to
his wife, is sittin' on the other side, delirious with joy and with a
order in his pocket for one thousand Gaflooey trucks as per the one we
come down in. Alex had wired the Gaflooey people and had Wilkinson
appointed a salesman for the Washington territory on his
recommendation. Them guys would do anything for Alex, because he put
'em on the map. With telegraphed credentials from New York, the rest
was a cinch for even the lovely Wilkinson, because the truck sold
itself!

"They is only one thing that beats me," I says to Alex before we turn
in on the sleeper. "Why didn't _you_ sell the truck and make all the
dough yourself?"

"Its a good thing you don't need brains in your game," says Alex, "or
you and Alice would starve! I wanted Wilkinson to make the sale all by
himself, because it will give him confidence, and then, again, he'll
advertise me. I get half of his commission, I grab a bonus from the
Gaflooey people for helpin' the sale along and then there's that
thousand bucks of yours, which I would of lost if I sold the trucks
myself. Also, I have put Mister Wilkinson over, and that's what I
started out to do!"

"You win!" I says. "I don't see how you get away with it. It's past
me!"

"Huh!" says Alex. "They ain't no trick to it at all--why say, even
_you_ could of done it!"

CHAPTER VI

THE LITTLE THINGS DON'T COUNT

They's many a guy clutterin' up a pay roll for about thirty bucks a
week, which has got more brains than his boss has income tax. When he
went to school they wasn't a day that some other kid didn't wanna
murder him because he got 100 in arithmetic and the like. He passed on
to high school and even invaded college, where he dumfounded all in
hearing with his knowledge of--everything! When he was fin'ly turned
loose on a helpless world, he was so far ahead of his class that they
held special services for him and had the regular one the next day.

Now the dope oughta be that this marvel of intelligence should be down
in Wall Street now, tellin' J. P. Morgan and etc. that the next time
they come in late for work he'd fire 'em. Well, about once in ten
thousand times this is true. Usually, however, this guy is the bird
that takes your card at the office door and says, "Sit down, Mr.
Morgan's fifth assistant secretary will see you in a moment." And then
the head bookkeeper rings a bell and this guy says, "Yes, sir," and
jumps!

They is a reason for this, the same as for