h the nigger minstrels." And he emphasized
"nigger minstrels" to strongly convince Alfred of his disgust with that
branch of show business.

The father was so completely wrapped up in Palmer, so totally captivated
by the eloquence of the man that he had altogether mistaken the
questions of the boy.

"Father, has Palmer tried to get nine hundred dollars out of you? Did he
want you to buy a half interest in the show?"

"Well," hesitatingly he answered, "Palmer has got to raise some money
and he asked me to help him out. I haven't said whether I would or not.
If you go with him you could look after money matters for----."

Here Alfred interrupted the parent: "Have you said anything to mother
about this? You know when you went into the patent wash-board concern
with Niblo and grandpap, you never told mother and when you got took in
with Uncle Thomas on the patent shoe blacking, you said you would never
enter into anything outside your business without asking mother's
advice. And now you're dickering with this man Palmer about a show,
something you know nothing about. Now Pap--."

The wash-board and blacking were two of the father's investments that
were losses, so he became very much irritated at mention of them and
checked the son.

"Now you hold on, young man! If you tell your mother anything of this,
you and I will have trouble. You're meddling with matters that don't
concern you. I thought you called me in to ask my permission to go with
Palmer. Now you set yourself up to pry into my business. I'm your
father, I've always taken care of you and I am able to take care of
myself. I don't want a green boy to look after me."

"Well, Pap; I'm not trying to nose into your business. You told Palmer
that I knowed a heap about the show business, and you recommended me
highly as a showman."

The father was sizzling. "Who told you so?"

"Why, Palmer himself. Now, I don't want to brag on myself," continued
Alfred who had gained confidence as the interview progressed, "but I've
seen a great deal of this show business and you've got to know what
you're doing when you get into it. Why, look how many men have lost all
their money." And here Alfred mentioned the names of several men, the
details of whose losses in show schemes he had read in the _New York
Clipper_.

"Why," he continued, in an outburst of confidence, "I"--and he
emphasized the "I"--"I lost money on my last show." He should have
added, "my first and last show.