Then, there was another thing.  I was sure to be coming back to New York again, and it was as weel to leave the city when it was still hard to be buying tickets for my show.  That’s business; I could see it as readily as could Wull Morris, who was a revelation tae me then as a manager.  He’s my friend, as well as my manager, the noo, you’ll ken; I tak’ his advice aboot many and many a thing, and we’ve never had anything that sounded like even the beginnings of a quarrel.

Sae on I went frae New York.  I was amazed at the other cities—­Boston, Philadelphia, Washington, Baltimore, Chicago, Pittsburgh—­in a’ o’ them the greeting New York had gi’en me was but just duplicated.  They couldna mak’ enough of me.  And everywhere I made new friends, and found new reason to rejoice over having braved the hazardous adventure of an American tour.

Did I tell you how I was warned against crossing the ocean?  It was the same as when I’d thought of trying ma luck in London.  The same sort of friends flocked about me.

“Why will you be risking all you’ve won, Harry?” they asked me.  “Here in Britain you’re safe—­your reputation’s made, and you’re sure of a comfortable living, and more, as long as you care to stay on the stage.  There they might not understand you, and you would suffer a great blow to your prestige if you went there and failed.”

I didna think that, e’en were I to fail in America, it would prevent me frae coming back to Britain and doing just as well as ever I had.  But, then, too, I didna think much o’ that idea.  Because, you see, I was so sure I was going to succeed, as I had succeeded before against odds and in the face of all the croakers and prophets of misfortune had to say.

CHAPTER XVIII

It was a hard thing for me to get used to thinking o’ the great distances of travel in America.  In Britain aboot the longest trip one wad be like to make wad be frae London tae Glasga or the other way around.  And that’s but a matter of a day or a nicht.  Wull Morris showed me a route for my tour that meant travelling, often and often, five hundred miles frae ane toon tae the next.  I was afraid at first, for it seemed that I’d ha’ tae be travelling for months at a time.  I’d heard of the hotels in the sma’ places, and I knew they couldna be tae good.

It’s harder than one wha hasna done it can realize the travel and gie twa shows a day for any length of time.  If it was staying always a week or mair in the ane city, it would be better.  But in America, for the first time, I had to combine long travelling wi’ constant singing.  Folks come in frae long distances to a toon when a show they want to see is booked to appear, and it’s necessary that there should be a matinee as well as a nicht performance whenever it’s at a’ possible.