Jasper County Democrat, Volume 13, Number 68, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 3 December 1910 — THE FORTUNE HUNTER [ARTICLE+ILLUSTRATION]

THE FORTUNE HUNTER

Novelized by LOUIS JOSEPH VANCE

From the Play of the * Same Name by WINCHELL SMITH Copyright. 1910. by Winchell Smith and Loots Joseph Vance

CHAPTER VIIL THE thought infused new life into the younger man's waning purpose. “Mr. Graham. I wish you'd let me tome in here for awhile. I don’t cqre about wages.” Graham lifted his shoulders resign edly. “Well, my boy, it don't seem right, but if you really want to work here for nothing I'll be glad to have you, and if things look up with me I’ll be glad to pay you.’’ Abruptly he found his band grasped and pum{*ed gratefully. “That's mighty good of you, Mr (Graham. When can I start?’’ “Why, whenever you like.” In a twinkling Duncan’s hat and gloves were off. “I’d like to now,” he said. “Where can we get more sirups?” “Unfortunately I’ll have to buy them.” > “How much?” Duncan’s hand was in his pocket in an instant “Oh, no; you mustn’t do that.” Sam tracked away in alarm. “I couldn't allow it my boy. It’s good of you, but”— “Either.” Nat told himself, “I’m asleep or some one's refusing to take money from me.” He grinned cheerfully. “Oh. that’s all he con tended aloud. “I’ll draw if down as soon as we begin to sell soda.” He selected a bill from his slender store. “Will $5 be enough?” “Oh, yes. but it wouldn't be right for me to”— But by this time Duncan was prfessing the bill into his band. “Nonsense!”

be insisted “How can ue build up trade Mitbout sirup?” “But—but"— “And how can I learn the business without trade?" He closed Graham's unwilling fingers over the money and skipped away Sighing. Graham gave over the unequal'argument. "Well, if you're satisfied. my boy But I’ll have to write to El miry for it ” “Telegraph." Telegraph!” Graham laughed. “That would kill Lew Parker. I guess." “Wbo's be?” ' I ■ / "Telegraph operator and ticket ■gent” "Well, he won t be missed much. Telegraph and tell ’em to send the goods C. O. D. Please. Mr Graham. We Want to get things moving here, you . know. We*re got to build up the business. We'll put out some signs and—and, well, we’ll get the people in the habit of coming here somehow. You’ll see.” He raked the poverty stricken shelves with a calculating eye, all his energy fired by enthusiasm at the prospect of doing something. Graham watched him with kindling liking and admiration. His Old lips quivered a little before be voiced bis thought “You—you know, my boy, you’ve got splendid business ability,” he asserted, with whole souled conviction. Duncan almost reeled. “What?’ he cried. ■ •5 WM Just saying you have wonder-

’Till business ability.” “You're the first man that ever said that I wonder if It's so.” "I’m sure of it” “Well." said Nat. chuckling. “I’ll write that to my chum He’ll”— “Ob. 1 can tell.” Graham interrupted. “N'ow. I- Well, you see. 4’ve been a failure in business. So far as that goes. I've l»een a failure in everything all my life." Duncan stared for a moment, then offered bis hand "lor luck." he explained. ineeting Graham’s puzzled gaze as his hand was taken. Wondering. Graham shook his head, and gratitude made bis old voice tremulous. He pul a baud over Duncan's, patting il gently “1 want yen to know, my boy. that I appreciate" His voice broke. “It's mighty kind of you to buy the sirupvery Wild"— “Nothing of the sort. Ir*s just because I've got great business ability.” Duncan laughed quietly and moved away. “We ll want to clean up a bit.” said he “Got a broom? i’ll raise the

dust a bit while you’re out sending that wire." “You'll find one in the cellar. 1 guess, but—your clothes”— “Oh, that's all right. Where’s the cellar?” “Underneath,” Graham told him simply, taking down a battered hat from a hook behind the counter “I know. But how do 1 get there?" “By the steps. You go through that door there into the hall. The steps are under the stairs to our rooms. 1 live above the store, you see.” “Yes. Goodby. Jlr. Graham.” “Goodby, my boX" Duncan watched/the old man move slowly out of sight then, with a groan, sat down on the counter to think it over. “It wouldn’t be me if I didn't make a mess of things somehow,” he told himself bitterly. “Now you have gone and went and done it; Mr. Fortune Hunter. You stand a swell chance of getting away with the goods when you take a wageless job in a spavined country drug store with no trade worth mentioning and nothing to draw it with just because that old duffer's the only human being you've spotted in. this burg. “Wonder what Harry would say if he heard about that wonderful business ability thing But what in thunder can we do to bring business to this bum joint?" He raked his surroundings with a discouraged glance. "Oh." he said thoughtfully, “it’s the limit.”

Fire minutes later Ben Sperry found him in the same position, his bead bent in perplexed reverie. Sperry had been traveling for Gresham & Jones, a wholesale drug house in Elmira, more years than I can remember His friendship for Sam Graham, contracted during the days when Graham’s was the drug store of, Bad Ville, has survived the decay of the business He's a square, decent man. Sperry, and has wasted many an hour trying to persuade Sam to pay a little more attention to the business f “Anything I can do for you?" chirped Duncan cheerfully, dropping off the counter as Sperry entered. “No-o,” amazedly. “I just wanted to see old Sam. Is he upstairs?’ “No; Mr. Graham’s not in at present,” Duncan told him civilly. Sperry wrinkled his brows over this problem. “You working here?” he asked. “Yes. sir.” “Well, I’ll be hanged!” “Let. us hope not,” said Duncan pleasantly. He waited a moment, a little irritated. "Sure there's nothing I can do for you?' ' “No-o,” Raid Speny slowly, struggling to comprehend. "Thank you just the same,” „, t ,

“Not as aIT” Dfihcan turned tway. “You see.” Sperry pursued. “I don't buy from drug stores; 1 sell to ’em,” Duncan faced about with new Interest in the man. "Yes?" he said encouragingly. “My card.” volunteered Sperry, fishing the slip of [>asteboard from his

waistcoat |>ockei. He dropped his sample case beside the stove and piumiied down in the chair, to the peril of its existence. “I don't make this town very often." be pursued while Duncan studied his card. “Sothern & Lee are the only people I sell to here, but 1 never miss a chance to chin awhile with old Sam So. having half an hour -before tiain time. 1 thought I'd drop in “ “Mr. Graham doesn't order from your house, then?" “Doesn't order from anybody, does he?” t“1 don't know. I’ve just come here. He'll be sorry to have missed you. though. He s just stepjied out to wire your house— I gather from the fact that it’s in Elmira; be mentioned that town, not the firm name—for some sirups.” “You don't mean it!” Sperry gasped. “What's struck him all of a sudden? He ain't put in any new stock for ten years. 1 reckon.” “Well, you see." Duncan explained artfully. “I've jiersuaded him in a way to try to make something out of the business here; We’re going to do what we can. of course, in a small way at first” Sperry wagged a dubious bead. “1 dunno.” he considered “Sam's a nice old duffer, but be ain't got no business sense and never had. You can see for yourself bow he's let everything run to seed here. Sothern & Ix*e took all his trade years ago.” “Yes, 1 know. That’s why he needs me,” said Duncan brazenly. In his soul he remarked. “Oh. Lord!” In a tone of awe. His colossal impudence dazed even himself. .“But don't you think he could get back some of the trade If the store was stocked up?” “No doubt about that at all,” Sperry averred: “he'd get the biggest part of it." “You think so?” « “Sure of it. You see. everybody round here likes Sam. and Sothern & Lee have always been outsiders. They would swing to this shop in a minute just on account of that. Fact is, I wasted a lot of talk on our firm a couple of years ago trying to make our people give him some credit, but they couldn't see it He owed them a bill then that was so old it had grown whiskers.” - “And still owes it 1 presume?’ “You bet be still owes it. Always will. It’s so small that it ain't worth while suing for”— “Look here. Mr. Sperry, bow much is this bill with the whiskers?” “About ?.".O. I think.” said the traveling man. fumbling for his wallet “I’m supposed to ask for payment every time I strike town, you know, so I always have It with me. but 1 haven’t had the heart to say a word to Sam for a good long time. Here it is.” Duncan studied carefully the memorandum: “To Mdse, as per bill rendered. $47 85.” “I wonder”— he murmured. “Eh?” said Sperry.

“I was wondering. Suppose you were to teM your people that there’s a young fellow here who’d like to give this store a boom. Say be wants a little credit because—because Mr. Graham won’t let him put in any cash”— “Not a bit of use." Sperry negatived. “I would myself, but the house—no.” “But suppose I pay this bill”— “Pay it? You really mean that?’ “Certainly 1 mean it.” Duncan produced the wad of bills which Kellogg had furnished - him the night before his departure from New York. Thus far he had broken only one of the SSOO gold certificates, and of that one he had the greater part left Living is anything but expensive in Radville. “I’m beginning to understand that I was cut out for an actor.” he told himself as he thumbed the roll with a serious air and an assumed indifference, which permitted Sperry to estimate its size pretty accurately. ; “That’s quite a stack of chips you’re carrying.” Sperry observed. Duncan's hand airily wafted the remark into the limbo of the negligible. “A trifle— a mere trifle,” he said casually. “1 don’t generally carry much cash about me. Haven’t for five years,” he added irrepressibly. He extracted a fifty dollar certificate from the sheaf and handed it over. “I’ll take a receipt, but you needn’t mention this to Mr. Graham just now.” < \ I “No. certainly not" Sperry scrawled his signature to the bill. “And about that line of credit?’

"Well, with tiffs paid I guess you could have what you needed In moderation. Of course”— “My name, is Duncan—Nathaniel Duncan.” Sperry made a memorandum of it on the back of an envelope. “Any former business connections?” “None that I care to speak about,” Duncan confessed glumly.’ Sperry's face lengthened. “No references?” It took thought and after thought courage, but Duncan hit upon the solution at length. “Do you know LJ. Bartlett & Co.. the brokers?” “Do 1 know J. Pierjtont Morgan?” “Then that’s all right Te|l your people to inquire of Harry Kellogg, the junior partner. He knows all about me.”. Noting the name. Sperry put away the envelope. “That’s enough. If he says you're all right you can have anything you want” .He consulted his watch "iUmm! Train to catch. But let's see. What do you need here?”'. ■

Duncan reviewed the empty shelves, his face glowing “Pills.” he said, with a laugh—“all kinds of pills and everything for a regular, sure enough drug store. Mr. Sperry, everything Sothern & Lee carry and a lot of attractive things they don't—small lots, you know, until 1 see what we can sell.” “I see. Yon leave it to me. I probably know’ what you need better than you do. I’ll make out a list this after noon and mail it tonight with instructions to ship it at the earliest possible moment.” “Splendid!” Duncan told him. “You do that and don't worry about our making good. I'm gbing to put all my time and energy into this proposition and”— “Then you'll make good all right,” Sperry assured him. "All anybody’s got to do is look at ydu to see you’re a good business man.” He returned Duncan's pressure and picked up his sample case. “S’long,” said he and left briskly, leaving Duncan speechless. As if to assure himself of his sanity he put a hand to his brow and stroked it cautiously. “Heavens.” he said and sought the support of the counter, “that's twice today I’ve been told that in the same place!" “It’s funny.” be said, half dazed. “1 never could have pulled that off for myself” (To Be Continued.)

“WILL $5 BE ENOUGH?"

A SQUARE, DECENT MAN, SPEBRY.

“LET US HOPE NOT.” SAID DUNCAN.