CHAPTER XLII
JOCK MCTAVISH DISTURBS THE PEACE
How work does pile up on one when he is away from business for a day or two! I was away less than two days; but it took me practically a whole week to get caught up. I suppose that it was because Charlie and I had gone away together.
I had a fine time in Hartford. Fred Barlow was full of ideas. He told me something about a plan that he was then working out for chain garages in connection with hardware stores.
"You're crazy," I told him. "No one has ever done anything like that before."
"Good boy!" he said. "The very fact that no one has ever done it before shows that it has a chance of success. I may have something to say to you about that later on," he said, mysteriously.
We had a very interesting meeting the following Monday. Our Monday evening meetings were certainly valuable, and I wouldn't have discontinued them for anything. It kept the fellows thinking and working in the interests of the business.
The matter for discussion was, "What can we do to boost sales this spring?"
A few days before I had asked old Barlow why he always got the trade for farming implements. His reply had interested me very much. He said:
"I know exactly the uses of all farming implements I sell. I know what kind of soil we have for miles around Farmdale. I know what kind of crops rotate best, and what fertilizer is best for each crop. The result is that I can advise the farmer what to buy, why he should buy it, and how to get the best results from using it."
"You must be a regular farmer yourself," I had exclaimed with surprise. "When did you learn farming?"