I saw how things were shaping, and lost no time in making a new contract with him, which gave me a certain commission, and required him to defray all hotel bills.
I kept up the sale of polish as usual, during the time when we were not selling at auction, and by so doing was steadily gaining ground.
I suggested to Johnny when we first started out that he also sell polish.
He laughed at the idea and said he "didn't have to."
After we had been out a few weeks I asked him one day if he didn't think we had better invoice. He thought we had, and we did so. He seemed less gay after this and showed frequent signs of having the blues.
We could show good sales, but he couldn't show where the money had gone, although he had had the exclusive handling of it himself.
He began to show an inclination to make improvements, but still clung to a few expensive notions, so much so that his expenses far exceeded his profits.
In a few weeks I suggested another inventory, to which he submitted, and was fairly paralyzed at the result.
We then decided to go to Kansas City, Missouri. On our way there Johnny asked me what I thought of going to some nice, quiet boarding-house instead of paying the usual high rates at hotels.
I agreed, and again suggested that he go to selling polish, which he was almost tempted to do, but finally said he guessed he wouldn't yet a while.