Across the way from the Stanley boys' home a new house was being built. A pile of lumber lay just outside of the sidewalk in front of the new building, and it was piled so irregularly that the upper boards extended out considerably beyond the lower ones, thus forming a sheltered spot below. The ends of some of the lower boards, too, projected in such a way as to make little shelves at different heights, and even a rude seat and table. The boys had often gathered under this shelter for a chat, and when John and Bob Stanley announced that they saw in it the making of a fine store, all the other boys groaned inwardly, and said to themselves, "Why did not I think of that?"
Of course Bob and John did not plunge into the risks of business without first counting the cost. The plan was well digested. They had talked it over fully three days before it was publicly announced.
The chief difficulty was about the amount of capital to be invested. John had been saving up his money for a long time toward buying a bicycle, and Bob—well, Bob was not so thrifty; there was not much "save" about him, though when it came to needing the money to set him up in business, he saw clearly that he must mend his ways.
"I declare, John," he said, gloomily, "I don't believe I can rake up twenty-five cents toward starting the store. I wish I'd thought of it before. It was only last week I bought ten cents' worth of marbles."
"Put them in stock, and sell out at an advance," suggested John.
Bob shook his head. "The boys aren't going to pay me more for marbles than they can get them for at Thompson's. Besides, I was dunce enough to show them off at recess, so the boys would call them second-hand, and want a reduction."
"That's true. But you had better lose on them for the sake of getting some cash in hand that you could lay out in something you could make money on."
"But I don't see how we are to make money, anyhow. The other boys can buy as cheap as we can."
"No; Thompson would come down in his prices if we told him we were buying to sell again. Buying at wholesale, you know, they always do."
"So they do;" and Bob's face brightened. "You have a lot of money to put into the business," he said, admiringly.