The first town I visited on this trip was Oconto, Wisconsin, which I reached the following morning; and before nine o'clock I had made a cash sale of one hundred and fifty dollars, and went immediately to the express office and remitted it to the house. And as business was brisk I remitted from one to three hundred dollars per day to them. In a few days I received a letter from Mr. S. offering me a credit of two or three thousand dollars, if I needed it.
I congratulated myself, and no one else, for this much-needed and desirable credit, realizing that had I let him have his way I would have been ten years gaining his confidence to this extent.
I now began to "turn myself loose," and with my nice line of goods there was no such thing as failure. I found it as easy to make a hundred dollars now, as one dollar at any previous time in my life. I visited Chicago often to buy new stock.
While speaking of Mr. Streicher (pronounced Striker), a little incident connected with his name occurred about this time, which may prove interesting to the reader.
He was about to make a trip to New York, and as Albert and myself were contemplating a visit home we concluded to accompany him that far on his journey. My folks had often heard us speak of the gentleman, so when we arrived at Toledo, Albert said he would telegraph them to meet us at the depot, as they would no doubt be glad to see him. He therefore sent a message as follows: "Meet us at the noon train with Streicher."
The telegraph operator at Clyde "bulled" the message, and copied it, "Meet us at the noon train with stretcher."
It so happened that I met some friends at Toledo who persuaded me to remain there till the next day. Albert and Mr. Streicher went on, and when they alighted from the train at Clyde the platform was packed with people. It being Sunday, every one had turned out. The undertaker, Mr. Terry, with his ambulance, and a stretcher placed on the platform near where the express car usually stopped, Mr. Keefer and my half-sisters greatly agitated, and my mother crying, as Albert and Mr. S. approached them, both wondering at the unusual excitement.
"Where is Perry? What has happened to Perry? Is he dead, or only hurt?"
These inquiries were made hurriedly, and when informed that nothing had happened they asked why he had telegraphed for a stretcher.