_AN OLD FAKIR._
Sam had very much advice to give during the short walk, and while the
greater portion of it was worthless, there were bits which might be of
value to the young "fakir."
"Don't buy anything till you have seen all there is in town, an' then
you'll know which is the cheapest," Sam repeated several times, with an
air of wisdom, and Teddy believed this to be a good idea.
With this object in view the two boys walked from store to store,
examining that particular quality of canes and knives which Teddy
thought would be best suited to his purpose, and Sam had no hesitation
in criticising the goods boldly, until more than one of the clerks lost
his temper entirely and refused to show the full stock.
"If you go on this way, Sam, we won't get the business done to day, an'
I want to send the stuff down in the stage, which leaves here at three
o'clock."
"There'll be plenty of time for that; I know what I'm about. Now, if you
had sent your money to me, I'd got you a dandy lot in New York for
almost nothing."
"Seein's how I didn't even know your name till a couple of hours ago,
there wasn't much chance for me to do that, an' I guess I'll make out
well enough here if you don't keep on raisin' a fuss with the clerks."
"I won't so much as yip ag'in, if that's the way you look at it. The
question is, which store you're goin' to buy from?"
"There's a place near the depot that wasn't open when we came past.
Let's go there, an' then I'll make up my mind."
Sam, feeling a trifle injured because his advice had not been fully
appreciated, said nothing more until they were near the station, and
then, seeing a train approaching, he proposed that they stop for a few
minutes.
"Jest as likely as not there'll be people on it whom I know goin' to the
fair, an' you want to get acquainted with all the fakirs, so's they'll
help you along now an' then."
"The stage goes at three."
"An' it ain't more'n ten now. Come on!" Sam cried, triumphantly, as he
motioned for Teddy to come nearer.
Sam had already quickened his pace, and Teddy was forced to follow, or
injure the feelings of one whom he believed held a responsible position
in the Peach Bottom exhibition. Among the passengers alighting from the
train as the boys arrived was a man who carried a large package
enveloped in green cloth, and Sam whispered, excitedly:
"I'll bet that's an old fakir, and if he is we want to let him know who
we are."
Teddy failed to understand exactly why this was necessary; but his
companion seemed so positive on the point that he remained silent.
This particular passenger appeared to have plenty of time at his
disposal. He placed his package at one end of the platform, lighted a
pipe, and then walked to and fro as the remainder of the travelers
dispersed.
"You foller me, an' we'll find out who he is," Sam whispered, when he
thought a fitting opportunity had come, and then advanced boldly toward
the stranger. "Goin' to the fair?" he asked.
"Yes; what of it?"
"Nothin', only I s'pose you know you've got to take another train here."
"If I didn't why would I be loafin' around this dead place?"
"I jest spoke of it 'cause this feller an' I are goin' there, too," and
Sam waved his hand in the direction where Teddy was standing.
"I s'pose there'll be other boys besides you at the fair, eh?"
"But we belong to it. I'm to give a steamboat away, an' he's goin' to
run a cane an' knife board. We're waiting here to buy the stock."
[Illustration: THE THREE NOTES WERE HANDED TO THE GENEROUS STRANGER.]
"Oh, you are, eh?" and now the man appeared to be interested. "I reckon
you're goin' to spend as much as a dollar?"
"One? Why, he's got fifteen, an' the whole of it will be spent before
the stage leaves. We know something about the business an' don't count
on gettin' an outfit for nothing."
"I thought you was a fakir," the man said, in a more friendly tone, as,
unobserved by the worldly-wise Sam, he made a peculiar gesture to a
stranger immediately in the rear.
"That's what I am," was the proud reply, "an' I'll make things hum over
at Peach Bottom before I leave the town. You see I thought I'd speak to
you, 'cause all of us fellers should know each other."
"You're right, an' it's mighty lucky you did strike up an acquaintance,
for I can give you a big lift. I've helped many a boy into the business
when they had money enough to help themselves."
The last dozen words were spoken in a loud tone, as if for the benefit
of the stranger in the rear; but instead of waiting to hear more the
latter turned abruptly and walked toward the package with a green
covering at the end of the platform.
"I knew we oughter talk with you."
"Did you count on buying your stuff in this one-horse town?" the man
asked as Teddy approached, and the latter replied:
"There wasn't any other place I could go to, 'cause it costs too much
for a ticket to New York."
"How big a stock do you want?"
"All I can get for fifteen dollars. Don't you think that will be
enough?"
"It depends," the stranger replied, reflectively. "If you buy the goods
here you'll have to pay such a big price that it won't be much of a
pile. Now, if--I've got the very thing in mind! You'll remember the day
you saw me if my plan works. I know a fakir here who has a fine layout
that he wants to sell. You can get fifty dollars' worth of stuff
for--well, he asks twenty; but I'll say you are friends of mine, an' the
chances are you can make a trade."
"That would be a regular snap!" Sam cried, and Teddy's eyes glistened at
the thought of thus procuring a full outfit so cheaply.
"I'll do what I can for you," the man said, in a patronizing tone. "At
any rate, I'll make him come down in his price, and if there's any
balance it can be paid after the fair has been opened long enough for
you to take in some money."
"If business is good, I'm willing to do what is right," Teddy replied;
"but I must pay Uncle Nathan first."
"How much do you owe him?"
"Fifteen dollars."
"Why, bless my soul, it'll be a pretty poor fair if you can't make five
times that amount in the first two days."
"Where can we see the man?" Sam asked, eager that his wonderfully good
trade should be consummated at the earliest possible opportunity.
"I don't know; but he's somewhere in the town. Give me your cash, an'
I'll hunt him up inside of half an hour. The stuff is right here in the
baggage-room, and you can ship it on the stage without any trouble."
Just for an instant Teddy hesitated to part with what seemed to him like
an enormous amount of money; but then came the thought that an old fakir
would not wrong a young one--and he considered himself such. After some
little difficulty he succeeded in extracting all the pins, and the three
notes were handed to the generous stranger almost at the same moment
that the green-covered package disappeared from the edge of the platform
simultaneously with the departure of the second stranger.
"Wait right here for me," the man said, as he put the money in his
pocket. "I've got too much work to do to spend any very great amount of
time hunting you fellows up in case you don't stay in one place."
After thus cautioning them, the old fakir walked slowly away, and Sam
said:
"It was lucky you fell in with me, Teddy, for I know how these things
are worked, an' can give you a good many pointers before the fair is
over. Why, you'll have a first-class outfit for about half what it's
worth."
"Yes, it's a good chance; but I can't see why he didn't take us with him
if he was in a hurry, an' then he wouldn't have had to come back."
"He's got to do that anyway, for his stuff is here," Sam replied,
pointing toward where he had last seen the man's package; but it was no
longer there. "I guess the baggage-master has taken it in," he added;
"but you needn't be afraid of losin' your money while I'm with you."
Then Sam occupied his companion's attention by telling of his many
alleged wonderful exploits, and an hour passed before his story was
concluded.
In the meantime one train had arrived and departed; another was on the
point of leaving the depot, bound for Peach Bottom, when Teddy cried as
he leaped to his feet:
"See! I'm certain that's the man who has got my money!"
"Where?"
"On the platform of the front car!"
Before he could say anything more the train steamed out, leaving the
would-be young fakir staring at it in distress and consternation.
"Of course it wasn't him," Sam said, confidently, when the last car
had disappeared from view. "The stuff he was goin'to buy for you is here
in the baggage-room, 'cause he said so, an' we'll see him before long."
[Illustration: "See! I'm certain that's the man who has got my money."]
Teddy's suspicions had been aroused, and he was not easily quieted. The
thought that it was possible he might have lost the money loaned him by
Uncle Nathan was sufficient to cause the liveliest fear, and he said,
decidedly:
"I'm going to know where that man's baggage went to."
"How'll you find out?"
"Ask the baggage-master."
"Don't make a fool of yourself. It would be nice for an old fakir like
that man to know you thought he'd steal your money."
"I don't care what he knows, so long as I get my fifteen dollars back."
Teddy, trembling with apprehension and excitement, went into the
baggage-room and asked there if a green-covered package had been taken
in by any of the attendants.
No one had seen such an article, and all were positive there was nothing
of the kind remaining in their charge.
Then he asked if a bundle of canes had been left there, and to this
question there was a most decided negative.
"The hangers-on at the fairs haven't begun to come yet," the
baggage-master said, "and when they do come, we sha'n't have any of
their stuff to handle, for it will all be transferred across the
platform without being brought in here. What is the matter? Anything
gone wrong?"
The lump which had been rising in Teddy's throat was now so large that
it was with difficulty he could say:
"A man has run off with fifteen dollars of mine, an' Uncle Nathan will
jest about kill me!"