“But where can I get the wagon and harness?” he asked himself over and over again.
At last, when he had talked the matter over with his friend Timothy Muldoon, the railroad gate-tender, in his little shanty at the foot of the street, Mike got the idea.
“Sure why don’t ye advertise in the papers?” asked Tim, as Mike called him. “That’s what everybody does that has anything to sell or wants to buy. Advertise for a goat wagon and harness. Sometimes goats dies, and the folks that owns them don’t get another, but sells the outfit.”
“But it costs money to advertise,” objected Mike.
“Sure and won’t the paper you work for trust you?” asked the gateman.
“The paper I work for?” repeated Mike, wonderingly.
“I mean the one you delivers for, nights,” for Mike had a paper route for an evening paper, the _Journal_.
“They ought to know you there,” went on Tim. “Tell the advertising man what you want, and that you’ll pay him when you can.”
“I’ll do it!” cried Mike, and he did. When, rather timidly, he explained to the man at the desk in the office what he wanted, and told him that he had delivered the _Journal_ for several years, a bargain was made.
The man would put the advertisement in the paper for Mike, saying he wanted to buy a second-hand goat wagon and harness. He was to pay for the advertisement at the rate of two cents each day, for the Widow Malony and her son were so poor that even two cents counted.
“And you can easy make up that two cents by getting two new customers for the paper,” said Tim, when Mike told him what had happened.
“Yes. But how am I going to pay for the goat wagon and harness in case some one has it to sell?” Mike questioned.
“Well, maybe I have a bit of a nest egg laid away,” said Tim, with a smile. “I might lend you the money, and when you get rich you can pay me. Or whoever sells the outfit might let your mother make up the amount by washing. We’ll see about that.”
To Mike’s delight he had two answers to his advertisement. One was for a very fine goat wagon and harness, but the price asked was more than even Tim would advise paying.
“You can get that, or one like it, when you’ve made a hundred dollars on the goat rides,” said the gate-man to Mike.
The other outfit was just about right, Tim and Mike thought, and the man who had the wagon and harness for sale said Mrs. Malony could pay for it by doing washing and ironing. So, after Mike had paid for the advertisement, no more money need be paid out.