I happened to mention to him that I went to Boston quite often. He asked me if I knew Barker, the hardware man there. "Quite a big man in the hardware trade," said he. "You ought to meet him. Here," and he wrote me a card of introduction, "next time you go to Boston, drop in and see him. If you ever get into any difficulty he's just the man to help you." And then, having in the most matter-of-fact manner given me an introduction to one of the biggest live wires in the trade, he turned around and sauntered out of the store. CHAPTER XIV SOME IDEAS IN BUYING Isn't it astonishing how easy it is to do things wrong! A salesman came in one morning from the Cincinnati Pencil Sharpener Company to offer me the local agency for the firm's pencil pointers. He walked into the store with what I said to myself was a silly grin, but Larsen, when we were talking the matter over afterward, said he looked a jolly, good-natured fellow, so perhaps it was just my nerves twisting things around. I was just going over my stock of butt hinges when he came in. I was feeling disappointed because our stock was lower than I had thought it was, since I was getting so that I positively hated to buy! Well, I looked up at him and snapped: "What do you want?" "Good afternoon, Mr. Black," he replied. "I represent the Cincinnati Pencil Sharpener Company, and I want--" Here I broke in testily: "I'm too busy now. Besides, we're not in the stationery line. You want to go to a stationer with that thing. . . . Well," I said angrily, as he made no attempt to go, "if there is anything else you want to say, please say it quickly; if not, you will have to excuse me, because I am really too busy to waste time with drummers to-day." "Excuse me, Mr. Black," he returned a little hotly, "I am not a drummer--I am a salesman. I came to talk with you about giving you a special agency, but it is evident that in your present frame of mind I would only be wasting my time. I will come back later." With that he walked out of the store. I certainly felt mad! I could have chewed ten-penny nails! "Did you ever hear such impudence?" I cried to Larsen. Larsen looked up with that queer little expression on his face that I had come to recognize as preceding something that disagreed with me, and said: "Impudence by who, Boss?" "By him, of course! I'm the Boss here, and, if there is any kow-towing to be done, he's the fellow to do it!" Larsen didn't say another word, but shook his head. "Larsen," said I testily, "you seem to take delight in pointing out flaws in my management!" Again I saw that queer expression come into his face. "_Management_," I cried, "not mismanagement! What was wrong with what I did just now?" Larsen did sometimes make me mad, but I usually found on thinking things over that he was very logical in his reasoning. I had learned a lot from him and I had come to depend on him a good deal, and he had got me so that he was quite free with me.