Bound to Succeed; or, Mail Order Frank's Chances

by Robert Sidney Bowen

  CHAPTER XII

  A BOY WITH A MYSTERY

  The boy who called himself Markham flushed scarlet at Frank’s suddenwords. His hand went with a quick, nervous movement to his upper lip. Helooked dreadfully embarrassed.

  “Never mind,” said Frank abruptly, trying to make it easy for the youngfellow. “You look better without it.”

  Markham had gained time now to cover his confusion. He swallowed a lumpin his throat and smiled feebly.

  “You see,” he stammered somewhat, “that wasn’t a real moustache--thatone I’ve dropped.”

  “Oh, wasn’t it?” said Frank.

  “No. How I happened to have it was this,” explained Markham, ratherlamely, but with apparent truth. “See?” and he produced from a pockettwo false moustaches and as many small goatees. “Fact is, I wanted toearn some money. I saw a peddler selling those things on a streetcorner. They went like hot cakes. I asked him where he bought them. Hetold me, said he had taken them up only temporarily to make a littlepocket money. He was nearly sold out, and offered me about a dozen ofthem for a quarter. I sold nearly all of them, and then went to theaddress he gave me to stock up again. They wouldn’t sell under agross--three dollars and sixty cents, I think the price was. I didn’thave that much, so my scheme fell down.”

  Markham now took a printed circular from his pocket, as if to verify hisstatement. Frank glanced over it with increasing interest. It advertiseda city firm supplying street peddlers with all kinds of goods.

  “Yes,” said Frank, “I noticed a man selling these same articles on astreet corner. It’s a pretty catchy novelty with boys and young men.”

  “It is, for a fact,” declared Markham. “Look here: did you ever see‘Teddy’s Teeth?’ That’s an old novelty--look.”

  Markham produced and put in his mouth a row of false teeth, welted thereverse side of a moustache, placed it on his upper lip, a minute blackdab of hair on his chin, and turned for inspection to Frank.

  The latter laughed heartily. The transformation from Markham’s naturalface was immense.

  “You have no idea how those things catch people the first time they seethem,” said Markham. “I’ve noticed that fellows from the country buybest. Say, if I had a gross of them, I bet I could sell them in twodays, down your way.”

  “I think you could, too, Markham,” replied Frank, “and you have set methinking on an entirely new business proposition. Can I keep thiscircular?”

  “Surely, if it’s any use to you.”

  “It may be,” said Frank, “in fact, I think I shall order a gross as soonas I get home, just to experiment on.”

  “Going peddling?” insinuated Markham.

  “Why, I’ll tell you,” answered Frank. “Settle down comfortably, andwe’ll chat a little. It will do me good to talk out what’s continuallyon my mind. More than that, I shouldn’t wonder if you, with all yourexperience, could give me some very valuable points. The long and shortof it is, I am going into the mail order business.”

  “Oh!” said his companion wistfully, “isn’t that grand.”

  Frank told his new friend all about himself, his business and his hopesand plans. The other listened with great attention. When Frank hadfinished talking, Markham showed by his expression of face that heconsidered him a pretty smart business boy.

  “If you can afford to hang around with me till I get my bearings,” addedFrank, “I’ll guarantee you a comfortable home anyway, and good money ifyou know how to earn it.”

  Markham’s eyes grew big with excitement. Then his face fell, as he said:

  “I’d like nothing better in the world, but business men don’t hirestrangers without a recommendation. I can give none. I’ll be square withyou. My name isn’t Markham at all. I can’t tell you my real one untilmaybe a long, long time. I wore that moustache partly as a disguise.”

  “Well, all that is your business, Markham,” said Frank.

  “I know that, but it must look suspicious to you. If I told you that Iam leaving the city to get away from some one who is hunting me, wouldyou feel like trusting me much?”

  Frank took his companion’s hand in his own and looked him straight inthe eyes.

  “Markham,” he said, “I am willing to put entire confidence in you. I oweyou that much, surely. Your secrets are not my business, I would liketo ask one question only: You haven’t run away from home, have you?”

  “I have no home,” answered Markham in a subdued tone.

  “An orphan?” insinuated Frank, gently.

  “No, my father is living. He is in the Philippines. He will be out ofservice next January. All I am waiting for is for him to get back tothis country to right my wrongs.”

  “Don’t worry about it, Markham,” said Frank, observing deep sadness anddistress shadow the bright face of his companion. “You come home withme. I’ve got so good a mother she will welcome you gladly.”

  “But I want to work,” said Markham.

  “Haven’t I got work waiting ready for you, and lots of it, too?”demanded Frank.

  “That’s so, is it?” said Markham, brightening up. “My! to be away--awayfrom the city in a quiet, beautiful town. Oh, dear! Oh, dear! You arethe first real friend I’ve found in six months, and--I can’t help it.”

  “That’s right--get rid of all your old troubles,” said Frank, and he didnot think the less of his new friend because he had a good, solid cry.“There’s nothing but sunshine ahead for you, if I can help you any.”

  Frank warmed to the boy as they continued their conversation. A darkspell seemed to lift from Markham’s spirit, each mile accomplished awayfrom the great city that appeared to hold some secret, haunting dreadfor him.

  “Greenville,” announced Frank heartily at length--“and home.”

  The hour was late, the streets deserted, but, as they strolled away fromthe little railroad depot, Markham walked like a person in some raptdream. He drew in great luxurious breaths of the flower-perfumed air. Heviewed pretty moonlit lawns and gardens as if he were looking at somefascinating picture.

  “Like it, do you?” smiled Frank.

  “I love the country. I always did,” replied Markham. “This is just grandto me. Look here, now,” he continued, “you had better let me stow myselfin some friendly haystack or under some hedge till morning. Don’tdisturb your mother to-night about me.”

  “Disturb her?” said Frank. “No danger of her going to bed till I showup, if it’s till morning. There we are--there’s the light in the windowfor us, Markham.”

  Frank led his friend upstairs over the store. Markham lagged behinduntil the greetings between mother and son were over. He stepped alittle timidly forward, as he heard Frank say:

  “Mother, I have brought a friend home with me. This is my mother,Markham.”

  Mrs. Ismond received the homeless boy with a sweet, welcoming smile thatwon his heart entirely. She told Frank to take him into the sittingroom while she herself hustled about the kitchen. Frank left Markhamlong enough to join his mother and tell her what he owed to his newcompanion.

  “It’s late,” said Mrs. Ismond a few minutes later, “but you must eat agood meal after your long, busy day, and I positively will wake upnobody in this house until nine o’clock in the morning.”

  There were only two beds in the house. Frank shared his with Markham.The latter wore a happy smile on his face as he stretched himself outluxuriously.

  “That supper!” he said, in a rapturous sort of a way. “This nicecomfortable bed! I’ve got to shut my eyes for fear it will all turn outa dream.”

  Frank was glad to lie thinking for a spell undisturbed. His companionfell into a profound, exhausted slumber. Mrs. Ismond retired, and thehouse was all quiet at last.

  Like a panorama all the varied events of the preceding twenty-fourhours passed vividly through Frank’s mind. He felt greatly satisfiedwith the outcome of his visit to the city.

  Then Frank began to scan the future, his plans, his ambitions. He felttruly rich with his little mon
ey capital, the present work in hand, themail order lists, the apple corer, and other things.

  “How sick that man is of his apple corer,” mused Frank. “There are overfive thousand of the crude, unsatisfactory things in that big box downstairs. He had a good idea all right, but didn’t know how to apply it.He gave it--to--me--be--”

  There Frank drifted into a doze. It was strange, but he half-dreamed,half-thought out some wonderful transformation of the hardware man’sinvention, and, all of a sudden, in a lightning flash, a great, surgingidea swept through his brain with tremendous force.

  It lifted him out of his sleep half-dazed, he gave a jump from the bedto the floor. There he wavered, rubbing his eyes, and then irresistiblyshouting out:

  “Eureka--I’ve found it!”