Frank hesitated, but he saw that the young farmer was in earnest.
“Very well,” he said, at last. “I’ll take the money. But on one condition, that you let me send you a complimentary set of those famous novels I mentioned to you, along with a bookshelf to keep them on.”
“Well, I shan’t stop you from sending us a present, Mr. Hardy. But you haven’t got to do it if you don’t want to,” answered Samuel Windham, and a little later he took his departure, after our hero had thanked him warmly for the reward.
It must be confessed that the young book agent felt highly elated when he stowed the hundred-dollar bill away in his pocketbook.
“Old books seem to be bringing me in more money than new books,” he thought. “But I can’t expect to have such luck as this all the time.”
He lost no time in sending for the set of novels, stating he would pay cash for them, and also requested Mr. Vincent’s head clerk to send a nice bookshelf with the books. It may be added here that when the books and the shelf came, the Windhams were very proud of the gift.
The next few days were quiet ones for the young book agent. Try his best he could obtain but few orders, and by the end of the week he resolved to try a new locality on the following Monday.
Frank attended a neighboring church on Sunday morning, and in the afternoon went out for a short walk along the river.
He was on his way back when he passed a man who was driving furiously along in a buggy. The person was Mr. Sinclair Basswood.
“Hi! hi! stop!” called out the ex-mayor, as he caught sight of Frank.