meet him again under different auspices.

He looked at me as if he expected to be pestered in some new spot, but
I put him at rest by saying I had a little time to lounge and thought
I could do it there. At this he dropped some of his frowns and began
to be sociable. We talked until I was sure it was long after his
shutting-up time, so I bade him good night, saying I was going off in
the night.

"Don't you ever drink a glass of beer or wine?" he asked.

"Try me!"

"All right; let us lock up and go down the street a block."




CHAPTER XIV.


I think a merchant who does not want to buy usually feels uneasy to
have a traveling man about the store. He keeps up all the barriers
that he can, so that he shall not be led farther than he intends to
go. If he becomes very friendly it may be all the harder for him to
say "no" by and by, so he keeps up an uncomfortable stiffness and is
glad to see the salesman go. I have seen this, or thought I saw it,
often and often in my own case. I could not get the dealer to be
friendly with me while I was in his store, but perhaps I met him in
the hotel and found him cordial and sociable.