e fire-extinguishers.
Between you and me, those are first-class nickel-plated lung-testers,
and not fire-extinguishers. But that doesn't matter. There's just
about as heavy a call for fire-extinguishers in Kilo as there is for
lung-testers. Can you keep still about it?"

"I can," said Eliph' Hewlitt, "and you'll never regret having bought a
copy of Jarby's Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature,
Science and Art. It is a book that should be in every man's hand, and
in every home. If you owned a copy now, you would know is value to man,
woman, or child. I was going to try to sell one to Miss Briggs when you
came, and if you could help me to----"

The attorney smiled. This was the sort of game he enjoyed. "Don't tell
about the lung-testers," he whispered, and turned to Miss Sally. "Miss
Briggs," he said, "will you let this gentleman have a few minutes of
your time? I want him to show you a book he has. It is a book that
should be in every home. If you will give him a few minutes."

He did not wait for Miss Sally to answer, but turned to the scowling
Colonel.

"Colonel," he said, "I want you to walk down to the office with me. I
shouldn't wonder if you could sell those fire-extinguishers right here
in Kilo."

The four descended the stairs together, and the Colonel would willingly
have lingered, but the attorney took him by the arm and jovially steered
him out of the door. Miss Sally, too, would gladly have had the Colonel
remain, to protect her from the book agent, and to say "no" when the
appeal to buy was reached, but Eliph' retreated into the darkness of
the parlor, and took a seat in the corner of the room, and Miss Sally,
unable now to escape him, seated herself as far from him as she could.

CHAPTER X. The Boss Grafter

Eliph' Hewlitt was resolved that into this interview no words regarding
Jarby's Encyclopedia of Knowledge and Compendium of Literature, Science
and Art should enter. With two such favored rivals in the field, and
with such difficulty in getting into the house as he had experienced, he
meant to get well acquainted in a hurry. Miss Sally sat stiffly in her
chair, steeling herself to refuse the request to buy a copy of the book.
Her usually attractive face was stern, as she looked at Eliph' Hewlitt,
and she watched him suspiciously as he slowly combed his whiskers with
his fingers, as if she feared this was some part of the operation by
which he was charming her into a hypnot