"About twenty-four thousand automobiles altogether come in and out of Farmdale during the summer season. If only ten per cent. of those people stopped here for gasoline, and bought an average of ten gallons each, there would have been sold 23,570 gallons of gasoline. Suppose there was only a profit of three cents a gallon on that, it would have meant net income of $707.10. Now I think that figure could probably be multiplied by three, although, of course, I don't know how many stopped here, and how much gas they bought. We have only two garages in this town. One is a fairly good one, Martin's, and the other, Joe Sneider's--well, I'd sooner trust my car, if I had one, to Stigler than to Joe Sneider." It was a fact that Sneider had a very bad reputation around town. Indeed, they called him the legalized robber. "So we may say," continued Barlow, "that there is only one real garage in town. There are eighty-four automobiles registered in this town, but we are near enough to Harton for many of our people to go there for all repairs. You see, the makers have agencies there, and that is one reason why they go there for all car adjustments and new parts. The other reason is that Martin has more work than he can possibly take care of." "Say," I broke in impetuously, "are you thinking of opening a garage?" "Not by any means," laughed Barlow, "but you're situated in one end of the town, and I am at the other. People coming in or out of town have to pass both our stores. I have had a very good contract offered me for Starling gasoline; but I don't think I could sell all they want me to take. Now, how would you like to sell gasoline and join me in this contract?" "But, Mr. Barlow, I'm a hardware man--I'm not--" and then I stopped, remembering how old Larsen felt at that attitude and how he jeered at the tendency of all-too-many hardware men to let drug stores and department stores sell legitimate hardware lines, and do nothing but retaliate; and so I finished "but I'm not averse to adding to my line, if I can see a profit in it." Barlow noticed the change in thought and smiled. "You think it over to-morrow; and if you would like to join me in it, why I don't see why we shouldn't both make some money out of it." Then I remembered the state of my bank account. It reminded me of the story of the man who complained that some one had broken into his house and stolen his over-draft. "I'm very sorry, sir, but I haven't the money to do it." "If you had the money, you think you would like to do it?" "Why, yes, it looks good to me on those figures you state." "Well, suppose I were to buy all the stock, and pay for it, and then charge it up to you at half a cent a gallon profit, and then let you pay me each week for what you have sold. You would perhaps be interested in buying it?" "Yes, indeed. But frankly, Mr. Barlow, I can't see why you would want to do that."