i.
across the way from the stanley boys' home a new house was being built. a pile of lumber lay just outside of the sidewalk in front of the new building, and it was piled so irregularly that the upper boards extended out considerably beyond the lower ones, thus forming a sheltered spot below. the ends of some of the lower boards, too, projected in such a way as to make little shelves at different heights, and even a rude seat and table. the boys had often gathered under this shelter for a chat, and when john and bob stanley announced that they saw in it the making of a fine store, all the other boys groaned inwardly, and said to themselves, "why did not i think of that?"
of course bob and john did not plunge into the risks of business without first counting the cost. the plan was well digested. they had talked it over fully three days before it was publicly announced.
the chief difficulty was about the amount of capital to be invested. john had been saving up his money for a long time toward buying a bicycle, and bob—well, bob was not so thrifty; there was not much "save" about him, though when it came to needing the money to set him up in business, he saw clearly that he must mend his ways.
"i declare, john," he said, gloomily, "i don't believe i can rake up twenty-five cents toward starting the store. i wish i'd thought of it before. it was only last week i bought ten cents' worth of marbles."
"put them in stock, and sell out at an advance," suggested john.
bob shook his head. "the boys aren't going to pay me more for marbles than they can get them for at thompson's. besides, i was dunce enough to show them off at recess, so the boys would call them second-hand, and want a reduction."
"that's true. but you had better lose on them for the sake of getting some cash in hand that you could lay out in something you could make money on."
"but i don't see how we are to make money, anyhow. the other boys can buy as cheap as we can."
"no; thompson would come down in his prices if we told him we were buying to sell again. buying at wholesale, you know, they always do."
"so they do;" and bob's face brightened. "you have a lot of money to put into the business," he said, admiringly.
"i sha'n't put all my money in," said the prudent john. "it's too much risk. i'd rather begin small; and then i could get my bicycle even if we failed in business."
for it must be admitted that, like reasonable beings, they looked forward to failure as the most probable ending to their enterprise. nine men out of every ten who start in business for themselves fail; and why should not they close in this exciting and approved manner? as far back as the time of macbeth such things were not unknown; and the boys said bravely to themselves, "'if we fail, we fail'; and so much the more interesting."
"but how much capital are you going to put in?" persisted bob.
"well, now, really, bob, if we are to be even partners, i can't put any more money in than you do. it would make the thing too complicated, and not be fair to me, you know."
bob sighed. "only half a dollar to start the business! it will look mean. i wish i had not got so many glasses of soda-water this season. it's worse than marbles for running away with money."
"we might take in some more partners," said john, after a thoughtful pause.
"but dick says he don't care about it, and every cent of sam's money goes for his bantams and pigeons."
"what do you say to asking tom fleming?"
"no," said bob, decisively. "when a gold mine opens before you, keep it all in the family, i say."
but the difficulty of the small capital still remained. their anxiety lost the boys at least an hour's sleep that night, and when they woke in the morning, the same burden at once took possession of them.
"let's tell aunt sue about it," said bob.
aunt sue was much pleased with the plan. she thought the effort to conduct the little business would give them business habits and tact. she made suggestions that helped them greatly.
[pg 22]
"you won't need much money to start with," she said. "look over your closets and boxes, and see what you have already that you would like to dispose of. you have a good many toys and other things that you will never use again, and you might sell them for something. call your shop a new and second-hand store, and that will make it all fair. what kind of a stock were you thinking of keeping?"
"oh, almost anything. like a country store, you know. marbles, and tops, and slate-pencils, and—"
"and chewing-gum," suggested bob. "the boys and girls buy more of that than of anything else lately."
"i wouldn't keep it if i were you," said aunt sue. "it's a bad habit to use it, and you want to establish your business on good principles. i hope you'll keep bird-seed, though. you could count on me as a customer."
"well, we will, and we'll give up the chewing-gum. but, aunt sue," and bob assumed his most persuasive tones, "i'll tell you one thing we could sell like wild-fire, and it would not cost us anything, either."
"what?" asked aunt sue, smiling, but mentally bracing herself for opposition.
"cookies."
"not of my baking, bob. you ought to know too much of the trouble and expense of cake-making to think of it. i can't undertake to supply the town with cookies."
bob sobered at this reference to his prowess at cake-baking; but sister bess, regardless of his feelings, mischievously suggested,
"you might make molasses candy for sale."
"it's out of season," returned bob, with dignity. "i guess we'll lay in a stock of sour-balls."
"i'll tell you what i'll do for you," said bess, relenting. "i'll make you some button-hole bouquets."
"well, but i don't know who'll buy them."
"they'll help to fill up the shelves and make the place look pretty, at any rate."
bob and john began to feel that the store was going to be a success, and proceeded to overhaul the attic for salable articles.
the sign-board was a very important matter. dick undertook to paint them one. but as it would take some days for the paint to dry, it was decided that they could begin with a sign chalked on an old slate.
there was not much to be done toward fitting up the store. a piece of canvas was hung on one side, and a loose board was laid across the entrance for protection against the rabble, for as the store was only large enough to hold the proprietors and their goods, the customers were exacted to make their purchases over the counter from the outside.
saturday was to be "opening day," and the very earliest people on their way to market saw the two boys working like beavers to get the place to rights in good season. by the time the village boys and girls had breakfasted the new store shone out in all its glory, with the sign "stanley brothers" the most conspicuous thing about it.
the marbles and other small articles were arranged as neatly as possible in boxes on the irregular little shelves. some old story-books with the boys' dictionary were piled modestly in the background, while the jar of sour-balls and the row of tasty little bouquets were paraded on the counter.
this plan, however, did not work well, for the boys found themselves obliged to keep a sharp eye on these attractive goods to prevent their being snatched by evil-disposed visitors, and it was very harassing. the business had been so well advertised beforehand, at recesses and on other occasions, that the whole juvenile population made a point of repairing thither in the course of the day. most of them came only to look, but that was to be expected on opening day.
the boys had not thought of putting up a notice to the effect that it was no trouble to show goods; but if they had, that day's experience would have decided them against it. some of the boys, and girls too, for that matter, were very provoking, and insisted on seeing everything that was in the store, when they had not the least intention of buying anything.
some of them, too, were very frank in expressing their opinion about the stock. they would not open a store at all if they could do no better than that.
but the very worst of it all was that all the boys that did want to buy always wanted to trade off something else for the goods; and the girls were more unreasonable still, for they thought that bob and john ought to be willing to sell everything for pins.
by noon the boys were beginning to feel quite dejected. to be sure, they had taken in a few cents for sour-balls; but then they had reason to believe that several had been feloniously abstracted while the throng was greatest—for part of the time the little counter had been lined three or four deep—so that, on the whole, they would probably lose on this most popular article. bob and john each ate a sour-ball to restore their spirits.
"they'll melt in this bright sun," said bob, "and the flowers are wilting. we had better put them back in the shade. what shall we put front instead?"
"slate-pencils," suggested john.
"pooh! catch a boy buying a slate-pencil on saturday."
the question was still unsettled when the welcome sound of the dinner bell was heard. obeying the first impulse, both boys started for home. then bob stopped.
"i don't believe it's safe to leave the store alone," he said.
"no, of course not. you stay till i come back. i'm awfully hungry."
"i guess i'm as hungry as you are," returned bob, but john was half-way across the street; so bob, calling to him to hurry back, sat down, hungrier than ever, to nurse his provocation over that selfish john. there was no help for it; he must try if another sour-ball would stop the gnawings of hunger and sweeten his temper for the next customer.
it seemed as if the whole town must dine at the same hour, for bob was left quite lonely for a while.
then john came back, devouring a biscuit as he came, and making some remarks beginning, "aunt sue says," which bob did not stop to hear, for the boys passed each other in the middle of the street like two oppositely bound locomotives.
ii.
bob staid a long time. neither did he move as swiftly on his return trip as he had when he started out.
"i'll tell you what it is, john," he said, at the first opportunity, "we'll have to take in some outside partners, after all. a couple of the flemings could help us first-rate. they always have their meals later than we do."
"well," said john, "i don't know but it would be a good thing to have somebody to share the responsibility."
"but i don't see how we can make room for any more boys inside here. it's crowded enough now."
"we don't all need to be inside at once. one could be floor-walker, and one a detective, or something in the crowd. i'd like it. it's tiresome sitting in this little place all day. i got awfully cramped this morning."
so overtures were made to tom and fred fleming, who felt quite flattered, and accepted the honor at once. after some discussion they were installed as silent partners, and contributed their quota of fish-hooks and decalcomanie pictures, etc., to the now flourishing business.
the shop being so near, aunt sue and bessie visited it in the afternoon to see how the boys were getting on.[pg 23] they were shocked to see some of their own possessions airing in the new store. an old set of false curls hung dangling on a nail, like a scalp adorning an indian wigwam as an honorable trophy.
"'you outrageous boys!' exclaimed aunt sue."
"you outrageous boys!" exclaimed aunt sue, as she seized and confiscated it. "where did you get this?"
"out of the attic," said bob, meekly. "i thought you were done with it."
"but it's not for sale if i am done with it. i'm surprised at you."
aunt sue seemed really hurt, and was scarcely mollified by bob's saying, coaxingly, "oh, now, aunt sue, don't be vexed. i always liked to see them hanging down your neck. they looked so pretty, i thought somebody else might be glad to get them."
by this time bessie had discovered a tin-type of herself among a lot of cheap pictures, and her wrath burst forth on john, who was just congratulating himself on having escaped his aunt's wrath.
"i'd like to know what right you have to offer my picture for sale," she said, indignantly.
"it's not yours. it's mine. you gave it to me on my birthday."
"and that's all you care for it! i'll be careful how i ever give my picture to another boy. give it to me this minute."
"why, no, bess. it shows how much we admire it. other folks do too. i had an offer for it this morning, but i couldn't make the change."
bessie's eyes flashed; and aunt sue, coming to the rescue, quietly laid the picture in her bag with the curls.
"i think you had better show us your whole stock, boys," she said, calmly. "what are your skates doing here?"
"i'm going to sell them. i'd rather have a bicycle than skates any day."
"very well; only if you part with them don't expect to have a new pair given to you when winter comes. what books have you? why, boys, you are not going to sell your dictionary!"
"oh, i'm tired of looking through it. the old bother!"
"it must be taken home," said aunt sue, with decision. "it won't do to have your father's dictionaries thumbed and dog-eared in this way. you must keep your own."
the boys were beginning to think that the custom of their immediate relatives was not going to be profitable. but the seizures were over now, and aunt sue actually bought in john's old copy of original poems. bessie, too, concluded to be forgiving, and she and aunt sue made several other purchases, so that they left the boys in good spirits in spite of the bad beginning.
in the trying morning hours the boys had decided to close early every saturday afternoon "for the sake of their clerks." but they felt better after the flemings came to their assistance, and did not close until six o'clock, when everything had to be packed in boxes and carried home until monday. before doing this, however, they took an account of stock and balanced their accounts, which was a comparatively simple matter, as they sold nothing on credit. aunt sue had bought half their supply of bird-seed, and molly fleming had taken all the bouquets at half price to distribute in the infant school the next morning. the boys spent the evening in talking over the events of the day.
"if we did so well on the first day, what may we not expect on the second?" was the feeling with which the young merchants began business on monday. but monday brought new trials. the goods had all to be packed away, and the store closed by school-time, which seemed rather humiliating. of course the boys intended to resume punctually at twelve o'clock. but how unlucky! they all unaccountably missed their lessons, and were kept in to correct them, so that they lost the whole of their noon trade.
perhaps this only gave greater zest to the afternoon spell, for they kept open quite late that evening. still, with all their devotion, business flagged. infant schools could not absorb a stock of bouquets every day, and aunt sue had enough bird-seed to last her a week. the sour-ball business proved to be quite a losing one, for the luscious things melted away mysteriously even when kept in the shade, although each partner kept a strict watch on himself, and seldom, oh, very seldom, refreshed himself with one.
things got so serious that the four partners held a business meeting that evening after the store closed.
"we've got to do something, boys, or we'll break before the week's out, sure as fate," said fred fleming.
by tuesday the boys had that care-worn look that men acquire when they can't make both ends meet. the other boys really pitied them, and some of them actually bought slate-pencils on their way to school in the afternoon, though they did not need them.
that very afternoon an occurrence took place which threatened to end the boys' store-keeping quite tragically.
an organ grinder, with his red-coated monkey, planted himself just beside the pile of lumber and began to play. this pleased tom and bob, who happened to be in sole charge at the time. they enjoyed a monkey's antics as well as any one.
perhaps it was the flag waving over the sign of the "stanley brothers" that suggested to the man to play "rally round the flag, boys." he played it with a will, and the boys, and girls too, rallied with a vengeance. the young merchants found their store again a grand centre of attraction.
the monkey seemed particularly delighted with it, for, after dancing and bowing on the organ-top a short time, he leaped upon the counter, and before the proprietors knew what he was about he had thrust his paw into the box of rubber balls, and was throwing a ball into the crowd.
a shout of delight greeted this feat. tom and bob each made a dive after the monkey, but he dexterously eluded them, and threw another ball.
of course the balls were thrown back at him, and in a moment the air seemed full of them, flying in every direction. the boys could not turn their heads but bounce would come a ball into their eyes, and if they tried to say, "you rascal," the words would be cut short by a ball flying into their mouths. the uproar was tremendous, and the crowd grew larger every minute. the monkey seemed to be in his element, dancing and jumping from shelf to shelf, grinning and chattering with all his might, and when there was no ball convenient he did not hesitate to throw something else.
the boys grew desperate when they saw their slate-pencils and jew's-harps flying through the air.
"see here!" they shouted to the organ-grinder, who was now peacefully playing the "marseillaise hymn," "this thing is getting dangerous. take your old monkey away, will you? you'll have to pay for all the damage. do you hear?"
it would have been surprising if he had heard in all that uproar, but he gave no sign.
tom made another lunge at the monkey, and fell sprawling over the counter. then bob dived at him, but the monkey, reaching down from a high perch, deftly lifted bob's hat, and threw it into the crowd.
"you rascal. i'll pay you for this," screamed bob.
but the next thing the monkey did was to plant himself on bob's head. bob, with his face as red as the monkey's coat, clutched wildly at him, but the monkey clutched the tighter.
bob could do nothing but scream and beat at the mischievous[pg 24] animal, first with one hand, then with the other, then with both at once, while the crowd shouted with laughter, until the organ-grinder, seeing that his monkey was really in danger, stopped his music, called off his pet, and began to move away. then the crowd of children dispersed.
john and fred, who had been taking their turn "off" when these proceedings began, now made their way to their crest-fallen comrades. bob was too angry to make any attempt to collect his property. he picked up his battered hat and walked home, saying, "i don't care what becomes of the old things. i've done with them."
a few of their friends were kind enough to assist them in the search, but it was a sorry-looking set of goods that were collected.
"they're half of them gone," said tom. "i do believe that monkey went off with his cheeks and pockets full of our things."
"i'll have that man prosecuted," said john, fiercely. "which way did he go?"
"oh, he's more likely to prosecute us. he says bob half killed his monkey."
sadly the boys packed up their damaged goods and carried them home, protesting that they had had enough of store-keeping. the monkey had scratched bob's head so hard that he was really suffering, and bess had to run for the arnica bottle, and bandage his head.
aunt sue was particularly liberal with the cake and preserves that evening at tea, and if anything could have comforted the boys, it was such thoughtfulness.
