ny of the colored men noticing his departure.

"Yo' don't want to sell me any chain?" repeated the colored man.

"Not to-night."

"Why not?"

"This isn't chain night. I'm selling harmonicas and banjos."

"Well, let's see some banjos den," put in another of the negroes, and
he winked at his companions, thinking that Matt had become too scared
to refer to the broken show-case again.

"All right, but I don't want any more show-cases broken," returned the
young auctioneer.

He took a banjo from one of the cases and began to tune it up slowly.

"Kin yo' play us a jig?" asked one of the colored men, while the white
people in the place looked on in wonder at the turn affairs had
taken.

"Oh, yes, I can play a jig," returned Matt coolly.

"Den give us one now."

"You will have to wait until I am done tuning up, gentlemen."

"All right, we'll wait."

Matt tuned up more slowly than ever, and even allowed one of the
strings to break that he might gain an extra minute in repairing the
damage. At last, after fully five minutes had passed, the banjo was
in order for use, and the young auctioneer struck off a few chords.

"Now give us dat jig if yo' kin play it," said the colored man
impatiently. He was the same who had tried to steal the box of
chains.

"I won't play a jig until you and your companion pay for the glass you
broke," returned Matt shortly, and he laid down the instrument
abruptly, and folded his arms.

"Wot?" roared the colored men in concert.

"You heard what I said."

"See here; do yo' want us to smash de hull place?" demanded the
ringleader of the disturbers.

"I don't think you'll smash anything more," replied Matt.

"I won't, hey? We'll see!"

The colored man made a movement as if to strike the young auctioneer
in the face. But before the blow could land he was hauled back by a
strong arm. He and his companions looked around and found themselves
confronted by two policemen whom Andy had fortunately met upon the
corner below.

The two colored men who had kept somewhat in the background at once
sneaked through the crowd and escaped through the open doorway. The
other two, the ones who had done the damage, were held by the
policemen, much to their discomfiture.

A lively talk followed, and then upon payment for the damage done, the
colored men were allowed to go, first being warned by Matt and Andy
not to show themselves in the store again. Had they not paid up they
would have been arre