The glasses emptied, the two got down to business. Wares were displayed and bargains struck. Every stamp collector, it seems, has some specialty. Cotton’s was early American issues. Harry had a leaning toward rare foreign stamps, but possessed a good many “postmasters” that Cotton coveted. One by one, or in heaps of a half dozen or so, their treasures changed owners. Harry discovered, to his chagrin, that Cotton knew a good deal more about “postmasters” than he did; and having once made that discovery, he bargained with more caution. One stamp, which he had held in poor esteem, left his possession in exchange for three Venezuelans of no especial interest; and after it was safely in Cotton’s pocket, that youth made the mistake of showing his gratification. The stamp, he declared, was a rare “error”; he had only one like it, and his example was not nearly so well preserved. After that Harry grew very cautious, and I think Cotton subsequently gave good value for everything he got.
Toward the end of the negotiations the Broadwood youth drew out a leather wallet, and from some deep recess brought to light a small triangle that he presented for examination with much the same awe that a jeweler might exhibit an unusually fine pearl. Harry leaned over and looked at it. It was a blue Cape of Good Hope in remarkably good condition. Harry tried his best to seem unimpressed, but something of his admiration and covetousness had to show. Cotton, watching, saw and smiled to himself. Harry pushed the stamp away carelessly. “Not bad,” he said. “I had one of those offered me last year for three dollars. They’re not very rare, you know.”
“Aren’t, eh?” scoffed the other. “This is only the third one I’ve ever seen, Merrow. I got this from a dealer in Baltimore; paid seven dollars for it, too. I’ll let you have it for six, though, because I’ve got one like it. I bought a fellow’s collection year before last, and it was among a lot of unmounted ones. Guess he never knew how valuable it was.”
“Pshaw,” replied Harry, “I’d like to have it, but I wouldn’t give that much. I can get one from Brown, in New York, for a lot less than that.”
“I’ll bet you you can’t! You look it up in the catalogue and see what it costs! Besides, I don’t believe Brown has one for sale now. Why, they’re as scarce as hens’ teeth.”
“Well, I wouldn’t give any such price as that,” replied Harry. “I’ll trade you some revenues for it, if you like. I’ve got some dandies at home.”
“What are they?” asked Cotton, doubtfully. Harry enumerated them, and Cotton shook his head.
“Nothing doing. I’ll trade you some foreigns for them, but I’ll have to have cash for this. Why, a fellow offered me six dollars for it just the other day!”
“You ought to have let him have it,” replied Harry, nonchalantly, with a shrug of his shoulders. “I tell you what I’ll do, though. I’ll give you four dollars for it. What do you say?”
For answer Cotton smiled superciliously and slowly and carefully returned the stamp to his wallet. Harry watched it go with aching sight. He wanted it badly; had been looking for that particular stamp for a long time. But he hid his disappointment under an appearance of indifference and turned the conversation. It wasn’t long, however, before they were bargaining again over that same stamp. Cotton produced it again, and laid it temptingly in the middle of the table. Harry made concessions and so did Cotton, but their prices remained sufficiently far apart to prohibit an agreement. In the end, the precious triangle went back once more into concealment. Secretly chagrined and disappointed, but not altogether hopeless of ultimate possession of the stamp, Harry offered to stand treat to soda, and so they were soon busy again over their straws. As is natural, when two boys from rival schools get together, they were soon extolling the merits of Broadwood and Yardley. Cotton surprised Harry with his knowledge of athletics, a subject in which Harry was unable to compete, although he looked knowing, and even dared now and then to take issue with the other. Cotton, though, always proved his contentions to be right. But when the Broadwood youth began to describe, with sickening details, the awful fate awaiting the Yardley Baseball Team and Track Team when they tried conclusions with Broadwood, Harry’s patriotism drove him to protest. But Cotton’s superior knowledge of the matter won him the honors of the debate, even if it didn’t convince Harry. The latter somewhat lost his temper.