"I don't know." Ted's frown deepened. "'Bunks for eight,' it says. If a
bunch of deer hunters take the place, they may bring twelve or sixteen.
Do you think I should say, 'Bring extra cots for more than eight?'"
"Mighty important point," Al said gravely, "but do you figure you got to
throw out that much sign?
"If I was readin' that and wanted to rent a camp and saw 'bunks for
eight,' I'd calc'late that there wasn't bunks for ten or sixteen. I'd
figger that, if I brought more than eight, I'd best bring somethin' for
'em to sleep on."
"If I say 'accommodations for eight,' and a bigger party wanted to take
the camp, they might pass it up."
"'Bunks' is the word," Al pronounced. "Why it's pra'tically liter-choor.
City people are always gettin' accommodations. Might help rent your camp
if they knew they was goin' to sleep on bunks."
"That's a point," Ted agreed. He continued to frown thoughtfully. "Now
this 'available for season,' do you think I should say at ten per cent
discount?"
"Nope."
"But doesn't everybody do that?"
"Everybody 'cept horse traders, and you can always do your horse tradin'
when and if you have to. But I don't think you're goin' to rent for the
season."
"Why not?"
Al shrugged. "Figger it out by yourself. How many city people can take a
whole season just to go huntin'? Most they get is a couple of weeks or
so."
"That's right, too. Do you think I should say, 'deer and small game
abundant'?"
"I wouldn't. Nobody'd come into the Mahela 'thout havin' some idea they
could find game here and there's another point."
"What's that?"
"You're tryin' to build up a business, and the more repeat business you
can get, the less it'll cost to get it. Promise too much and you might
drive business away. Some people, readin' about over-plenty game, might
expect a flock of grouse behind every tree and a ten-point buck in every
swale and be mad if they didn't find it. Let 'em do their own lookin'."
"I was thinking of hiring out as a guide."
"Wouldn't put that in either. Some people want guides and some don't.
Anybody who rents your camp and wants a guide will ask you where to find
one. Then you can dicker."
"Do you think I'm asking too much money?"
"Nope. Chances are that you won't get less than six in any party. Split
the cost amongst 'em and it won't break any one. Your prices are fair."
Ted lost himself in his literary effort. "It doesn't seem very
forceful."
"Land o'goshen!" Al's eyes glinted with amusement. "You're tryin' to get
information across, not writin' a speech! How many papers you crumpled
so far?"
"Well," Ted looked at the pile of discarded papers beside him and
grinned, "quite a few. You really think this is all right?"
"A masterpiece," Al answered solemnly. "Mail it afore you change your
mind again."
Ted folded his paper, wrote a short letter to the effect that he wanted
his ad to run in the classified section, wrote a check, put all three in
an envelope and addressed it to a leading daily newspaper in a city from
which the Mahela drew numerous hunters. Tammie trotted beside him as he
ran down to the mailbox, put his letter in and raised the red flag to
let Bill Parker, their rural carrier, know there was mail to pick up.
He ran back to the house.
_"Br-r!_ It's cold!"
"The jackets in the closet," Al observed drily, "are not there because
they look pretty."