“What is it, Frank?” he questioned eagerly.
“Markham,” said Frank, quite unnerved with excitement, “it’s a big, big order.”
“How big?” demanded Markham. “Quick, I’m on the edge of nervous prostration.”
“Fifty to one hundred dollars,” announced Frank, in quite a husky voice. “A few more of such orders and we’ll know where we stand. It’s from the owner of a general store at Decatur. He writes that he has purchased from an advertising agency fifty-two picture rebuses—easy ones—one for each week in the year. Accompanying them are fifty-two separate advertisements. These he intends to insert in his weekly paper. He wants to offer each week ten prizes for the ten persons who first appear at his store with correct solutions of the rebuses.”
“I see,” nodded Markham—“good idea.”
“He wants us to designate fifty-two novelties that we can supply, about half and half ten-and-twenty-cent articles. He will take ten of each article, or five hundred and twenty in all. Think of it, Markham!”
“It’s grand, yes, just grand!” declared Markham, in a tone of suppressed excitement.
“He says he will trust to our judgment to select the most catchy novelties, only he expects us to give him special figures on the lot.”
“Of course you’ll do it, Frank?”
“Yes, and make a neat profit, too. Well, this is encouraging.”