“Does it belong to you?”
“I have an interest in it, but it belongs to Mr. Ames.”
“Is he here much?”
“He usually comes in evenings, but he is interested in mining.”
“You seem to have a good trade.”
“What makes you think so?”
“You have a good stock. You would not keep so many goods unless you had a call for them.”
“Have I ever seen you before?” asked Ernest abruptly, for the idea grew upon him that he and his new customer had met somewhere under peculiar circumstances.
“I don’t know. I don’t remember you,” answered the customer, shrugging his shoulders. “I haven’t been in California long. I suppose you were born here.”
“No; very few of those now living in California were born here. I once lived in Iowa. Were you ever there?”