"Northington's; but made especially for our house, and with our brand.
We are making a specialty of a few patterns, and intend to make it an
object to the retailer to handle them and stick to them."

"You can't touch me on those goods," said Thompson; "I've handled them
and had trouble with them. I am now handling nothing but the New York.
I don't know that they're better than any other, but Tom Bradley
dropped in here one day, and I had to give him an order, and I've not
been able to leave him ever since."

"Does he come often?"

"No, about once in two years or so, but he's business from the ground
up. I like him and like his goods, and I don't want to change."

I took out my samples more for the purpose of posting myself than with
hopes of selling him, and where my patterns were like those in his
stock he passed mine over without a word, but I saw that two patterns
of mine pleased him. They were even-enders, 3 1/2 in. brass lined, and
cost us $3.85. We had been getting, in half dozen lots, $4.80, but I
felt that I was in a dangerous place, and I quoted $4.25.

He went back to his stock and returned with a sample the exact
counterpart of mine, and said, smiling, "This is Bradley's; he's a
tough fellow to beat; I paid $3.65 for it."

I lost all interest in pocket knives then and there and got out of the
store right speedily. I was feeling savage, and made straight for
Billwock's. He had made a raise of $40 for me, saying, with several