CLEARING A STOCK 



in the racing there, and the trotting meetings are a 

 simple dehght. I have never minded railway travel- 

 ling, and these long journeys, although nothing to 

 distances covered in Australia, were never boring. I 

 had a first-class season ticket from London to Scot- 

 land for a long time, and would run up and down 

 the line, picking up business, besides being able to 

 get back to town so easily. 



I had a curious experience once at Brighton. We 

 had made a bad debt and had an assignment of the 

 stock and had determined to make the best of it, 

 clearing out the stuff and disposing of the lease in King's 

 Road. I arrived unexpectedly and found the chap in 

 charge reading his Bible when he ought to have been 

 cleaning up the goods. Having taken a look round I 

 went to a big man in the town and tried to sell him the 

 whole caboose as it stood, but everything spelt delay. 

 That same afternoon there was a big announcement 

 put on the windows that everything was to be sacrificed 

 regardless of cost, and I meant it. We took a tenner 

 the first day and then began the crowd. Day after 

 day they poured in, and had everything in a few days. 

 I would put a price on anything. Racing men came 

 in and would buy silver-framed cigar-cases, letter- 

 wallets with gold mounts, and other nice things. 

 The customers included bookmakers, lumberers and 

 whisperers, professional backers and what not. " Let 

 me have that lot for a tenner," said one man, " and 

 you shall have a five-to-one winner to-day." Both 

 came off. One gaunt middle-aged girl bought military 

 brushes for skin brushes ; they were hanging about 

 and had to go ! I remember that Courtice Pounds 

 came in and bought a lot of things ; we made each 

 other's acquaintance over that. What a fine artist ! 



About the Brighton show. The lease was sold too, 

 135 



