and I had legal possession of them; and as my train was to leave
soon it was my intention to take my departure.

I pointed to the front windows and reminded him and about twenty clerks
who stood looking on, that we were about three stories up, and the first
man who laid a hand on me or my goods would land through one of those
windows on the sidewalk below, if I had to go down with him.

Saying which, I grabbed my cases, and with the further remark:
"Gentlemen, make room for me now; I am ready to start," passed out with
not a word spoken, and everything as quiet as death.

Two or three of the clerks were good friends of mine, and were only too
glad to see me force a credit for myself; and I doubt if they could have
been induced to interfere had Mr. Streicher demanded it.

The first town I visited on this trip was Oconto, Wisconsin, which I
reached the following morning; and before nine o'clock I had made a cash
sale of one hundred and fifty dollars, and went immediately to the
express office and remitted it to the house. And as business was brisk I
remitted from one to three hundred dollars per day to them. In a few
days I received a letter from Mr. S. offering me a credit of two or
three thousand dollars, if I needed it.

I congratulated myself, and no one else, for this much-needed and
desirable credit, realizing that had I let him have his way I would have
been ten years gaining his confidence to this extent.

I now began to "turn myself loose," and with my nice line of goods
there was no such thing as failure. I found it as easy to make a hundred
dollars now, as one dollar at any previous time in my life. I visited
Chicago often to buy new stock.

While speaking of Mr. Streicher (pronounced Striker), a little incident
connected with his name occurred about this time, which may prove
interesting to the reader.

He was about to make a trip to New York, and as Albert and myself were
contemplating a visit home we concluded to accompany him that far on his
journey. My folks had often heard us speak of the gentleman, so when we
arrived at Toledo, Albert said he would telegraph them to meet us at the
depot, as they would no doubt be glad to see him. He therefore sent a
message as follows: "Meet us at the noon train with Streicher."

The telegraph operator at Clyde "bulled" the message, and copied it,
"Meet us at the noon train with stretcher."

It so happened that I met some frie