“Yes, our father; but he was mine before he was yours,” laughed her brother. “Well, here we are at Blake’s, where you have an errand; at least, so you said, I think.”
They passed into the store, finding so many customers there that all the clerks were engaged; and while waiting till some one could attend to their wants, they amused themselves in scrutinizing the contents of shelves, counters, and show-cases. Some picture-frames, brackets, and other articles of carved wood attracted their attention.
“Some of those are quite pretty, Max,” Lulu remarked in an undertone; “but I think you have made prettier ones.”
“So have you; and see,” pointing to the prices attached, “they pay quite well for them. No, I’m not so sure of that, but they ask good prices from their customers. Perhaps we could make a tolerable support at the business, if we had to take care of ourselves,” he added in a half-jesting tone.
“Earn enough to buy bread and butter maybe, but not half the good things papa buys for us,” said Lulu.
“Is no one waiting upon you?” asked the proprietor of the store, drawing near.
“No, sir; they all seem to be busy,” answered Lulu.
“Yes. What can I show you? Some of this carved work? We have sold a good deal of it, and I’m sorry to say that the young lady who supplied it has decided to give up the business—and go into matrimony,” he added, with a laugh.
A thought seemed to strike Lulu, and she asked, coloring slightly as she spoke, “Does it pay well?”
The merchant named the prices he had given for several of the articles, and asked in his turn if she knew of any one who would like to earn money in that way.