----, I'll give you just two minutes by my watch to pay me
ninety-nine dollars, and if you don't do so within that time I'll not
promise that there will be a grease-spot left of you when I get through.
I want you to distinctly understand that I am out on a collecting tour,
and I mean money or blood; so now, sir, take your choice: either settle
or the consequences; you have less than two minutes to decide in."

He turned pale, and became much excited and declared he hadn't a cent
with him.

"Then it's your misfortune, sir. I'm going to 'do you up' or collect
ninety-nine dollars right now, whether you have a cent with you or not;
you deserve it anyhow."

"Johnston, what can I do?" said he.

"Settle; settle, of course; and you now have but one minute to do it in,
and I'm not certain but it will be your last minute on earth if you
don't."

"Well, Johnston, suppose I settle with you, will you agree not to let my
other creditors know it?"

"No sir, I'll not agree to anything of the kind; on the contrary, I
shall tell every one just how I brought you to terms, and you have but a
half minute left."

He then produced a leather pocket-book filled with bills of large
denomination, and counted me out ten ten-dollar bills.

I thanked him, and told him I'd just keep the extra dollar for
interest, and then wrote him a receipt in full. He said he intended to
pay me, anyhow. I told him I intended he should, and asked how he liked
my system.

He looked foolish, and said he thought I'd come out winner, if I didn't
get killed some day in trying to collect. He further said that he'd bet
I'd run across some one some day who would give me a good trouncing.

I told him I had it all figured out that I could afford to take one good
threshing for every five dead beats, provided I could collect from the
other four.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXXIV.

ANOTHER HORSE TRADE--A HEAVY LOSS--PLAYING DETECTIVE--MY VISIT HOME--A
RETROSPECT--CALLING IN MY AGENTS--A NEW SCHEME--IT'S A WINNER--MR.
KEEFER AND MY MOTHER VISIT CHICAGO--HIS VERDICT, "IT DOES BEAT THE
DEVIL."

We continued to travel by team, and my great stronghold was to collect
bad debts, many of which I collected almost by force.

[Illustration: TRAVELING BY TANDEM TEAM.--PAGE 624.]

On this trip one of our horses became lame, and one morning just as we
were ready to start out from the hotel a gentleman came driving up with
a fine-looking span of horses, that, althoug