Part 9 (1/2)

”If I could think of anythin'!” yelled Mr. Pawl. ”You bet I kin think of somethin'. How big a advertis.e.m.e.nt d'you figger he'll print?”

”Prob'ly all of half a p-page,” says Mark.

”I'll have a page, a whole blinged page. I'll show him! That's the way we do business in the Emporium. No half-pages for us. We go the whole hog when we go.... Now git out of here, you kids. I'm goin' to be busy.

I've got to rig up a whole-page ad. for that paper, and I got to do it quick to beat that raker-handle of a Giddings.... When's the paper come out?”

”To-morrow,” says Mark. ”Better get your ad. in this afternoon.”

”You bet I will,” says Mr. Pawl, and while we were going out he was already writing on it.

Mark looked at me and grinned. ”F-f-funny he didn't kick us out,” says he.

”Mark Tidd,” says I, ”I take off my hat. Talk about grabbin' a opportunity when it's pa.s.sin'! Well, I guess maybe you didn't grab this one.”

”You lugged in the opportunity,” says Mark, giving me credit like he always does, even though I didn't deserve much of it. ”But we hain't quite through grabbin' yet,” says he. ”We got to see Mr. Giddings.”

We went catercorner across the street to the Busy Big Market, and there was Mr. Giddings in the door, with a grin on his face, looking down at a crate of eggs. On the crate he had just stuck a sign, which read:

These Eggs Were Laid by Hardworking, Honest Hens

The Oldest Is Under Twenty-Four Hours

Buy Your Eggs Here-Don't Go Elsewhere Our Compet.i.tors' Chickens Have Ague

Their Eggs Are Scrambled in the Sh.e.l.l

Mark started in to laugh and nudged me with his elbow.

”Laugh, you chump,” says he, ”l-l-laugh.”

So I set in to laughing with all my might. Mr. Giddings looked at us and grinned.

”Perty good, eh?” says he.

”You bet,” says Mark, ”but I hear tell Mr. Pawl's goin' to have even that sign beat.”

”He is, is he?” says Mr. Giddings. ”How is he, I'd like to know? He better not start in on anythin'. What's the leetle weasel up to now?”

”Advertisin',” says Mark. ”He's goin' to advertise such b-b-bargains as Wicksville 'ain't ever seen before. I got wind of somethin' else, too. I hear he's goin' to allude to his compet.i.tors in his advertis.e.m.e.nt, and sort of lambaste 'em and their goods.”

”He is, eh? When? How?”

”To-morrow, in the Wicksville _Trumpet_,” says Mark. ”He's g-g-goin' to have a full-page ad., and I'll bet he'll say some mean things in it, too.”

”Think so?” says Mr. Giddings, eager-like. ”Well, now, I'll fool the little flea. That's what I'll do. I'll have a page ad., too, and if he can offer better bargains than I do, or say more cuttin' things, then I'll go out of business. Paper comes out to-morrow, don't it?”

”Yes,” says Mark. ”Better have your page in the office this afternoon.

It'll have to be set up in a hurry.”