Catty looked at him kind of solemn. “I come to talk _business_,” says he, firm but polite. “If you’re figgerin’ on havin’ that barn painted, I’d like to git the chance to bid on the job.” The men laughed again, but this time the man that was in his regular clothes says: “Let me have a word with this kid. He’s got something on his mind, I guess.” The other man nodded. “What makes you think you could paint that barn?” says the man. “Well,” says Catty, “we painted Mr. Manning’s big warehouse, and we done a good, satisfactory job. Mr. Manning said so. I kin refer you to him.” “Who is _we?_,” says the man. “Dad and me—and Jack Phillips. Jack’s a partner now. We calc’late to be engineers, architects, contractors, painters, and interior decorators,” says he. “Is that all?” says the overall man. “Don’t you do plain and fancy cookin’ and crochet lace?” Catty looked at him full in the eye for a minute and then he says, without a smile, “If you kin show me where there’s any money in it for the firm, well tackle it,” says he. “By Jing!” says the man in the clothes, and he leaned forward a little. “Tell me some more. Are you the outside man for the firm? Do you bring in the business?” “I’ve got most of it so far. We started in to do paintin’ and paperhangin’ alone, but the folks in town took a dislike to us and the wimmin got in another painter and paper-hanger that’s underbiddin’ us. We hain’t gettin’ much in that line. There wa’n’t nothin’ for us to do but branch out. So we went into buildin’ and architecture and sich.” “Why didn’t the folks like you?” Catty told him, and the man listened like he was interested. “And you’re going to stick?” he asked. “You figure you can beat public opinion?” Catty’s mouth shut tight a minute and his eyes got bright. “We’ll stick or bust,” says he. “We’re respectable. We hain’t shiftless any more, leastways most of the time we hain’t. Dad has his shiftless days, but they’re gettin’ fewer and fewer, and I keep my eye on him sharp. Pretty soon he’ll be respectable all the way through. We calc’late to give everybody a square deal, and if we kin jest keep on gittin’ work until everybody sees we hain’t tramps, but respectable folks, I don’t see but what we’ll git where I want to git.” “Where’s that?” says the man. “I want Dad should be the most respectable business man in this county,” says Catty. “Did you ever hear the like!” says the man to the boss. “Never did,” says the boss. “That barn’s been needin’ paintin’ for months. Can’t spare the men to do it off the regular work, and couldn’t git anybody in town to tackle it. Just had to let it slide.” “Can you get men to do this job?” asked the boss. “Yes.” “How many?” “As many as Dad thinks is necessary to do it right. Dad he knows his business well.” “Give us a figger, then,” says the boss. Catty thought a minute. “Mister,” says he, “don’t all these buildin’s have to be painted about once a year—inside and out?”