But when he heard that the whole thing was already settled, he closed up like a spring trap which made the Firm think he knew even less than he did about anything. At that he was wise for he had nothing to gain and would only have got the brilliant new Foreign Representative sore at him at the getaway instead of later on which is the customary time for Foreign Travellers to plot for the destruction of Hon. Directors of Exports. So all he did was to take orders as to the quantity of Domestic catalogues and Price Lists that the Intruder wanted sent to him at London. * * * * * Eight months have elapsed. Or make it eighteen. No news will come from the front anyway. For the catalogues that were sent to London were thrown in the Dump long, long ago, and the great Trade Getter has never sent in one single, solitary, stingy order. Long thrilling Reports that had about them the peculiar metallic ring of the Generality-Report, just as though each of the ten manufacturing suckers had received an exact copy, were received every month for a few months. Then about the fifth month they began to shrink in size and promise. About the seventh month, Dear Firm got merely a post card. It was a picture of the Moulin Rouge, and merely wished them a Merry Xmas. After that they received regularly each month nothing more than a sharp twinge in the big toe. One aromatic Spring morning as they were all sitting together in tooth-picking complacency talking about things in general, a bright young man with a tweed suit and a Strand W. waistcoat flared into the General Office and announced that he was about to go Abroad in the interest of a group of American Manufacturers and— Author’s Note:—The finish of this story will be written in a country churchyard. * * * * * Transcriber’s Notes: Obvious punctuation errors repaired. Dedication page, the word “BRETHERN” was retained as printed due to the great amount of comic dialect used in the text. With the exception of proper names as noted and the one instance of “occasionaly” printing was retained. This includes things like “stationary” for writing paper, “accomodation,” etc. To avoid redundancy for the reader, repeated story titles have been removed. Originally, each was titled across two pages as: HOT SKETCH NO. 24 THE EXPORT GROUP GRAFTER THE EXPORT GROUP GRAFTER Page 66, “today” changed to “Today” (_The Lesson for Today:_ He who serves) Page 85, “Whifflles” changed to “Whiffles” twice (THE Whiffles did not) (The Whiffles had a) Page 109, “Wilyums” changed to “Willyums” (Whereupon Mrs. Willyums) Page 153, “occasionaly” changed to “occasionally” (will occasionally find) End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Dumbells of Business, by Proff. O. U. Bojack (Bus. Doc.)