I had less opportunity for my side lines, but as I was a limited partner in the concern I did not complain. The profits of any one particular evening might not be as large as in the medicine trade, but the general average was about as good, and the methods of drawing and holding a crowd were about the same. It was while we were engaged in this venture that I struck almost, if not altogether, the most exciting period of my life. The doctor and I fought the two thousand inhabitants of Logwater to a finish—and won. The war came about in this way. We drove into the town prepared to sell goods from the wagon, and had every reason to expect a prosperous week or more. The merchants, however, got wind of our coming, and at once were rebellious. In anticipation they already saw themselves knocked out by the traveling fakirs, and got their heads together to devise measures for putting a stop to the performance. As they had much political influence, and several of them were members of the body, a meeting of the city council was called double quick and an ordinance passed, raising the license for street selling from three dollars, as it had been, to one hundred dollars a day. As it was not likely our profits could reach such a sum, we decided we could not stand the tax, and therefore rented a store-room. We then took out a license, hired the local cryer to assist, and proceeded to sell goods at auction, doing a rattling good business the first night. This made the merchants madder than ever. Again the council was called together and a special ordinance was passed, in which our business was called that of a traveling auction store, and it was also made subject to a license of one hundred dollars a day. This time they had us surely. We could not stand an expense of that kind, on top of our other outlays, and had to close up. But I told them, when the marshal called to announce the action of the council, that they were not done with us, but that sooner or later we would get even. And I guess we did, and in a way they will never forget. At that time the town had no railroad, but in anticipation of getting one quite a little boom was being worked up. They had a proposition from the U. & L. R. R., which offered, in consideration of a bonus of four thousand dollars per mile, to lay its rails to Logwater, and fifteen miles beyond, to a railroad town, on the other side.