This story was originally called The Canvasser's Tale, was first published in 1876. I changed the name because in today's language, we would call the man Twain encounters a travelling salesman, as we reserve the term canvasser mainly for get-out-the-vote types. Frankly, it seems to me that the artifice of enclosing the story within the frame of a visiting salesman doesn't really enhance the story, as the inner tale is so brilliant it could probably stand better on its own. But I left in the frame as a nod to Twain's conception of the story.

The music is "Barroom Ballet" by Kevin MacLeod, for FreePD.com