"No, sir; not a bit of it. I wouldn't snap my finger for a sure thing. There is no fun, excitement or satisfaction in a sure thing, and worse still, no money in it." "Well, you wouldn't refuse an extra good offer, would you?" "Yes, sir, I think I would." "Do you mean to say that money wouldn't hire you?" "Oh, no. I don't say that." "Well, now just stop to consider, Johnston, how many years you have been working for yourself; and how much are you worth?" "Indeed, Mr. S., I am worth more than you are, to-day." "How so?" "Experience." "Experience? Do you claim that as capital?" "Indeed I do, sir, and worth more than all your store. I have been several years getting ready to make money, while you have been making it before you got ready. I have had too many ups and downs in my early life not to be able to profit by at least some of them sooner or later; and I can't afford now to go to work for you on a salary, and give you the benefit of all these years' experience. Not much, sir, and I'll just keep 'hus'ling.' If I can't win, I can die in the cause." "But the probabilities are, you will never get enough ahead to start a business of your own, and will always keep in the same old rut." "But I am not the 'rutty' kind, Mr. S. Besides, I dislike to work for any one but Johnston." "Well, let's see how much it will take to hire you for a year." "Very well; you mark on a piece of paper how much you will give, and I'll mark how much I'll take." He agreed, and assured me he was going to make me an extra good offer for a new-beginner. When we had both put down our figures we threw our papers on the desk. He had marked six hundred dollars a year and expenses, and I had put down thousand dollars and expenses. I asked, with much astonishment, if he didn't mean thousands, and he, with equal astonishment, asked if I didn't mean hundreds. On my assuring him that I meant just what I had put down, he asked on what basis I figured. I answered, on the basis of having cleared over six hundred dollars the first month, on a capital of fifty dollars' worth of goods and one million dollars' worth of experience. "Great Heavens! have you cleared that much since you commenced?" I convinced him by showing my stock and cash on hand. He said he knew, of course, that I had been selling a great many goods, but he supposed I had done so by cutting prices. I at once made arrangements to start out again. The firm offered me a limited credit of one hundred dollars, which I accepted, realizing that some day I would find it convenient to have some one to refer to in case I should get in shape to begin business for myself. My wife again accompanied me, and we returned to Northern Michigan and began with excellent sales. I delivered all my goods on the spot, and sold exclusively for cash.