I would like to get you to make me up a suit of
clothes.'
" 'Ahem!' coughed Thomas, and glanced upward at a notice affixed
to the door, 'Terms, Cash.'
"The stranger's eye followed the direction of Mr. Tubbs'. He
smiled.
" 'I frankly confess,' he said, 'that I shall not be able to pay
immediately, but, if I live, I will pay you within six months.'
" 'How am I to feel sure of that?' asked the tailor, hesitating.
" 'I pledge my word,' was the reply. 'You see, Mr. Tubbs, I have
been sick for some time past, and that, of course, has used up my
money. Now, thank Providence, I am well again, and ready to go to
work. But I need clothes, as you see, before I have the ability
to pay for them.'
" 'What's your name?' asked Thomas.
" 'Oswald Rudenheimer,' was the reply.
" 'A foreigner?'
" 'As you may suppose. Now, Mr. Tubbs, what do you say? Do you
think you can trust me?'
"Thomas examined the face of his visitor. He looked honest, and
the little tailor had a good deal of confidence in the excellence
of human nature.
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