Teddy and Carrots: Two Merchants of Newpaper Row Part 27

"Oh, I'm willin' to go in, an' you shall be the boss."

"Then we'll buy it," Teddy said, decidedly. "I've got to rush down after the money."

"Did you leave it under the boxes?"

"Yes, I didn't want to lug it 'round all day."

"But I thought we'd 'greed not to go back."

"I 'lowed to go down the first thing after we knocked off. It's all safe enough, anyhow. You stay here till I get back."

Teddy was off like a flash, and, impatient though Carrots was to have the business arrangements completed, his partner returned before he thought there had been sufficient time for Teddy to make the journey.

The preliminaries were quickly arranged, once they were ready to pay over the money, and, leaving Ikey in charge of the empty stand, the proud proprietors went hurriedly down-town, Teddy saying, as he parted with the clerk: "I'll come back soon's I can, with the mornin' papers, and we'll open right up."

"I'll get things fixed before then, if I can borrow a broom, 'cause the inside of the place must be cleaned up," the new clerk replied, thus showing that he was attentive to the interests of his employers.

If Carrots had done as he wished, every newsboy and bootblack in the lower portion of the city would have known that he and Teddy had gone regularly into business; but the latter was adverse to proclaiming the news so soon.

"Better hold on a day or two, an' see how it pans out," the cautious merchant advised. "You see, if it should bust up the first thing, the fellers would laugh at us. We're bound to stay a week, now the money's paid; but how long a time is that to brag 'bout? I want ter know if we're goin' to stick, before I say anything."

"When will you 'gree to tell the fellers?"

"If we can pay our bills an' have enough left to keep the stock up, by a week from to-day you shall go 'round to spread the news, an' I won't open my mouth till you've seen every feller you know."

This was satisfactory to the junior partner, and he promised to attend to his work in the lower portion of the city as if nothing out of the usual course of events had happened, even though the firm of Thurston and Williams had actually sprung into existence in a proper and a business-like manner.

CHAPTER XV.

THE CONFLAGRATION.

It is doubtful if Carrots often had a harder task than that of remaining silent on the subject of the news-stand, when he went down-town to work immediately after it had been purchased.

He had allowed himself to dwell upon the possibility of owning an interest in a stand, with a magnificent chair attached for the benefit of customers to the bootblacking portion of the establishment, from the moment Teddy first spoke of the scheme; and now that it was really a fact, with the exception of the chair, it seemed particularly hard that he must keep the startling and pleasing information a profound secret.

"P'rhaps it's jest as well not to flash it up on the boys till after we get the whole thing in style--bootblack's quarters an' all," he said to himself in the hope of cheering his mind. "When she's in shape I reckon some of the fellers in this town will find out that I can do a thing or two, even if my hair _is_ red!"

The fact that he was soon to become famous in the eyes of his friends, if not of the entire world, did not prevent Carrots from plunging into the vortex of business with his whole heart; for he understood how necessary it was to earn the extra money which would be needed until the business establishment was in a proper financial condition, and he worked most industriously.

It was hard to keep his thoughts upon the cleaning of muddy boots when he knew that at that moment Ikey was presiding over the stand with a "whole dollar's worth" of stock in front of him, and more than once was he tempted to leave his business sufficiently long to take just one peep at the place.

"I could sneak up there, an' look 'round the corner without anybody's seein' me," he said to himself once when trade was dull; but, remembering what Teddy had told him regarding the necessity of "hustling," he put the temptation far from his mind.

He did, however, so far give an inkling of the change in his business prospects, as to say, when Teenie Ma.s.sey spoke about the difficulty of finding customers:

"P'rhaps there's some in this town what won't have to run 'round after trade very long; but can sit down an' wait for boots to come to them."

"What do you mean?" Teenie asked, excitedly.

"Nothin' much; but you'll see somethin' to 'stonish you before many years."

"I reckon I will," Teenie replied with a sigh, as he thought how the time might drag if he should be forced to wait so long before seeing anything astonishing. "Heard from Skip this mornin'?"

"No, an' I'm takin' mighty good care to keep out of his way when the three of us ain't together. I wonder if he'll have the nerve to set them boxes afire?"

"I shouldn't wonder. Where are you goin' to sleep to-night?"

"Well, you see it's hard to say, 'cause all the swell places might be full when we get through business. I didn't know but I'd telephone up to the Hoffman for quarters; yet there's a good deal of trouble in doin'

sich a thing."

"Yes," Teenie replied, sarcastically, "an' it might be quite a bother to pay the bill for the message."

"I'd be willin' to hang it up, if I was countin' on doin' anything of that kind."

"Yes, but the other folks might have somethin' to say 'bout it. It'll be cheaper to hunt for a cart somewhere, or go down to the Lodgin' House."

If Teenie had questioned him more closely, Carrots might have been tempted to tell his friend some ridiculous yarn, rather than reveal the secret of the stand; but, fortunately, there was no necessity of his doing anything of the kind, for just at that moment the bootblacking industry received a decided impetus by the arrival of three gentlemen from the country, who required the services of Carrots and his friend.

Not until nearly noon did Master Williams see his partner, and then he met him by chance on the way to the newspaper offices for a fresh stock.

"How's trade?" Teddy asked.

"First-cla.s.s. I've taken in eighty cents since I began; but it's slackenin' off a little now. How're you gettin' along?"

"Great! It seems as if it wasn't any trouble to sell papers to-day.

Say, at this rate we can get in a bigger stock by night."

"That's what we want," Carrots replied, gravely, looking as serious as if he had just been called upon to decide a very important question relative to some business policy. "We ought ter make as big a show as we can, 'cause folks will see the stand has been opened ag'in, an' they'll look 'round the first thing to find out if we've got much of a stock. Of course we're goin' to keep all the weekly papers, ain't we?"

"I don't know if we ought ter put out so much money yet a while."

"'Course we ought. Pitch in an' have things fine. We can 'ford to invest what's been made to-day, and you'd better buy the stuff right away,"

Carrots said as he handed Teddy the money he had earned. "I'll get more between now an' night to buy the supper with, so you don't want ter tend to anything like that."

Teddy was undecided as to whether this would be a wise move, so soon after taking upon themselves the expense of paying rent; but his partner was so eager it should be done that he finally consented, and hurried away to buy the additional stock, while Carrots searched for customers.

It seemed strange to both the merchants that Skip Jellison made no effort to annoy them on this day, and they could account for it only on the supposition that he did really intend to carry out his plan of destroying the packing-case home by fire.

No one should censure Carrots for ceasing his labors at an unusually early hour because of the fact that he was exceedingly anxious to see his place of business in full operation, with a clerk behind the counter.

In addition to this desire, he had promised himself that, if trade should be brisk, he would purchase a regular feast as a sort of house-warming, a task which would require no slight amount of time.

And business had been sufficiently good to warrant his indulging in his treat.