"I ought to get at least fifty cents."
"Then I'll tell the advertising man that. Oh, he's a dandy to write the ads up—makes 'em look like regular bargains!" added the boy enthusiastically.
Nelson remained at the rooms a while longer, and then hurried to Sam Pepper's place. To his surprise Pepper had locked up, and on the window was the sign:
"Closed for repairs. Will open as a first-class café in about two weeks."
"He hasn't lost any time in going ahead," thought our hero. "I wonder where he is?"
"Sam's out of town," called out a bootblack who had some chairs close by. "Told me to give you this." And he passed over an envelope, containing a sheet of paper and the store key. On the sheet was written:
"Am going away for two or three days on business. A man will be here at ten o'clock to-morrow morning to measure the place for new fixtures. You stay around while he is here. Then you keep the place locked up until I get back."
"Gone away for two or three days," thought Nelson. "I wonder what he is up to now?"
He went inside, and saw at once that many of the old fixtures had been removed, and that the little kitchen in the rear had been turned almost inside out. The living apartment, however, was as it had been, excepting that Sam Pepper had used it for packing purposes, and the floor was strewn with bits of paper and some excelsior.
"If I'm to stay here, I might as well clean up," thought our hero, and set to work with a broom. "And then I'll take an hour off and clean and mend my clothes."