He
descended the two shallow stone steps that led from the sidewalk, and
addressed without hesitation the object of his designed munificence. His
first words were no worse than salutatory and tentative.
James Turner looked up coldly, with "Sartor Resartus" in one hand and
"A Mad Marriage" in the other.
"Beat it," said he. "I don't want to buy any coat hangers or town lots
in Hankipoo, New Jersey. Run along, now, and play with your Teddy bear."
"Young man," said the caliph, ignoring the flippancy of the hat cleaner,
"I observe that you are of a studious disposition. Learning is one of
the finest things in the world. I never had any of it worth mentioning,
but I admire to see it in others. I come from the West, where we imagine
nothing but facts. Maybe I couldn't understand the poetry and allusions
in them books you are picking over, but I like to see somebody else seem
to know what they mean. I'm worth about $40,000,000, and I'm getting
richer every day. I made the height of it manufacturing Aunt Patty's
Silver Soap. I invented the art of making it. I experimented for three
years before I got just the right quantity of chloride of sodium
solution and caustic potash mixture to curdle properly.
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