A great many of the people would put me off until I came around again. With a general line of books I could use the closing out racket or the fire sale dodge. With encyclopedias I had a different story, explaining, perhaps, that this would be my last trip under present conditions. Before I could come again the international copyright law would go into effect. The last congress had passed a law whereby a copyright in another country held good in this, and when the law began to operate there would be a cash royalty of sixty per cent. to be paid on all copyrighted works. We had thirty thousand sets on hand and to avoid this large outlay on royalty we were going to unload a large portion at the mere cost of production, and by taking advantage of my offer now there would be a saving of one hundred per cent. This was always safe, because the international copyright law has been talked of for a hundred years, and today not one man in a thousand has any accurate knowledge of what the law amounts to, or how it affects the publishing business. Alertness once got me an order for the most expensive and finest edition of the Banner encyclopedia. I approached a Mexican gentleman of education and wealth, but his manner was such that I had little hope. Incidentally, I asked his name. It happened to be the same as that of a noble Mexican general, whose biography was given in the book. I called his attention to the fact, and suggested that they were branches from the same family tree. Perhaps they were. At any rate he thought so and ordered a set with an eye to having the recorded history of his genealogy. So much for knowing what was in the books I sold. [Illustration] ------------------------------------------------------------------------ CHAPTER XVIII. REBUFFS AND INSULTS—THE LAWYER, THE DOCTOR AND THE COON—AVOIDING A LICENSE—WORKING THE CITY MARSHAL—JOKES WITH THE MILLINER—BANKING TWELVE THOUSAND DOLLARS. I do not care how careful and polite a man may be, he is always bound to meet with occasional insults. I found the three classes who were most apt to be insulting were those who were in straightened circumstances, those jealous of the prosperity of another, and those who were by nature rude and devoid of average sense. I always tried to confine my calls to the better class of people, and for that reason met with few insults, though I would occasionally drift into the wrong channels. Sometimes I gave as good as I got, and if I stretched the truth a little my conscience did not smite me so long as I felt I had gotten fairly even. Once I dropped in on an attorney, who was actually doing nothing but smoking a cigar and reading a paper covered novel. After I had introduced myself and was stating my business he said bearishly: “No, I don’t want your books.” “But—” said I.