"The last cambrics were billed half a cent too high," said Solomon.

"Then you shouldn't have ordered them. The time to make prices is when
you are buying. We have a price for every article in our stock; if you
ask it we will give it to you, and then you are at liberty to order or
not, as you think best; but if you send us an order for cambrics and
say nothing about the price you have no right to express them back to
us because our price happens to be different from what you expected.
You could have learned our price before ordering, and not having done
so, you ought to be man enough to stand to your own action."

"You claim to sell as low as any one, don't you?"

"We do, and are ready to quote our prices so they can be compared with
others when called upon to do so. But we all cut occasionally for
reasons of our own, and I prefer to make prices when selling goods,
not after they are delivered. Some time ago you returned by express a
few trinkets. You knew that Mr. Goodnow would be at your place in a
short time, and you might easily have waited until seeing him before
returning the goods, but you evidently thought you were punishing us
and showing your grit by rushing them back by express. I assure you it
does not add to your reputation as a business man. I thought I would
mention these points to you because they are important in our
relations, and unless the men you buy from feel pleasantly towards you
there is every reason to suppose that you will be the loser."

"I guess I can buy all the goods I want," said Solomon; "I've not been
troubled that way yet." And he walked off, with a surly "Good day."

He had never bought but one bill of the other dry goods house, and did