"I see!" he said. "That's straight. I see that, Mr. Cheeseman, and thank you for sayin' it. But--well now, see how 'tis at my end. I'm joggin' along the ro'd, see? hossy and me, who so peart, lookin' for trade. Well, here come a little gal; pretty, like as not,--little gals mostly are, and when they ain't you're sorry enough to make it even--and when she sees us she stops, and hossy stops. He knows! wouldn't go on if I told him to. Say she don't speak a word; say she just looks at me kind o' wishful; what would you do? She's a child, and she wants a stick of candy; that's what I'm there for, ain't it, to see that she gets it? Well! and she hasn't got a cent. What would you do? Would you drive off and leave her cryin' in the ro'd behind you?" "I would!" said Mr. Cheeseman firmly. "She'd ought to have got a cent from her Ma, and she'll do it next time if you don't give in now." "Mebbe she has no Ma!" said Calvin gloomily. "Mebbe her Ma's a Tartar." "That ain't your lookout!" retorted Mr. Cheeseman. "Now, friend Parks, it comes to just this. You put this to yourself straight; are you runnin' a candy route, or an orphan asylum?" Calvin was silent, gazing darkly at the pan of cinnamon drops before him. Mr. Cheeseman, having driven his nail home, put away his hammer. "Now about your stock!" he said cheerfully. "You rather run to sticks in your fancy, but if I was you I'd go a mite more into fancy truck Christmas time. Gives 'em a change, and seems more holiday like. Take this lobster loaf, now!" He laid his hand on a huge mass, chocolate-coated, its side displaying strata of red and white. "This is a good article when you strike a large family or a corner store. It's cheap, and it's fillin'. You let me put you up a couple of loaves; what say?" "All right!" said Calvin, still gloomily. "What next?" "Well, here's chicken bones!" and Mr. Cheeseman picked up a handful of short white sticks. "These is good goods; try one!" Calvin crunched a stick. "Chocolate fillin'?" he said. "Yes; with just a dite of peanut butter to give it a twist. Children like 'em; like the name, too; makes 'em think of the turkey that's comin'. Two or three pounds of them? That's right! All the sticks, I s'pose? and all the drops? That's it! I expect you to make your fortune this time, and no mistake. Now we come to gum drops! how about them?" "Well," said Calvin, "I never found gum drops what you'd call real amusin' myself; I like something with a mite more snap to it, don't you?" "Did, when I had teeth like yours!" Mr. Cheeseman replied. "But you take old folks, or folks that's had their teeth out, and say, 'gum drops' to 'em, and they'll run like chickens. They like something soft, you see. How's your route off for teeth?" "Why--I don't know as I've noticed specially!" said Calvin, his brown eyes growing round. "Fust thing a candy man ought to notice! Well, you take a good stock of gum drops, that's my advice. Now come to the animals--what is it, Lonzo?"