sales
running four or five times as high as any one of my agents had been
making. I managed to keep in range of the larger towns where money was
due me from old customers, and would make it a point to call on them and
demand an immediate settlement of some kind. If they couldn't pay cash,
I would take notes, which could be used as trade paper with my
creditors, by endorsing the same.

About this time I received a long confidential letter from my
book-keeper, saying he had been looking over the books carefully, and
found that I was owing twenty-six thousand dollars which was past due,
besides what was not yet due; and as there wasn't a dollar in the bank,
and the majority of our customers were not prompt in the payment of
their bills, he couldn't see how I ever expected to pull through; then
after apologizing for offering me advice, suggested that I return at
once, and make a clean breast of it by making an assignment; and after
settling up for from twenty-five to fifty cents on the dollar, I could
commence on a new and firmer basis.

I replied to this letter as soon as I could get hold of pen and paper. I
reminded him that I had never thus far received an unpleasant
communication from a single one of my creditors.

In other words, I had never yet received what might be considered a
dunning letter, but on the contrary nearly every one of them had, in
one way or another, given me to understand that they had implicit
confidence in me, and were willing and glad to favor me all they could.
I also explained to him my new system of operating, and showed him how I
expected to sell goods and collect money too.

I then closed my letter by saying that in the future, if he entertained
an idea that I had got to fail in business, I wished he would kindly
keep it to himself, as there would be time enough for me to consider the
matter after my creditors had become dissatisfied; and added that as far
as I was personally concerned, I intended to stick to the wreck as long
as there was a hand-hold left; and that I'd pay one hundred cents on the
dollar if I had to collect my bills at the muzzle of a shot-gun. I then
cautioned him about keeping up my plan of letter-writing, and assured
him that at that particular stage of the game a good letter would often
take the place of a small check; and that I should depend upon him to
"hold them down," while I would keep hus'ling and turn our stock into
cash, as well as to collect up closely; and