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SALESMAN  AND  CUSTOMER  247
man  to  sell  carbon  paper  and  typewriter  ribbons ­
  who  spoke  only  English.  Of  the  man
personally  I  will  only  state  that  by  nature  he
was  the  very  antithesis  of  everything  he  should
have  been.  Calling  upon  the  leading  jobber
in  his  line  in  Bolivia  who  spoke  only  Spanish
he  found  it  impossible  to  do  business,  and  undertook ­
  to  tell  his  prices  by  yelling  them,  a
method  in  vogue  among  those  who  have  command ­
  of  one  language  and  who  seem  to  feel
that  if  you  can  repeat  loudly  in  a  crescendo
voice,  and  with  great  precision,  what  you  have
to  say  your  hearer  will  ultimately  by  some  occult ­
  means  understand.  In  the  midst  of  this
vocal  exercise  by  the  American,  a  German
happened  to  drop  in,  also  desirous  of  selling
the  dealer  goods,  and  kindly  offered  to  interpret ­
  for  the  Yankee,  which  suggestion  was
eagerly  accepted.  The  gentleman  from  the
Fatherland  was  also  selling  typewriter  supplies ­
  and  I  heard  him  afterwards  telling  his
friends  in  the  hotel  with  much  gusto  how  he
handled  the  matter.  I  shall  not  try  to  repeat
the  conversation.  It  was  humiliating  for  me