CHAPTER XVI
"FRANK"S MAIL ORDER HOUSE"
"Gentlemen, you embarra.s.s me."
"Hear! hear!"
"I may say, I am overwhelmed--overpowered--"
"Good! Get over it, and give us a speech."
"No, a toast first. "Frank"s Mail Order House." Stet, fill up the sparking gla.s.ses once more."
"Hip, hurrah! Success to Frank Newton and his new business venture."
A merry friendly party was gathered about a long folding table in the middle of a s.p.a.cious room. There were seven of them, and they were having a jolly good time. An acceptable lunch graced the banqueting board. Attired in a neat waiter"s ap.r.o.n and entering heart and soul into the enjoyment of the occasion, Stet, general utility boy for Haven Bros., helped the guests from a great pail of ice cold lemonade, and made himself generally useful about the table.
This was Pleasantville, where Frank Newton, his mother, and Markham had arrived just one week previous. The room in which Frank"s friends were giving him a welcome was located on the lower floor of the old building that Haven Bros. had transformed into a print shop in their early amateur publishing career.
Long since the firm of Haven Bros. had risen to the dignity of occupying quarters right next to the _Eagle_, on the main street of the village.
They had a lease of the old quarters, however. When Frank came again upon the scene a joint committee of his loyal friends had met in executive session to see what they could do to put him on his feet.
This old structure stood back from the street, but had a pleasing lawn and flower beds on either side of the broad walk approaching it. The building was just off the princ.i.p.al Pleasantville thoroughfare.
There were two large rooms on the lower floor and a s.p.a.cious store room above. The Havens and Bart Stirling had fitted up one of the lower rooms as an office. Bob Haven had donated a desk and several chairs. His brother Darry had put in a table and a file cabinet. Bart had furnished a neat rug. That evening they had gone to the cottage which Mrs. Ismond had rented, and had led Frank over to this little surprise party, comprising themselves, Jim Dunlap, an old printer, and Baker Mills, also an employe of the _Herald_.
Markham was somewhat reticent at first, but he soon warmed up in response to the free and hearty spirits surrounding him.
He was immensely interested as the crowd began to chat on experiences.
The story of how Bart Stirling had risen from a "sub" in a little express office to a.s.sistant manager of a large office, as already related in "The Young Express Agent," was particularly fine to his way of thinking.
The career of the Havens was quite as remarkable. They now ran the leading weekly newspaper in Pleasantville, and had a job printing business that employed two men besides themselves.
Stet, the boy they had rescued from hard usage and extortion at the hands of their rival, Jasper Mackey, publisher of the Pleasantville _Eagle_, had become a valued fixture with them.
Mrs. Haven, who furnished fashion plates for some city magazines, got up an original pen and ink sketch for the _Herald_ each week. The Haven boys were generally conceded to get out the most readable weekly newspaper in that section of the state.
"I declare," said Frank, with a grateful and a gratified look about the place, "you fellows have just about equipped me for business."
"Oh, not yet," said Bob Haven. "My sister is away for a month, and I have arranged to loan you her typewriter till you can afford to get one of your own."
"Say," broke in Markham, eagerly, "I"m just at home on that machine."
"Good for you," approved Bob. "Then there"s a painter, here owes us a bill for printing he never could pay in cash. He"s painting a neat gold-lettered sign for the front of your place. "Frank"s Mail Order House.""
"Yes," put in Darry, "and I"ve dug out of storage an upright showcase we took for a debt. It"s got twelve gla.s.s shelves. Set it up at the edge of the walk with samples of the various articles you are going to sell, and I"ll warrant many farmer groups coming to town will drop in to look around and invest."
"This is simply immense," said Frank. "I"m just bursting with vanity, or self-importance, or ambition, or something of that sort."
He briefly outlined his plans to his friends. Frank had only that day held a two hours" consultation with John Dawes, who owned the novelty works at the edge of the town.
Dawes made a specialty of manufacturing light hardware specialties. His own list embraced over two hundred articles, ranging from pocket rules to tool chests. He supplied a great many mail order people all over the country, and told Frank he would be glad to encourage a local inst.i.tution.
"He has given me as low a rate as any customer he has on his books, he says," reported Frank. "Besides that, being directly on the spot, I save the freight charges, you see."
"Good," said Bart Stirling, "you"ve struck the right location, sure."
"Mr. Dawes is going to make my apple corer and a puzzle belonging to Markham," said Frank. "Then I have made arrangements with a dozen large city supply houses. I am going to push that harmless comical novelty, the false moustache wrinkle. I have also ordered quite a line of cheap jewelry, especially initial cuff b.u.t.tons and friendship and birthday rings. I can sell at one dollar and a half a solid gold birthday ring that retailers everywhere mark at three dollars as a minimum price.
Soon as I get onto all the ropes, I intend to reach out for cla.s.s and fraternity emblem trade, selling on sample, and having the goods made by a city jewelry manufacturer."
"That"s it," suddenly broke in Bob Haven to Markham, who had carelessly slipped on one of the false moustaches in question. "Heard about your talent as an entertainer."
"Yes, give us a round, Markham," suggested Bart.
Markham got up on a chair, put on Stet"s cap, applied goatee and false teeth, and soon had the audience screaming with hilarity over a very creatable representation of a stranded actor giving a monologue in a country grocery store.
The party broke up with congratulatory hand shakes and all kind of good wishes for the success of Frank"s new business enterprise.
When Bart and the others had gone, Frank and Markham looked about their business quarters with a proud air of satisfaction and comfort.
"I tell you, Frank, those fellows are royal good friends of yours,"
spoke Markham.
"Yes," said Frank with real emotion, "they have indeed given me the lift they promised me. We are of poor business material, indeed, if we cannot make this fine beginning lead to a grand success. Now then, for a genuine start in the morning. If you will act as typewriter till we can afford to hire one, I will fold a batch of our first circulars."
"Sure, I will," said Markham readily.
Bob Haven had brought a thousand circulars just off the press. Haven Bros. were to do all the printing for the mail order business. Mrs.
Haven had made several sketches, little inch squares, showing the false moustache outfit, the wire puzzle, the initial jewelry and several other minor specialties. Below followed a list of nearly fifty articles, of which Frank had a small stock on hand and could replenish on short order from city supply houses with which he had made a definite arrangement.
The two boys spread out one of the mailing lists Frank had got from the salvage stock. Four boxes containing a thousand envelopes were placed ready beside the printed circulars. Frank put out the lights and locked the office door with the care of a miser securing his treasure.
Markham routed Frank out of bed at five o"clock the next morning.
They arrived at the office by six. Somewhere Markham had learned the typewriter perfectly. By four o"clock in the afternoon the thousand circulars were all folded, and the thousand envelopes all addressed and stamped.
"Why, h.e.l.lo, my young friends," hailed the village postmaster cheerily, as this big mail was deposited on the stamp table. "If you keep this up, you"ll soon have this promoted to a second-cla.s.s post office."
Frank wound up the day"s labor by polishing up the show case Darry Haven had sent around that afternoon. They fitted up its gla.s.s shelves with samples of the goods they advertised. They got a staunch iron standard to support the case, and screwed this securely to the walk just at the edge of the street.
"We"ll work to-morrow morning on our catalogue and the advertising Darry Haven is going to place for us," said Frank, as they left for home that evening.
"Don"t go in too deep at first, Frank," suggested Markham.
"No, I have formulated a definite system," declared Frank, "and I shall try to stick to it. You see, I left Greenville with about two hundred dollars. It has taken about fifty of that to get mother settled here, and incidental expenses. Then I have your twenty-five dollars you insist on leaving in trust with me. I have put fifty dollars aside for preliminary printing and some advertising in county papers Darry is going to get cheap for me. If returns are favorable I shall print a small catalogue, and put just half of our profits back into circularizing and advertising as fast as the money comes in."