UNDESIRABLE CUSTOMERS.
Among their customers they numbered a great many fire laddies, and
these they made it a point to treat extra well, selling them goods at
almost cost. As a consequence the firemen told their friends, and by
eight o'clock that evening the store was packed.
"This is going to be the banner day after all," whispered Andy, just
after making several good sales. "I believe we can keep things moving
until midnight."
They found a great demand for pocket-knives and cheap jewelry, and by
playing on the instruments they sold over three dozen mouth harmonicas
and three accordions. Then Andy and Matt gave a duet on the violin and
banjo, and as a consequence, sold both of the instruments they had
handled.
The music had attracted even a greater crowd, and among the people
were four tall and rather ugly-looking colored men. They shoved their
way forward rudely, causing some timid customers to leave in a hurry,
and then began to laugh and joke among themselves in a loud and coarse
manner.
"I am afraid we are going to have trouble with those chaps," whispered
Matt to his partner. "They have been drinking, and they are out for a
lark."
"That's my idea, too," returned Andy. "We must watch them closely."
For a few minutes the young auctioneers paid no attention to the four
negroes, excepting to see that they did not take up something without
laying it down again. The fellows moved around through the crowd, and
at length two of them leaned up heavily against one of the show-cases
which belonged to the store fixtures.
The combined weight of the two men was too much for the top glass of
the case, and with a sharp crack it broke into half a dozen pieces.
"Hullo! dat glass dun gone and got broke!" cried one of the negroes.
"I wonder how dat happened?"
"You broke that glass!" exclaimed Matt sharply. "You and your
companion."
"Me?" returned the offender in pretended surprise.
"Yes, you--and your friend."
"Dat ain't so at all, boss! We didn't touch dat yere glass. Did we,
Jeff?"
"'Deed we didn't, Tooker."
"We didn't come in here to do no kind ob damage, boss."
"Never mind what you came in for," returned Matt. "You broke the glass
and you will have to pay for it."
At the young auctioneer's statement the faces of all four of the
colored men took on a savage look. They had drifted in to do pretty
much as they pleased, and had not expected to meet with such strong
and sudden opposition.
"I won't pay for nuffin!" growled the ringleader of the quartet. "I
dun reckon somebody else in the crowd broke the glass."
"Cos da did," replied another of the colored men. "Maybe yo' think yo'
kin lay it on us just because we is colored, hey?"
"Not at all; a colored man can be as much of a gentleman as any
one--if he wishes to be," put in Andy.
"Do youse mean to insinuate dat we ain't gen'men?" questioned one of
the crowd roughly.
"You are not gentlemen when you break glass and refuse to pay for it,"
returned Andy. "That glass is worth at least a dollar, and unless it
is paid for, somebody will be handed over to the police."
"Huh! do yo' fink yo' kin scare us, boss?"
"Yo' say another word an' we'll do up de hull place!"
"We is as good as any white trash, remember dat!"
In the meantime one of the colored men slid his hand into the
show-case which had been damaged, and essayed to grab a small box of
watch-chains which rested close by. Matt saw the movement, slick as it
was, just in time, and springing forward he caught the colored man by
the arm.
"Drop that box!" he cried sternly.
"Oh, I wasn't gwine to take de box," returned the would-be offender.
"I was jess gwine to look at yo' stock. How much is dem chains
worth?"
"I am not selling chains to you to-night," returned Matt.
He had hardly spoken when Andy leaned over his shoulder and whispered
into his ear:
"Talk to them for a few minutes, and I'll slip out and notify the
police. Treat them well until I get back."
And the next instant Matt's partner had disappeared into the crowd,
without any of the colored men noticing his departure.
"Yo' don't want to sell me any chain?" repeated the colored man.
"Not to-night."
"Why not?"
"This isn't chain night. I'm selling harmonicas and banjos."
"Well, let's see some banjos den," put in another of the negroes, and
he winked at his companions, thinking that Matt had become too scared
to refer to the broken show-case again.
"All right, but I don't want any more show-cases broken," returned the
young auctioneer.
He took a banjo from one of the cases and began to tune it up slowly.
"Kin yo' play us a jig?" asked one of the colored men, while the white
people in the place looked on in wonder at the turn affairs had
taken.
"Oh, yes, I can play a jig," returned Matt coolly.
"Den give us one now."
"You will have to wait until I am done tuning up, gentlemen."
"All right, we'll wait."
Matt tuned up more slowly than ever, and even allowed one of the
strings to break that he might gain an extra minute in repairing the
damage. At last, after fully five minutes had passed, the banjo was
in order for use, and the young auctioneer struck off a few chords.
"Now give us dat jig if yo' kin play it," said the colored man
impatiently. He was the same who had tried to steal the box of
chains.
"I won't play a jig until you and your companion pay for the glass you
broke," returned Matt shortly, and he laid down the instrument
abruptly, and folded his arms.
"Wot?" roared the colored men in concert.
"You heard what I said."
"See here; do yo' want us to smash de hull place?" demanded the
ringleader of the disturbers.
"I don't think you'll smash anything more," replied Matt.
"I won't, hey? We'll see!"
The colored man made a movement as if to strike the young auctioneer
in the face. But before the blow could land he was hauled back by a
strong arm. He and his companions looked around and found themselves
confronted by two policemen whom Andy had fortunately met upon the
corner below.
The two colored men who had kept somewhat in the background at once
sneaked through the crowd and escaped through the open doorway. The
other two, the ones who had done the damage, were held by the
policemen, much to their discomfiture.
A lively talk followed, and then upon payment for the damage done, the
colored men were allowed to go, first being warned by Matt and Andy
not to show themselves in the store again. Had they not paid up they
would have been arrested.
After this scene was ended one of the policemen remained in the
vicinity of the place for all the while the store remained open. But
nothing more occurred to disturb the auction sales.
Business in Easton was so good that they remained there until Tuesday
of the following week. During that time they took in nearly two
hundred dollars, leaving them a profit, after all expenses were met,
of forty-five dollars.
On Saturday morning Matt and Andy were called to Belvidere, the county
seat, to testify against Barberry for the robbery at Phillipsburg.
Strange to say, Barberry pleaded guilty, so the two boys had no
trouble in the way of being detained as witnesses against him. The
corn salve doctor was held for sentence.
After leaving Easton Matt and Andy struck out for Bethlehem and
Allentown. The weather was now growing gradually colder, but they
calculated that they would have at least a month of weather which
would be fit to travel in, even in this mountainous country.
"At Allentown we can stop long enough for me to take a trip to
Philadelphia and buy goods," remarked Andy as they were driving out of
Easton.
"Just as you say," returned Matt. "I am glad we have to stock up so
often, and I am looking forward to the time when it will be necessary
for us to buy a larger wagon and get another horse to put beside
Billy."
"It will hardly pay us to buy another horse this fall. You must
remember that we are to locate in some place during the winter. I have
no desire to move around much when the thermometer is below the
freezing point."
They were soon on the outskirts of Easton, and then they struck a
rather rough road leading over numerous hills and around jagged
rocks.
"By jinks! I believe we have missed the way," remarked Matt, as at
last he brought Billy to a standstill. "That stable-keeper said the
road was a good one, and I fail to find this so."
"We'll stop at the next house and find out," returned Andy. "Do you
see any place in sight?"
"There is a cottage down in the hollow yonder. Stay here with Billy,
and I'll ask the way there."
Matt sprang from the wagon and was soon hurrying across a barren bit
of pasture land that led down to a brook which was all but dried up.
The cottage stood upon the bank of the brook, and walking up to it,
the young auctioneer rapped upon the door.
There was an exclamation of surprise from within, and then he was
asked to enter. He did so, and was greatly vexed to find himself in
the presence of three of the colored men who had created the
disturbance in the store but a few nights before!