CHAPTER III
PAUL HAS COMPETITORS
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.
At this point Paul found that there was a rival in the field.