to find that not only the beard but the whole mask comes off in your
hands, and there is a kindly countenance behind. For the world would
rather see you succeed than fail.

I heard of a young man the other day who went into an office in Chicago
to sell a bill of goods. The man behind the desk was very brusque and
fierce-looking, and snapped out, "Well, what do you want here?"

The young man promptly replied, "I want first to be treated as a
gentleman, and then I may talk business to you."

The other man dropped his fierce manner at once, and the young man sold
him a large bill of goods. The man behind the desk told him when he was
leaving that he greeted strangers fiercely to try their mettle, and if
they ran away he concluded they weren't worth troubling with anyhow.

And so I say to you, boys and girls, be sure in your own minds that you
are doing right, then go boldly ahead, and you will find the gates down
and the tracks clear. Let this be your motto:

"Silken-handed stroke a nettle,
And it stings you for your pains.
Grasp it like a man of mettle,
And it soft as silk remains."




HIRING A COACHMAN