CHAPTER XVI
“FRANK’S MAIL ORDER HOUSE”
“Gentlemen, you embarrass 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 thesparking glasses 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 themiddle of a spacious room. There were seven of them, and they werehaving a jolly good time. An acceptable lunch graced the banquetingboard. Attired in a neat waiter’s apron and entering heart and soul intothe enjoyment of the occasion, Stet, general utility boy for HavenBros., helped the guests from a great pail of ice cold lemonade, andmade himself generally useful about the table.
This was Pleasantville, where Frank Newton, his mother, and Markham hadarrived just one week previous. The room in which Frank’s friends weregiving him a welcome was located on the lower floor of the old buildingthat Haven Bros. had transformed into a print shop in their earlyamateur publishing career.
Long since the firm of Haven Bros. had risen to the dignity of occupyingquarters right next to the _Eagle_, on the main street of the village.
They had a lease of the old quarters, however. When Frank came againupon the scene a joint committee of his loyal friends had met inexecutive 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 lawnand flower beds on either side of the broad walk approaching it. Thebuilding was just off the principal Pleasantville thoroughfare.
There were two large rooms on the lower floor and a spacious store roomabove. The Havens and Bart Stirling had fitted up one of the lower roomsas an office. Bob Haven had donated a desk and several chairs. Hisbrother Darry had put in a table and a file cabinet. Bart had furnisheda neat rug. That evening they had gone to the cottage which Mrs. Ismondhad rented, and had led Frank over to this little surprise party,comprising themselves, Jim Dunlap, an old printer, and Baker Mills, alsoan employe of the _Herald_.
Markham was somewhat reticent at first, but he soon warmed up in responseto 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 littleexpress office to assistant manager of a large office, as alreadyrelated in “The Young Express Agent,” was particularly fine to his wayof thinking.
The career of the Havens was quite as remarkable. They now ran theleading weekly newspaper in Pleasantville, and had a job printingbusiness that employed two men besides themselves.
Stet, the boy they had rescued from hard usage and extortion at thehands 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 upan original pen and ink sketch for the _Herald_ each week. The Havenboys were generally conceded to get out the most readable weeklynewspaper in that section of the state.
“I declare,” said Frank, with a grateful and a gratified look about theplace, “you fellows have just about equipped me for business.”
“Oh, not yet,” said Bob Haven. “My sister is away for a month, and Ihave arranged to loan you her typewriter till you can afford to get oneof 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 abill for printing he never could pay in cash. He’s painting a neatgold-lettered sign for the front of your place. ‘Frank’s Mail OrderHouse.’”
“Yes,” put in Darry, “and I’ve dug out of storage an upright showcase wetook for a debt. It’s got twelve glass shelves. Set it up at the edge ofthe walk with samples of the various articles you are going to sell, andI’ll warrant many farmer groups coming to town will drop in to lookaround and invest.”
“This is simply immense,” said Frank. “I’m just bursting with vanity, orself-importance, or ambition, or something of that sort.”
He briefly outlined his plans to his friends. Frank had only that dayheld a two hours’ consultation with John Dawes, who owned the noveltyworks at the edge of the town.
Dawes made a specialty of manufacturing light hardware specialties. Hisown list embraced over two hundred articles, ranging from pocket rulesto tool chests. He supplied a great many mail order people all overthe country, and told Frank he would be glad to encourage a localinstitution.
“He has given me as low a rate as any customer he has on his books, hesays,” reported Frank. “Besides that, being directly on the spot, I savethe 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 toMarkham,” said Frank. “Then I have made arrangements with a dozen largecity supply houses. I am going to push that harmless comical novelty,the false moustache wrinkle. I have also ordered quite a line of cheapjewelry, especially initial cuff buttons and friendship and birthdayrings. I can sell at one dollar and a half a solid gold birthday ringthat retailers everywhere mark at three dollars as a minimum price.Soon as I get onto all the ropes, I intend to reach out for class andfraternity emblem trade, selling on sample, and having the goods madeby a city jewelry manufacturer.”
“That’s it,” suddenly broke in Bob Haven to Markham, who had carelesslyslipped on one of the false moustaches in question. “Heard about yourtalent 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 falseteeth, and soon had the audience screaming with hilarity over a verycreatable representation of a stranded actor giving a monologue in acountry grocery store.
The party broke up with congratulatory hand shakes and all kind of goodwishes for the success of Frank’s new business enterprise.
When Bart and the others had gone, Frank and Markham looked about theirbusiness 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 liftthey promised me. We are of poor business material, indeed, if we cannotmake this fine beginning lead to a grand success. Now then, for agenuine start in the morning. If you will act as typewriter till we canafford 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. HavenBros. were to do all the printing for the mail order business. Mrs.Haven had made several sketches, little inch squares, showing the falsemoustache outfit, the wire puzzle, the initial jewelry and several otherminor specialties. Below followed a list of nearly fifty articles, ofwhich Frank had a small stock on hand and could replenish on short orderfrom 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 thesalvage stock. Four boxes containing a thousand envelopes were placedready beside the printed circulars. Frank put out the lights and lockedthe 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 thetypewriter perfectly. By four o’clock in the afternoon the thousandcirculars were all folded, and the thousand envelopes all addressed andstamped.
“Why, hello, my young friends,” hailed the village postmaster cheerily,as this big mail was deposited on the stamp table. “If you keep thisup, you’ll soon have this promoted to a second-class post office.”
Frank wound up the day’s labor by polishing
up the show case Darry Havenhad sent around that afternoon. They fitted up its glass shelves withsamples of the goods they advertised. They got a staunch iron standardto support the case, and screwed this securely to the walk just at theedge of the street.
“We’ll work to-morrow morning on our catalogue and the advertising DarryHaven is going to place for us,” said Frank, as they left for home thatevening.
“Don’t go in too deep at first, Frank,” suggested Markham.
“No, I have formulated a definite system,” declared Frank, “and I shalltry to stick to it. You see, I left Greenville with about two hundreddollars. It has taken about fifty of that to get mother settled here,and incidental expenses. Then I have your twenty-five dollars youinsist on leaving in trust with me. I have put fifty dollars asidefor preliminary printing and some advertising in county papers Darryis going to get cheap for me. If returns are favorable I shall print asmall catalogue, and put just half of our profits back into circularizingand advertising as fast as the money comes in.”
They had barely settled down to work the next morning when two schoolboysput in an appearance. One wanted to buy a “Twelve Tools in One” specialtyas marked in the show case at twenty-five cents. The other produced adime for a set of the false teeth.
“Profits fifteen cents and a-half to date,” cried Markham gaily, astheir first customers departed. “Those little fellows will spread ourfame.”
“When we get into full running order this local trade will be a nuisanceto us,” declared Markham towards noon.
In fact, he was kept on the jump attending to local customers all themorning. A raw young farmer had come in to blushingly buy a friendshipring. Several curious townspeople strolled to the office door, and outof good nature invested in various knickknacks displayed. One boy boughta false moustache, and within an hour twenty others visited the placeclamoring for duplicates.
“About to-morrow the answers to our circulars will begin to come in,”observed Markham. “That will be the real test of the merit of thisbusiness.”
“We will close up for the afternoon,” said Frank. “There’s a lot oflittle things to do about the house and lot mother has rented. Ipromised she should have our help for half a day.”
After dinner Frank and Markham put on some old clothes and set brisklyat work. They mended the back stoop of the cottage, propped up a fence,raked the yard and got the wood shed in order.
About four o’clock both started in at the cistern at the side of thehouse. Its top had settled in, and new boards were required here andthere, and a new trough from the house eaves.
Markham was holding a board that Frank was nailing, when some onepassing by on the street whistling caused both to look up.
“Don’t let go--the board will spring loose,” warned Frank, turningquickly as the pressure from the board end was suddenly removed--“why,Markham--”
“Oh, the mischief!” muttered Markham.
In wonderment and consternation at a swift glance Frank noticed astrangely startled expression on his companion’s face.
Then, his eyes fixed steadfastly upon the street, Markham deliberatelyjumped down into the cistern out of sight.