"What is it this morning, boys?" he asked, with a smile. "Can I sell you a car to-day?"
He meant it as a joke, and he was greatly surprised when Frank answered:
"It all depends. We'll buy one if you can make us a good price."
"Why, that's fine," said the manager, immediately becoming businesslike. "What would you like to see? One of the new sport models?"
"No," replied Joe. "We're in the market for a used car."
"We heard you had Judge Keene's old car here," added Frank.
"Why, yes, we have. He turned it in and bought a new model. But you wouldn't want that car, boys. It looks like a million dollars, but it's all on the surface. I'll be frank with you—Judge Keene said the engine was no good, and I agree with him. It was put out by a new company that went bankrupt about a year later. They put all their money into the bodies of the cars and not very much into the engines. You would be wasting your money."
"We want a good-looking car, cheap," insisted Frank. "I don't care so much about the engine. It's the looks that count this time."
The manager shook his head.
"Well," he said, "I suppose you lads like to have a car that'll knock everybody's eye out, and I'm not denying this is a dandy-looking boat. But I won't guarantee its performance."