become a burden to him, and if that honest hardware man had been dead
long I didn't blame the boy for getting tired of him.

Mr. Tucker had been studiously keeping his back toward me, as if I was
to expect no encouragement from him, but he turned when I spoke his
name and I introduced myself.

"Don't need anything in your line," said he, as if he wished I would
accept that as a final verdict and get out.

What would you have done, respected reader, if you had been in my
place? I would gladly have said "good-day," and gone at once if it
were not for the fact that my present business was to get orders, and
the only way to secure them was to work for them. So I ignored Mr.
Tucker's ill-timed remark and proceeded to be sociable.

I explained as pleasantly as I could why it was our house was sending
out a new man. I got him interested enough to ask a question or two,
which was a point gained, and finally I came round to his stock, but I
carefully ignored guns and talked of nails; something I knew nothing
about.

Don't you know you can pay no one a higher compliment than to place
him in the position of a teacher to you? I picked that idea up
somewhere, and I put it in practice by asking Mr. Tucker for
information as to hardware and hardware houses. He was soon talking
warmly and as if he was enjoying himself, and I was wondering when
would be a good time to get guns started, when a little boy came to
the door and shouted: "Pa! ma wants you to come home a minute, just as
soon as you can!"