voice crying out. "Made first expressly
for the Emperor of Germany, and now sold in America for the first
time. Warranted to cure the worst corn ever known, and sold for the
small sum of ten cents! They go like hot-cakes, the boxes do, for they
all know how good the salve is! Thank you, sir; who'll have the
next?"

Matt stopped short, as something in the voice of the street merchant
attracted his attention. He looked at the man and saw that it was Paul
Barberry, the fellow who had wished to be taken in as a partner in
Newark.

"Give me a box of that ere salve," Matt heard an old man say, and saw
the traveling corn doctor hand over a package of his preparation.

The purchaser of the package handed over a quarter of a dollar in
silver. Barberry stuck the money in his pocket, and without attempting
to give back any change, thrust two more packages of his corn salve
into the old man's hands.

"What--what's this?" stammered the old fellow. "Where is my change?"

"That's all right, three for a quarter, sir," returned Paul Barberry
briskly. "Who'll have the next? Don't all crowd up at once!"

"But I don't want three," said the old man timidly. "I want my
change."

"You'll find you need three, find 'em very valuable, sir! That's
right, come right up and buy, buy, buy! It's the greatest on the face
of the globe!" bawled Barberry, turning away and addressing another
crowd on the sidewalk.

"Well, I'll be jiggered!" muttered the old man, and much put out, but
too timid to stand up for his rights and demand the return of his
money, he placed the packages in his coat-tail pocket, and walked
off.

"Well, that's what I call a rather high-handed proceeding," thought
Matt. "No wonder some folks consider street merchants and traveling
auctioneers little better than thieves, when some of them act in that
fashion. I don't think he'll prosper, though, in the end."

He was about to continue on his way, when Paul Barberry caught sight
of him and came forward.

"Hullo, my young friend!" he called out pleasantly. "What brings you
to Easton--the big parade?"

Matt did not like this manner of being addressed. He considered the
corn salve doctor altogether too familiar, so he replied rather
coldly:

"Not particularly. We merely struck Easton in the course of our
travels."

"Oh, then you and your companion are still on the road with your
wagon?"

"Yes."

Paul Barberry seemed to grow interested at once.

"Good enough! And