“And if I object?”
“You won’t, will you, Dad? I’m such a pathetic little competitor.”
“I’ll run off the first edition for you,” Mr. Parker promised. “But mind, only the first. How many papers will you want? About five hundred?”
“Oh, roughly, six thousand. That should take care of my street sales.”
Mr. Parker’s fork clattered against his plate. “Your street sales?” he repeated. “Where, may I ask, did you acquire your distribution organization?”
“Oh, I have plans,” Penny chuckled. “Running a paper is really very simple.”
“Young lady, you’re riding for a heartbreaking fall,” warned her father severely. “Six thousand copies! Why, you’ll be lucky to dispose of three hundred!”
“Wait and see,” said Penny confidently.
During the week which followed there were no idle moments for the staff of the newly organized Weekly Times. Leaving Louise in charge of the news output, Penny concentrated most of her attention on the problem of winning advertisers. Starting with a page taken by the Malone Glass Company, she and Jack Malone toured the city, selling a total of forty-two full columns.
The novelty of the enterprise intrigued many business men, while others took space because they were friends of Mr. Malone or Mr. Parker. Money continued to pour into the till of the Weekly Times.