PERCY HEARS SOMETHING.
Ralph was not much alarmed when Percy Paget went over and disappeared
beneath the waters of the lake. He knew the young aristocrat could swim.
Moreover, the end of the rowboat was within easy reach.
Percy let out one yell, and then went under. The yell was not one of fright
over his safety, but over the thought that all of his elegant clothing
would be wet through and through.
He made a great splashing when he came up, and soon grasped the gunwale of
his boat.
"You rascal!" he spluttered. "Just wait till I settle with you!"
"It's your own fault that you went overboard," retorted Ralph. "I sincerely
hope that it cures your fiery temper."
"Don't talk to me!"
"All right, I won't," and without another word Ralph walked off, leaving
Percy to get out of his predicament as best he could.
The young aristocrat was fearfully angry when he at last drew himself out
of the lake. His hat had floated off, and he was compelled to row away from
shore for it. By the time he came back Ralph had disappeared.
"I'll fix him for that!" muttered the young bully, hotly. "I'll fix him,
see if I don't!"
It made Percy doubly angry to think that Ralph had been so richly rewarded
for stopping the runaway team. Percy thought a good deal of Julia
Carrington, and he fondly hoped that the young and beautiful girl regarded
him with equal favor. He would have been disagreeably surprised had he
known the exact truth.
Percy had rowed over to Eastport, intending to call at Mr. Dunham's
sporting goods store for a new fishing-rod with which to go fishing up the
lake. But now he was out of the humor for this, and, instead of landing
again, he turned back toward Westville.
It was a bright, sunshiny day, and by spreading out his coat on the seats,
he soon had it fairly dry. He also pressed the water from his cap and from
his vest and trousers as best he could.
"Yes, sir, I'll get square with him, just as sure as my name is Percy
Paget," he muttered over and over to himself.
Percy was just about to tie up at one of the little wharves some distance
above the bridge, when he espied two young ladies walking along the shore.
They were Julia Carrington and her intimate friend, Carrie Baker.
"Good-morning!" cried Percy, raising his cap with what he imagined was a
decidedly graceful flourish.
"Good-morning, Mr. Paget," returned Carrie Baker, coldly, while Julia
Carrington merely bowed.
"I trust you are quite over the excitement of a couple of mornings ago,"
went on the rich young man, to Julia.
"Oh, yes," she returned, shortly.
"I guess I got the worst of that," went on Percy. "I got pitched out in
double-quick order, didn't I?"
"Indeed! I fancied you jumped out," rejoined Julia, stiffly.
"What! do you suppose I would jump, and leave you and your mother to your
fate?" demanded the young aristocrat, in well-assumed surprise. "Oh, no,
Julia! You ought to know me better than that."
"I know you well enough, Mr. Paget," returned the girl. "Good-morning," and
she touched her companion on the arm to go.
"Hold on, please!" urged Percy. "It's a splendid morning on the lake. Won't
you go out for a row?"
"Thank you, I don't care to."
"Oh, yes, both of you come," urged the young bully.
"No rowing for me," put in Carrie Baker. "You might get a fright and tumble
overboard, and leave us to our fate," she added, mischievously. Her friend
had told her all the particulars of the incident on the road.
Percy could not help but feel the cut, thick-headed as he was. He tried to
frame some fitting reply, but could not, and so rowed away, feeling in a
worse humor than ever.
"It's all the fault of that Ralph Nelson," he said to himself. "He has set
Julia against me. I'll fix him, see if I don't!"
In the meantime Ralph had resumed his search for employment throughout
Eastport. He could not help thinking of the ludicrous picture Percy had
presented while floundering in the water, and he laughed several times
over the recollection.
Ralph visited three stores and two factories without the first signs of a
situation. Then he came to a place where all sorts of novelties relating to
the stationery trade were turned out.
"I can't give you a job in the factory," said the superintendent, "but I
might start you on the road."
"On the road?"
"Yes, to sell to small dealers. You could take several satchels and a
trunk, and go from village to village. There is a good bit of money to be
made in that way. But you would have to leave a deposit on the goods you
took out."
"And supposing I did not sell them?"
"You can return what remains unsold at the end of each trip."
"How much of a deposit would you require?"
"The wholesale price of the goods taken out--say about fifty dollars up."
"And how about the cost of getting around?"
"Well, I allow a dollar a day to experienced agents for expenses. But a
green hand would have to pay his own way. I have to protect myself in that
way, or otherwise some loafers would just start out to get the dollar,
without doing anything for it."
"I suppose that is so," returned Ralph, thoughtfully. "I will think over
the matter, and perhaps I'll come back later on."
"All right. I can lend you an outfit, on security, so if you do not make a
go of the business you will not be out of pocket a great deal."
"Thank you," returned the boy.
It was now half-past four, and the list of factories was about exhausted.
Three more stores remained. Ralph visited them in quick succession, only to
receive the old answer--no new help wanted.
"I'll go back to Mr. Dunham's, and tell him I'll go to work distributing
those circulars in the morning," said Ralph to himself. "And after that job
is done, if nothing more definite turns up, I'll try peddling those goods
to the small stationery and general stores."
He hurried back to the store where sporting goods were sold. As he entered
he saw Dock Brady at the back counter.
Brady was busy buying some powder, and did not at first see him. But on
turning he nodded pleasantly.
"I wonder what he wants with powder?" thought Ralph. "I did not know
surveyors used it."
But then it crossed his mind that perhaps the man used it for firearms when
surveying in wild parts of the country, and he did not give the matter a
second thought. He waited until Dock Brady had paid for his purchase and
left, and then told the storekeeper of his decision.
"All right, Nelson," said Mr. Dunham. "You can go to work at seven o'clock
to-morrow morning. Let me see, you live in Westville, don't you?"
"Yes, sir."
"Some of the circulars are to go there, and also back to Hopeville.
Supposing you take them with you now, and start out distributing them from
your home, instead of coming here? It will save time."
To this Ralph readily agreed, and, after some few instructions concerning
the work to be done, quitted the store with a big package of the circulars
under his arm.
Although he had struck no regular employment, he was not as disappointed as
he might have been. There was a week's work to do, and then the peddling to
try, and that was something.
"I knew it would be difficult to obtain an opening," said Mrs. Nelson, on
hearing his story. "Times are hard, and you can be thankful that you have
even a little."
"I am thankful, mother," replied Ralph.
"In distributing the circulars you may be able to hear of some opening,"
she went on. "Although you must not waste Mr. Dunham's time in hunting it
up."
"If I waste any time I will make it up to him. I believe in working on the
square, no matter what I do," rejoined Ralph, flatly.
"That is right, my son; treat every person with whom you have dealings
honestly, and you are bound to succeed in life."
During the evening Ralph told his mother of Percy Paget's mishap at the
dock. She shook her head sadly.
"He is a headstrong boy, and I am sorry he comes so often in your path,"
she said. "He will be more down on you now than ever."
"I shall watch out for him," returned Ralph. "He shall not cause me more
trouble, if I can help it."