“He can do just as he likes about THAT!” replied Dolly. “I have something on my mind much more important than horse-racing. To-day you are to learn how I spent your money. It’s to be in the morning papers.”
When he came to breakfast, Dolly was on her knees. For his inspection she had spread the newspapers on the floor, opened at an advertisement that appeared in each. In the Centre of a half-page of white paper were the lines:
SOLD OUT IN ONE DAY!
ENTIRE FIRST EDITION
THE DEAD HEAT
BY
CHAMPNEYS CARTER
SECOND EDITION ONE HUNDRED THOUSAND
“In Heaven’s name!” roared Carter. “What does this mean?”
“It means,” cried Dolly tremulously, “I’m backing my dream. I’ve always believed in your book. Now, I’m backing it. Our lawyers sent me to an advertising agent. His name is Spink, and he is awfully clever. I asked him if he could advertise a book so as to make it sell. He said with my money and his ideas he could sell last year’s telephone book to people who did not own a telephone, and who had never learned to read. He is proud of his ideas. One of them was buying out the first edition. Your publishers told him your book was ‘waste paper,’ and that he could have every copy in stock for the cost of the plates. So he bought the whole edition. That’s how it was sold out in one day. Then we ordered a second edition of one hundred thousand, and they’re printing it now.
“The presses have been working all night to meet the demand!”
“But,” cried Carter, “there isn’t any demand!”
“There will be,” said Dolly, “when five million people read our advertisements.”
She dragged him to the window and pointed triumphantly into the street.
“See that!” she said. “Mr. Spink sent them here for me to inspect.”