Fayette County herald. [volume] (Washington [Washington Court House], Fayette County, O. [Ohio]) 1860-1???, 1870-04-14
A MYSTERIOUS VISIT.
rFrom the Buffalo Express.

ment. ! said had never heard o.
his branch of business before, but
/ was very glad to see him, all thu
samc-would he sit DOWN. He
sat down. / did not know any
thing particular to say, and yet
felt that people who have arrived
at the dignity of keep.house mus
be conversational, must be easy
and sociable in company SO in
default Of anything else to say,
asked him if he was opening his
shop in our neighborhood.
He said he was did notwish
to appear ignorant, but had hoped
he would mention what he had for
sale.
ventured to ask him show was
trade ?" and he said 80 So"
/ then said we would drop in,
and if we liked it as well as any
other, we would give him our Gus
tom.
He said he thought we would
like his establishment well enough
to confne ourselves to it-said he
never saw anybody who would go
off and hunt up another man in his
line after trading with him once.
That sounded pretty complacent,
but barring that natural expression
of villainy which we all have, the
man looked honest enough.
| do not know how it came about,
exactly, but gradually we appeared
to melt down and run together,con
versationally speaking, and then
everything went along as comfort
ably as clock work.
We talked, and talked, and talk
ed-at least | did. And we laugh
ed, and laughed, and laughed-at
least | did. But all the time had
my presence of mind about mel
had my native shrewdness turned
on, "full head,' as the engineers
say. / was determined to find out
all about his business, in spite Of
his obscure answers-and was de
termined | would have it out of
him without his suspecting what l
was at. l meant to trap him with a
deep, deep ruse. | would tell him
all about my own business, ana he
would so naturally warm to me du-
ring this seductive burst Of conf
dence that he would forget himself
and tell me all about his affairs be-
fore he suspected what l was about.
| thought to myself, my son, you
little know what an old fox you are
dealing with" | said:
Now, you never would guess
what | made lecturiug this winter
and last spring"
"No-don't believe l could. to
save me. Let me see-let me see.
About two thousand dollars, may
be? But mono, sir, l know you
couldn't have made that much
Say seventeen hundred, maybe y
"Ha-ha! | knew you couldn't,
My lecturing receipts for last
spring and this winter were four
teen thousand seven hundred and
fifty dollars what do you think of
that ?"
"Why it is amOzing-perfectly
amazing, ! will make a note Of it.
And you say even this wasn't all2'
"Ah? Why, bless you, there
was my income from the Buffalo
Express for four months-about-
about-well, what should you say
to about eight thousand dollars,
for instance? ?"
Say! Why, I should say |
should like to see myself rolling in
Just such another ocean Of iuau
ence. Eight thousand! I'll make
a note of it. Why, man l-and on
top of all this | am to understand
that You had still more income p
"Ha-ha ha! Why, you're only
in the suberbs of it, 80 to speak
There's my book, "The Iunooents
Abroad"-price $3.50 to $500, ac
cording to the binding, Listen to
me Look me in the"eFe. During
the last foul months and half,
saying nothing OF sales before that
but just simply during the four
months and half ending March |
Is, 1870, we've sold ninety-fye
thousand copies of that book
Ninety five thousand! Think of.
it! Average four dollars copy,
say It's nearly four hundred
thousand dollars, my son. l get
halfm
"The suffering Mosesl I'll set
that down. Fourteen, seven fifty
eight-two hundred Total, say
well, upon my word, the grand to-
tai is about two hundred and thir-
teen or fourteen thousand dollars. |
Is that possible ?" -''
''Possiblel If there's any mis-
take it's the other way. Two hun
dred and fourteen thousand cash,
is my income for this year, if I
know how to cipher.
Then the gentleman got up to
90. 1t came over me most un-
comfortably that maybe ! had made
nv revelations for nothing, besides
being flattered into stretching them
considerably by the strangers as
tonished EXPLANATIONS. But, no;
at the last moment the gentleman
handed me large envelope and
said it contained his advertisement;
and that would find out all about
his business in it; and that lie