She gave me to distinctly understand that Mr. Keefer would sign no more notes nor loan me a dollar in money thereafter. Mr. Keefer held a note of fifty dollars against a man, not yet due, which he handed to me that same morning, saying if I could use it I could have it. A young in our village had just patented an invention for closing gates and doors. He offered me the right for the State of Illinois for this note, which I readily accepted. In a few days I traded my right in this patent for six counties in Michigan and Indiana in a patent pruning shears, an old buck sheep, a knitting machine, an old dulcimer, a shot-gun and a watch. I traded all of the truck except the watch, for an old gray mare. Then commenced a business of trading horses and watches. In this I was quite successful during the summer and fall. I had paid my board and clothed myself comfortably, and was the owner of a horse which I had refused a large sum for, besides an elegant watch which I valued highly. My mother said it was a regular starved-to-death business. Mr. Keefer said he knew I would make it win. CHAPTER V. SWINDLED OUT OF A HORSE AND WATCH--MORE HELP FROM MR. KEEFER--HOW I GOT EVEN IN THE WATCH TRADE--MY PATENT RIGHT TRIP TO MICHIGAN AND INDIANA--ITS RESULTS--HOW A WOULD-BE SHARPER GOT COME UP WITH. One day as I was passing the house of a neighboring farmer he came out and hailed me. "How's business?" he asked. "O, first-class," I answered. "Don't you want to trade your horse and watch for a very fine gold watch?" he asked, confidentially. "Why, I don't know." "Well," he remarked, "I have owned such a watch for three years, and have no use for one of so much value. A cheaper one will do me just as well, and I am ready to give you a good trade." I entered the house with him, and he said: "Wife, bring me that gold watch from the other room." "All right," she said, and brought the watch and handed it to me, saying as she did so, "I have been in constant fear for three years of having that watch stolen from us, and I hope my husband will trade it off, and relieve me of so much anxiety." I took it, examined it and discovered a small rusty spot in the inside of one of the cases. I called their attention to it and said, "I don't really like the looks of that spot." "Well, sir," said he, "if you don't like the looks of that rusty spot, just leave it right where it is. But if you like it well enough to give me your horse and watch and chain for it, all right. If not, there will be no harm done." His independence caught me, I traded at once. I walked back home with much pride, and showed my new watch to the folks. My mother looked at it suspiciously and said, in rather a sneering tone, "Why, it looks like a cheap brass watch, and I believe it is."