Paul the Peddler | Page 5

pay, for one
thing, nor clerk hire, being competent to attend to his entire business
single-handed. All his expense, in fact, was the first cost of his stock in
trade, and he had so fixed his prices as to insure a good profit on that.
So, on the whole, Paul felt very well satisfied at the result of his
experiment, for this was his first day in the prize-package business.

"I guess I'll go home," he said to himself. "Mother'll want to know how
I made out." He turned up Nassau street, and had reached the corner of
Maiden lane, when Teddy O'Brien met him.
"Did you sell out, Johnny?" he asked.
"Yes," answered Paul.
"How many packages did you have?"
"Fifty."
"That's bully. How much you made?"
"I can't tell yet. I haven't counted up," said Paul.
"It's better'n sellin' papers, I'll bet. I've only made thirty cents the day.
Don't you want to take a partner, Johnny?"
"No, I don't think I do," said Paul, who had good reason to doubt
whether such a step would be to his advantage.
"Then I'll go in for myself," said Teddy, somewhat displeased at the
refusal.
"Go ahead! There's nobody to stop you," said Paul.
"I'd rather go in with you," said Teddy, feeling that there would be
some trouble in making the prize packages, but influenced still more by
the knowledge that he had not capital enough to start in the business
alone.
"No," said Paul, positively; "I don't want any partner. I can do well
enough alone."
He was not surprised at Teddy's application. Street boys are as
enterprising, and have as sharp eyes for business as their elders, and no
one among them can monopolize a profitable business long. This is
especially the case with the young street merchant. When one has had

the good luck to find some attractive article which promises to sell
briskly, he takes every care to hide the source of his supply from his
rivals in trade. But this is almost impossible. Cases are frequent where
such boys are subjected to the closest espionage, their steps being
dogged for hours by boys who think they have found a good thing and
are determined to share it. In the present case Paul had hit upon an idea
which seemed to promise well, and he was determined to keep it to
himself as long as possible. As soon as he was subjected to competition
and rivalry his gains would probably diminish.

CHAPTER II
PAUL AT HOME
Paul went up Centre street and turned into Pearl. Stopping before a
tenement-house, he entered, and, going up two flights of stairs, opened
a door and entered.
"You are home early, Paul," said a woman of middle age, looking up at
his entrance.
"Yes, mother; I've sold out."
"You've not sold out the whole fifty packages?" she asked, in surprise.
"Yes, I have. I had capital luck."
"Why, you must have made as much as a dollar, and it's not twelve
yet."
"I've made more than that, mother. Just wait a minute, till I've reckoned
up a little. Where's Jimmy?"
"Miss Beckwith offered to take him out to walk with her, so I let him
go. He'll be back at twelve."

While Paul is making a calculation, a few words of explanation and
description may be given, so that the reader may understand better how
he is situated.
The rooms occupied by Paul and his mother were three in number. The
largest one was about fourteen feet square, and was lighted by two
windows. It was covered with a neat, though well-worn, carpet; a few
cane-bottomed chairs were ranged at the windows, and on each side of
the table. There was a French clock on the mantel, a rocking chair for
his mother, and a few inexpensive engravings hung upon the walls.
There was a hanging bookcase containing two shelves, filled with
books, partly school books, supplemented by a few miscellaneous
books, such as "Robinson Crusoe," "Pilgrim's Progress," a volume of
"Poetical Selections," an odd volume of Scott, and several others. Out
of the main room opened two narrow chambers, both together of about
the same area as the main room. One of these was occupied by Paul and
Jimmy, the other by his mother.
Those who are familiar with the construction of a New York
tenement-house will readily understand the appearance of the rooms
into which we have introduced them. It must, however, be explained
that few similar apartments are found so well furnished. Carpets are not
very common in tenement-houses, and if there are any pictures, they
are usually the cheapest prints. Wooden chairs, and generally every
object of the cheapest, are to be met with in the dwellings of the New
York poor. If we find something better