intrinsic values, and also by means of an agreeable mode of showing them off. The house had a large patronage in the city as well as from all parts of the State. By degrees I advanced and became familiar with the whole business, and my sales were footing up well, which gave satisfaction to my employers, and consequently my salary was advanced, that being a very important point to me.

The following incident occurred to a Colonel Jos. Weisiger, who was a fellow clerk in the house of Parker, Nimms & Co.; he was a very genial man, and had been the husband of the daughter of a wealthy planter, Colonel Bolling, who had settled on his daughter a handsome endowment at the time of her marriage, devising all the property at her death to the children by the marriage; so that when she died a few years later not a single dollar fell to the husband and he was then thrown out upon his own resources for his living. Under such circumstances, he applied to the firm of Parker, Nimms & Co. for a position as salesman and he was given one. He was at the time waiting on a widow, Mrs. S——, whose deceased husband had left her a fine estate, on the condition of her not again taking unto herself a help-mate, in which latter case all of the property should go to her children by her former husband. She hesitated some time before again marrying the Colonel, the meanwhile became very attentive to her, visiting her frequently, and as she was very fond of peanuts he bought a nice lot of roasted ones, tied them up nicely in a box, and placed them, as he thought, in a perfectly safe spot; when another clerk and I slyly opened the package, took out the “goobers,” and replaced them with paper and saw-dust. Well, the fond lover, the Colonel, called on her and gaily presented the box, and her disappointment and his great mortification may be imagined when its contents were exposed to view.

There was another incident which happened during one of the hottest summers in Richmond, when the mercury ranged from ninety-five to ninety-eight degrees in the shade; the clerks in the store took it by turns in the afternoon to go down into the basement, where it was cool and dark, and stretch themselves out on a pile of goods for a quiet nap, as there was nothing much doing up stairs. So one afternoon I went down there for my turn to sleep and fixed myself very comfortably; was soon sleeping as sweetly as an infant, when down came Weisiger, on mischief bent, took away my gaiters that I had removed from my feet and filled them up with paper, stuffed and rammed in hard, after which he placed them some distance from where I was, and then sprinkled water in the space between; he then went to the top of the stairs and called loudly for me, which of course awakened me, and I hurriedly reached for my shoes, but they were gone, and in order to reach them I had to walk on a wet floor in my sock feet, and hunt for them, but I finally found them and got things straight, to find out, when I went up stairs, that the thing was but a good joke on me. I told him that I certainly would get even with him yet on that; so some two or three evenings later he went down stairs for the same purpose and he was sleeping soundly when I got some paper, the kind that comes on blocks of ribbons, and made a funnel; I then took some lamp-black and placed in the top of it, going down I gave the funnel a whiff and the whole contents went on his face, and the more he rubbed it the worse it became, so he came up stairs one of the most furious creature that ever I saw. A fellow-clerk, a Mr. Cagbill, furnished him with soap and turpentine, and assisted him in applying it so that his face was once more restored to its normal state, and finally pacified him by saying, well you played a good practical joke on Macon, who took it in a good spirit, and now one who cannot take a joke, should not play one on others. The Colonel was an old time Virginia gentleman and we afterwards became the best of friends, and often laughed at our tricks of other days.

The dry goods house of Binford, Mayo & Blair was one of the largest and best in Richmond. Mr. Binford was the managing head of the firm, and they had a customer from the southside, who was a large tobacco planter, and came to the city twice a year, bringing with him a memorandum for dry goods to be purchased nearly a yard long, and the first thing he would do on reaching town was to visit the store and hand in his list of supplies—his memorandum—asking that it be filled in the best manner, and with reasonable prices, and when he collected from his commission merchant he would call and pay his bill before leaving for his home, which he never failed to do, and being a regular customer the thing went on year after year to the satisfaction of both parties. At last the planter died and his wife took his place and attended to his affairs in the city; she accordingly visited the store. Mr. Binford met her and tendered his sympathy in her misfortune and after a few minutes of conversation she drew out her long list and asked to be shown several articles and their prices, after examining them she remarked to Mr. Binford, I wish to look around some before purchasing and will return and go through with my bill. She called upon and went carefully over the stock of every house in that line in Richmond in order to see if he had been overcharging her husband. She returned to the store in the evening. Mr. Binford having preceded her but a few moments and was remarking to a clerk that he wished the old lady had died instead of her husband, who always came to town, gave me his memorandum to fill and everything worked smoothly, and now she comes in and runs around to every store in the city, almost; she heard every word he said, but instead of taking offense, she “pitched in,” and went through her bill without a hitch. There was another incident in the Binford, Mayo & Blair house; it appears that one of the salesmen by the name of William Perkins, who was a bright fellow, and a good clerk, had one especial accomplishment, that of being one of the best draw-poker players in the city, indulging in that game frequently. One morning the senior member of the firm called Perkins to go down stairs as he wished to have a little private talk with him. Mr. Perkins, said he, I am informed that you play cards a great deal. Perkins replied, sir, do I perform my duty satisfactorily to your house? Is there anything in my conduct here displeasing to you? If so, please let me know now. Mr. Binford said, sir, you are an efficient salesman, and we are well pleased with you. Mr. Perkins then said, well Mr. Binford, I do not understand why you should bring me down here to lecture me, to which he gravely replied, Perkins have you any real good pointers in draw-poker? Perkins told him that he thought he had, when Mr. Binford said, then press them, which remark ended the conference in peace and harmony.

Richmond about this time had some prominent hotels and restaurants, among the latter were “Zetelle’s,” Tom Griffin’s, Charles Thompson’s, and several others. There were no dairy lunches, nor snack-houses in town. Cold storage had not then come to the front. When a gentleman entered a restaurant and ordered a piece of roast beef, or a steak, he got home-killed beef, fat, tender and rich in flavor, and when he called for oysters they were set before him cooked with pure country butter, or genuine fresh hog’s lard, and not cotton-seed oil. Coffee was then made of Java mixed with a little Rio, and not colored water, as is found at some of the eating houses of the day. To be sure one had to pay a little more for such a repast, yet he generally received full value for his money.

Age and experience have improved many thinks in the city, yet I do not believe that the restaurants of the present