“John, who has bought the saddle?”
“I’m sure I don’t know, sir,” said the foreman, scratching his head as if he were trying to think. “I cannot tell, and the worst part of it is, it hasn’t been paid for. While I was at work in the back of the shop a gentleman came in, priced it, decided to take it, told me to charge it, and throwing it into his trap, drove off, before I could think to ask his name.”
“That was very stupid of you,” said the harness-maker, disposed to be angry at the man’s carelessness. “Very likely we have been robbed.”
“I don’t think that sir,” said the foreman, “for I’m very sure that the gentleman has traded here before.”
“Well, I can’t afford to lose the money,” said the harness-maker. “We’ll have to find out who took it and send him the bill. Ah!” he added, with a smile, after a moment’s reflection, “I have it. We’ll charge it up to the account of every one of our customers who keep open accounts here. Those who didn’t get it will refuse to pay, so we shall be all right.”
“The book-keeper was instructed to do this, and the bills in due course of time went out. Some weeks later the harness-maker asked the book-keeper if he had succeeded in discovering who the customer was.
“No, sir,” he replied, “and we never shall, I fear, sir, for about 40 people have paid for it already without saying a word.”
A CYCLE CATCH.
