"I thought you weren't particular about the match," said the salesman. "You said you didn't care for the quality of the goods, and you know you can't match goods without you take into consideration quality and color both. If you want that quality of goods in red, you ought to get Turkey red." I did not think it necessary to answer this remark, but said: "Then you've got nothing to match this?" "No, sir. But perhaps they may have it in the upholstery department, in the sixth story." So I got in the elevator and went up to the top of the house. "Have you any red stuff like this?" I said to a young man. "Red stuff? Upholstery department--other end of this floor." I went to the other end of the floor. "I want some red calico," I said to a man. "Furniture goods?" he asked. "Yes," said I. "Fourth counter to the left." I went to the fourth counter to the left, and showed my sample to a salesman. He looked at it, and said: "You'll get this down on the first floor--calico department." I turned on my heel, descended in the elevator, and went out on the street. I was thoroughly sick of red calico. But I determined to make one more trial. My wife had bought her red calico not long before, and there must be some to be had somewhere. I ought to have asked her where she obtained it, but I thought a simple little thing like that could be bought anywhere. I went into another large dry-goods store. As I entered the door a sudden tremor seized me. I could not bear to take out that piece of red calico. If I had had any other kind of a rag about me--a pen-wiper or anything of the sort--I think I would have asked them if they could match that. But I stepped up to a young woman and presented my sample, with the usual question. "Back room, counter on the left," she said. I went there. "Have you any red calico like this?" I asked of the saleswoman behind the counter. "No, sir," she said, "but we have it in Turkey red." Turkey red again! I surrendered. "All right," I said, "give me Turkey red." "How much, sir?" she asked. "I don't know--say five yards." She looked at me rather strangely, but measured off five yards of Turkey-red calico. Then she rapped on the counter and called out "Cash!" A little girl, with yellow hair in two long plaits, came slowly up. The lady wrote the number of yards, the name of the goods, her own number, the price, the amount of the bank-note I handed her, and some other matters, probably the color of my eyes and the direction and velocity of the wind, on a slip of paper. She then copied all this into a little book which she kept by her. Then she handed the slip of paper, the money, and the Turkey red to the yellow-haired girl. This young person copied the slip into a little book she carried, and then she went away with the calico, the paper slip, and the money.