"Mr. Black, if either of the maids or the chauffeur come here for goods, please don't deliver anything unless they have a written order. I have decided to stop trading with Mr. Stigler, because I think his bills are too high. Do you think Mr. Stigler is a fair man?" still with her hand on the doorknob. Fancy asking me that question! As though I could possibly do justice to my feelings about Stigler in the presence of a lady. I was about to say, in the politest manner possible, that I thought him the dirtiest, meanest hound in the town, when I caught Larsen shaking his head, with a warning look in his eye, and then I realized the folly of what I had been about to do. "I think Mr. Stigler is a pretty good man, so far as I know," I said, "but, of course, we don't see much of each other." "I understand you fight each other a lot?" she asked. "Oh, no, not at all." "Mr. Stigler seemed quite provoked about you. I was telling my husband about it." "What did he say?" I asked with a smile. "He said that, when a man disparaged his competitor, he preferred to trade with the competitor!" With that she left the store. I think she wanted to convey to me, without directly telling me so, that that was partly the reason she had decided not to trade with Stigler any more! And to think of the fool I was about to make of myself! When you come to think of it, it _is_ bad business to speak ill of your competitor. Fortunately, I learned that lesson without having to pay for it. Betty and I went to New York on a Sunday, slept there Sunday night, and the first thing Monday morning, at Betty's suggestion, we went up to the office of _Hardware Times_. There we found Mr. Sirle. He was a wonder, that man. He knew my name right off, for he came right up and shook hands with me, saying: "Is this Mrs. Black?" whereupon I introduced him to Betty. Some pleasantries followed, and he led us into his office. "Well," said Mr. Sirle, "are you in New York on business, or is this just a pleasure trip?" "It's supposed to be a business trip," I replied. "I see," he returned, "a business trip with a little pleasure on the side." "Yes," said I, "in spite of having brought the wife with me." "Shall I throw him out of the window?" said Mr. Sirle, turning to Betty. "Not this time," she said, "I think your office is too high up." I told Mr. Sirle the object of the trip, and asked him if he could recommend the house to which Hersom had given me a letter of introduction, and he said yes, it was a good house to do business with. "Are you going down there right away?" he asked. I told him yes, whereupon he picked up the 'phone, gave a number, and asked, "Is this Plunkett?" Plunkett, it seemed was the manager of Fiske & Co., the toy firm to which I was going. Mr. Sirle seemed to know everybody. It must be fine to be known and liked by everybody as he was.