In the newspaper was another piece that was interesting to a lot of
people, besides the piece about Rock. It was one Mark wrote about a
daily newspaper such as Spragg was trying to get up. Mark had written to
everybody he could think of that would know about it, and got facts and
figures, and set them right down in print where everybody could see.
He showed how much it would cost to _start_ such a paper. He showed how
much it would cost to run it a year, and how much it would have to be
paid for advertising, and how much for subscriptions, and how many
subscribers it would have to have to live at all.
Then he proved the thing that upset Spragg's apple-cart--that the
merchants wouldn't get their advertising for nothing, but that they
would have to advertise six days a week instead of one, and that, even
dividing up what profits there were, the merchants would have to spend
about five times as much as they ever had before, not counting in what
they put into the scheme to start it.
Well, when the business men read that article, and saw who Mark got his
information from and all, they were pretty sick, because they had
already gone into it and put up quite a lot of money. Some of them came
in to see Mark, but he said he wouldn't talk then, but would wait till
the meeting that night.
That's what he did. We all went to it. Spragg was there, looking pretty
sick, and Lawyer Jones went with us. First Spragg raved and talked, but
it didn't do any good. They had formed a company, and Spragg had _some_
money in it, as well as anybody else. He didn't like to see the way
things were going. And besides, he wasn't getting even with Mark.
Then Mark got up and repeated some of his figures, and ended up by
saying:
"You've g-g-got up a company to run a n-newspaper, so why don't you run
one? We f-f-fellers has got to go back to school, but we've built up the
_Trumpet_ so's it's a _good_ paper, with fifteen hunderd subscribers,
and it's m-makin' good money. Now, why don't you buy it, you b-business
men, and run it for the benefit of Wicksville and yourselves? Hire a
good editor and give this county the b-b-best newspaper in the State.
It's all ready. All you got to do is t-take it over. We'll sell cheap."
"How much?" says. Mr. Pawl, who was the chairman.
"Well," says Mark, "we got our p-plant and stock, that's worth
s-somethin'. We got fifteen hunderd subscribers, and that's worth a lot,
for they've got a year to run, and we've got cash in the bank. About
twelve hunderd d-d-dollars. I'll tell you what. Give us t-t-two thousand
dollars, and we'll call it a deal."
Well, they figgered, and Lawyer Jones figgered with them, and Mark
figgered with them, until at last they agreed, and a contract was made
and signed sayin' the money would be paid over next day. Then Mark says:
"You're goin' to n-need an editor right off. You got a n-newspaper man
here. Maybe he hain't acted jest right to us, but for all that, maybe
he's a good man. Why d-don't you give Spragg a chance at b-bein' editor?
He's worked to git up this company of yourn. It'll be up to him to make
good."
Spragg looked queer at Mark, but didn't say a word till the meeting
decided to give him a try. Then he walked over to Mark and says, holding
out his hand:
"What you just did, Mark Tidd, is a mighty fine thing, and I'm going to
deserve it. And if you're ever looking for a friend come to me--Spragg."
That was all.
And so I guess that's about all of everything. We sold out for two
thousand dollars, which Mark divided between us, fair and square, and we
put it in the bank. We knew Mark was a business man, and he had done
things before that made folks take notice, but I don't know as he'll
ever do a job of work harder than taking a busted-down newspaper that he
bought for three-four hunderd dollars, and making it a first-class
newspaper, and selling out for such a profit--just to pass away a
vacation.
Some day he's going to make Rockefeller hustle.
THE END
Books by
CLARENCE BUDINGTON KELLAND
THE HIGHFLYERS
MARK TIDD, MANUFACTURER
THE SOURCE
SUDDEN JIM
THE HIDDEN SPRING
MARK TIDD
MARK TIDD IN THE BACKWOODS
MARK TIDD IN BUSINESS
MARK TIDD'S CITADEL
MARK TIDD, EDITOR
THIRTY PIECES OF SILVER
HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK
Established 1817