ar just five hundred dollars on this!"

I enjoyed a few rides, and was about to trade for a carriage and
harness, when one evening a day or two after our deal, I came into the
dining room from the back door of Mr. Keefer's house, and heard the
sound of a familiar voice issuing from the sitting-room. It said:
"Sister Keefer, I have made a great mistake. Will you induce your son to
trade back?"

I stepped inside, and Brother Long came forward in his usual solemn,
prayerful manner, and taking me by the hand, said: "Brother Johnston,
may the Lord have mercy upon us."

I said: "Amen, Brother Long; what can I do for you? How many counties do
you want this time?"

"My dear young brother, I have more counties than I need, more than I
can use."

"But," I said, "you haven't any more than you bargained for."

"Indeed, Brother Johnston, I can never sell it all. Will you please
trade back? This is my first experience in the patent-right business,
and pray to the Lord it shall be the last."

I asked what had become of his customer, and inquired his name.

Brother Long went on then to explain how an Irishman, living neighbor to
him, had called at his house and, after seeing the model, went half
crazy over it, and wanted to buy ten counties. He agreed to pay in the
neighborhood of a thousand dollars, and in his enthusiasm made a deposit
of "tin dollars, as ividence of me good faith." On the strength of that
sale he had made the trade.

"Well, Great Heavens!" said I, "aren't you satisfied with five or six
hundred dollars profit, on a little deal like that?"

"Yes," he answered; "had I sold the counties the profits would have
suited all right."

"But you just told me you had sold them, and the Irishman had deposited
ten dollars to bind the bargain."

"True, he did," said Brother Long, "but he came back the next day after
I had traded, and said: 'A divil a bit of a county can I take at all, at
all. Me old wife threatens to scald me, if I bring even one county into
the house!'"

"Well, but you kept his ten dollars, didn't you?"

"Of course I did," he yelled out.

"Well, then, you ought to be satisfied," I ventured to remark.

"What! Satisfied with ten dollars?"

"Yes; with all these County rights besides."

"Brother Johnston," said he, "will you trade back, and give me the team
for the counties?"

I answered: "I am not trading for territory, Brother Long. I am selling
it."

About this time the greater portion of