"That's hard these times, Nelson. How much a day can you make at it?"
"From seventy-five cents to a dollar and a quarter. Sometimes I make a dollar and a half, but that's not often."
"The books used to bring me in from three to five dollars a day. But the department stores cut the prices now, and soon the whole book-agent business will be ruined."
"What will you go into then?"
"I don't know. If I had the money I'd start a newsstand—for papers and books, too."
"That would pay, if you could get hold of the right corner," said our hero, with interest.
"I know of a good corner on Third Avenue. The man who keeps it now is old and wants to sell out."
"What does he want for the stand?"
"A hundred dollars. Of course the stock isn't worth it, but the business is."
"That depends on what he takes in a day."