Frank explained about the needle packages. He told Markham as well as he could what towns in the vicinity had been covered.
"There"s a row of little settlements to the east," he explained. "You can use my bicycle if you like and give them a call."
"This is real life," jubilated Markham, as he set off on the wheel with a hundred packages of the needles done up in a cardboard box.
Frank received visits from several of his boy employes that morning.
Then he set about disposing of some odds and ends of the salvage stock about town.
From two till five o"clock he was busy working on his "patent." From then until six o"clock he wrote several letters, went out and mailed them, and kept thinking and planning on the mail order business.
Markham, dusty and tired, wheeled up to the store about seven o"clock.
He had an immense bouquet of wild flowers, which delighted Mrs. Ismond, to whom he gracefully presented it.
"What a day it has been for me," he exclaimed, after a good wash up.
"Why, I seem to be free, really free for the first time in my life--the pretty roads, the lovely flowers, the sweet singing birds--"
"And the needles?" suggested practical Frank.
"Oh, I sold them before noon," said Markham, indifferently.
"All of them?"
"Fifteen packages to one little country store. Knocked a cent off my profit, but time counts, you know."
"I sent an order to the city for a gross of those false moustaches,"
announced Frank.
"You did?" exclaimed Markham. "That"s famous! When will they be here?"
"Day after to-morrow, I think. Then I"m going down to Riverton to collect some bills. I calculate it will take about three days to clean up the lot. Mother, you must run the business here while I"m gone. We will have to stay at Riverton nights."
"Shall I keep on with the needles?" asked Markham.
"Yes, but not here. We will make Riverton headquarters for this trip.
You can come with me, and try the false moustaches on the community."
"Some needles, too," said Markham. "I"ll guarantee to sell a gross of the moustaches in two days."
Markham did quite as well the second day as he had the first. It pleased Frank to note how he seemed emerging from a worried-looking, distressed refugee into a bright, laughing, happy boy. Mrs. Ismond had taken a great liking to him, and he seemed never tired of helping Frank with his ch.o.r.es clear up to bed time.
The moustaches arrived the next afternoon. They had a merry evening, Markham applying moustache, goatee and false teeth to his face, and giving character imitations thus disguised, which he had seen at some show.
Frank hired a light wagon and horse for three days, and the next morning he and Markham drove over to Riverton. They arranged for a cheap lodging, and separated. Frank had routed the bills he had to collect systematically. The first batch took in a twenty miles circuit among farmers.
When evening came he had presented bills amounting to about two hundred dollars. As the horse walked slowly back the road to Riverton, Frank figured out the day"s results.
"Pretty good," he said, running over the paper slips in a package. "I have collected forty-four dollars and eighty cents--got twenty dollars in sixty days" notes, four promises to pay, four people call again, three parties moved away, and six bills no good."
Frank drove leisurely down the princ.i.p.al street of Riverton, bound for the livery stable where he had arranged to put up the horse during their sojourn in town.
He halted with some curiosity and amus.e.m.e.nt at a corner where a crowd was gathered. Mounted on a dry goods box, Markham was addressing a large and jolly audience.
He was giving character sketches in a really entertaining way. After every sally of laughter he would ply his wares. Everybody seemed buying.
"He"s a bright fellow and a first-cla.s.s peddler," Frank reflected, as he continued on his way, un.o.bserved by the friend he had started in business.
"All sold out and the public hungry for more," announced Markham, as he joined Frank on agreement at a restaurant. "Those false teeth also. I"ll bet fifty people asked for them. Say, it would pay to wire a quick duplicate order on the moustaches and a gross of the teeth. I can certainly sell the outfit before we leave this town."
"I"ll see if I can"t arrange it," said Frank, and after supper he did so. Frank got track of a purchasing agent, who for a small commission went daily from Riverton to the city, bringing back with him what light stuff he could carry in his two valises--all the baggage the railroad company would allow through free.
Just at dusk Sat.u.r.day evening the two friends started cheerily homewards.
Frank had made exactly thirty-eight dollars for his three days" work.
Markham"s profits amounted to a little over seventeen dollars.
"I want you to be my banker, Frank," he said. "Haven"t I done quite well? Next week I"ll cut a still wider swath."
"Not peddling, Markham," said Frank.
"Why not?" inquired Markham, in some surprise.
"Well, I"ll tell you. To-night about closes up what business I have in hand. You know all my hopes and plans tend towards starting a mail order business. We would soon exhaust this district, selling on a small scale.
I want to reach a wider one. I have found out what takes with the public. Next week I am going to gather together what we have, and move to another town."
Markham"s face fell. He looked a trifle uneasy.
"Nearer the city?" he asked, in quite an anxious tone.
"No, nearly a hundred and fifty miles north of here. The fact is, Markham, I am going to move to Pleasantville. I have some rare, royal friends there. Two of them, Darry and Bob Haven, are in the printing business. They own and publish a weekly newspaper. They can help me immensely. Then there is a mightier reason, too, for locating at Pleasantville."
"What"s that, Frank?" asked the interested Markham.
"A man named Dawes runs a novelty factory there--makes all kinds of little hardware specialties. It is just the place to manufacture my apple corer, if it is a success. If it is not, I can advertise the list he already manufactures, and get up something else."
"There"s a good deal of money in those little devices when a fellow gets up the right thing, I suppose?" asked Markham.
"Sure, anything new and handy goes great," responded Frank. "I have read of a dozen little simple inventions that have made a great fortune for the owners."
Markham was studiously silent for a few minutes. Then he asked:
"Do they make things in wire at that Pleasantville factory--I mean, do they have the material and machinery to make wire things?"
"If not, they can easily get them," answered Frank. "Why do you ask, Markham?"
"Well," said Markham, with a little conscious laugh, "the truth is, I have invented something myself."
CHAPTER XIV