light idea of the variety of talk
that it was necessary for me to keep conjuring up and manufacturing in
order to entertain my buyers, and to continually spring something new on
them.

[Illustration]

CHAPTER XXIV.

MY EMPLOYER CALLED HOME--I CONTINUE TO HUS'LE--AN AUCTIONEERING
CO-PARTNERSHIP--STILL IN A DOUBLE ROLE--A NEAT, TIDY, QUIET BOARDING
HOUSE--WE MOVE TO A HOTEL--A PRACTICAL JOKE--AUCTIONEERING FOR
MERCHANTS--MAKING A POLITICAL SPEECH--GETTING MIXED.

I remained with my late employer several weeks, having almost
uninterrupted success, when he was notified of his wife's serious
illness and was obliged to leave his horses and wagon with a liveryman
and return at once to his home in Ohio.

I continued selling furniture polish as though nothing had happened, but
never ceased making auctioneering a continual study.

Shortly after this I received a letter from an old acquaintance who had
recently married a widow about forty years older than himself,
expressing a desire to go into the auction business with me.

He said he was well fixed now (or at least his wife was) and if I would
do the auctioneering he would furnish the capital and we would travel
together and divide the profits.

I telegraphed him to have his money ready, as I was coming.

On my arrival Johnny showed me a large roll of bills and said "there was
plenty more where that come from."

We ordered a nice stock of goods and started at once taking in the
Western and Southwestern States.

Johnny was exceedingly gay and chipper from the start and seemed
possessed with the idea that he had found a gold mine.

He led about the same life I did the winter I was selling government
goods--only a little more so, and I frequently reminded him of the
results of my experience and tried hard to convince him that his would
result the same, but without success.

He was a jolly, good natured fellow, a true friend, kind and generous to
a fault, which with his expensive habits made serious inroads on his
capital and it diminished rapidly.

I saw how things were shaping, and lost no time in making a new
contract with him, which gave me a certain commission, and required him
to defray all hotel bills.

I kept up the sale of polish as usual, during the time when we were not
selling at auction, and by so doing was steadily gaining ground.

I suggested to Johnny when we first started out that he also sell
polish.

He laughed at the idea and said h