“I am sorry I let him have a room,” was the boarding house mistress’ reply. “I must confess he did not impress me favorably when first he made his appearance.”
“I presume you want the room occupied, Miss Littell.”
“That’s just it; I need the money, for I have a mortgage coming due and it must be paid.”
“I see. Well, perhaps somebody else will soon come to take the room,” answered Frank. He was right in this surmise; a gentleman came the next day, who took the apartment Grant Deems had occupied, and paid a dollar per week more for board. So in the end Miss Littell was better off than before.
Frank remained in the vicinity of Brentwood nearly two weeks. Business was very good with him, and he not only sold his new books but also bought up several rare volumes which, later on, brought him in a profit of twenty-two dollars. He considered that he was on the highroad to success, and was correspondingly happy.
From Brentwood he went to Colton and then to a large city which I shall call Coalville, for several important coal mines were not far distant. Here business was not quite so good, and much bad weather made him spend some days indoors, but all told, he did enough to keep from complaining.
“It can’t be good all the time,” he reasoned. “If it was I’d be a rich man in no time. I’ve got to take my share of hard knocks.”
While Frank was at Coalville he received a long letter from his father, part of which ran as follows:
“We are all more than pleased to hear of your wonderful success. You are evidently cut out for the book business, just as Mr. Vincent said.
“Yesterday I received another visit from a lawyer representing the railroad company. The company now wish to pay me seven hundred dollars for my injuries. I have referred them again to Mr. Begoin, and he advises me to take two thousand dollars and not a cent less.