“What have you been doing this morning, Jimmy?” asked Paul.
“I have been drawing, Paul. Here's a picture of Friday. I copied it from 'Robinson Crusoe.'”
He showed the picture, which was wonderfully like that in the book, for this--the gift of drawing--was Jimmy's one talent, and he possessed it in no common degree.
“Excellent, Jimmy!” said Paul. “You're a real genius. I shouldn't be surprised if you'd make an artist some day.”
“I wish I might,” said Jimmy, earnestly. “There's nothing I'd like better.”
“I'll tell you what, Jimmy. If I do well this afternoon, I'll buy you a drawing-book and some paper, to work on while mother and I are busy.”
“If you can afford it, Paul, I should like it so much. Some time I might earn something that way.”
“Of course you may,” said Paul, cheerfully. “I won't forget you.”
Dinner over, Paul went out to business, and was again successful, getting rid of his thirty packages, and clearing another dollar. Half of this he invested in a drawing-book, a pencil and some drawing-paper for Jimmy. Even then he had left of his earnings for the day one dollar and eighty cents. But this success in the new business had already excited envy and competition, as he was destined to find out on the morrow.
The next morning Paul took his old place in front of the post office. He set down his basket in front, and, taking one of the packages in his hand, called out in a businesslike manner, as on the day before, “Here's your prize packages! Only five cents! Money prize in every package! Walk up, gentlemen, and try your luck!”
He met with a fair degree of success at first, managing in the course of an hour to sell ten packages. All the prizes drawn were small, with the exception of one ten-cent prize, which was drawn by a little bootblack, who exclaimed:
“That's the way to do business, Johnny. If you've got any more of them ten-cent prizes, I'll give you ten cents a piece for the lot.”
“Better buy some more and see,” said Paul.
“That don't go down,” said the other. “Maybe there'd be only a penny.”
Nevertheless, the effect of this large prize was to influence the sale of three other packages; but as neither of these contained more than two-cent prizes, trade began to grow dull, and for ten minutes all Paul's eloquent appeals to gentlemen to walk up and try their luck produced no effect.