but we have so many on hand, perhaps it's only his way of canceling
the item." And that was all I ever got from them about it.




CHAPTER VII.


I parted with Blissam at the hotel, he going to the South and I West,
and about 7 o'clock that evening I reached B--. I had often heard our
traveling man speak of the hotel here, and the popularity it had among
salesmen, so I was prepared to find the smoking room tolerably well
filled when I went in there after supper. There were half a dozen or
more in one group, who seemed to be on the best of terms, and I
listened to their talk. I found that they were discussing the mistakes
of the shipping and stock clerks, and of course that touched me upon a
tender spot, and I was all attention.

"Some of our boys used to make the most absurd mistakes," said one
talker; "but the old man was about as bad as any of them. I remember
getting most mighty scared once. I had been entry clerk and shipper
and jack-of-all-trades in the house. One night's mail brought us back
a letter we had mailed, with the notation of the postmaster, 'No such
man here.' Taylor, the boss, took the mail, calling out to the
book-keeper, 'Fague, I guess we've got a mistake on you this time.'
Fague looked at it, saying, 'I don't believe I've made a mistake, but
if I have I must stand it.' The envelope was torn open and the address
on the bill was the same as that on the outside, John Smith, New
Castle, Ind. Then I was sent to the order book, but the order there