CHAPTER X
JIMMY CONSPIRES
True to his word, Jimmy arrived at Number 27 Upton shortly aftersupper. Stick, to whom Russell had imparted the proposed solutionof the problem, was not present. Stick had succinctly declared thatRussell was crazy and that he refused to listen to any more of hisravings. He had not, however, refused to keep store in the afternoon inreturn for having his mornings free, and that was the principal thing.
Jimmy declared that he had feared Russell might change his mind aboutemploying him and so leave him jobless in the face of a long and cruelwinter, and consequently he had hurried right up so soon as he hadsatisfied the inner man. He had brought his schedule and when Russellhad produced his they leaned over the two cards and, as Jimmy phrasedit, doped out a course of action. On the whole, Russell’s hours andJimmy’s seldom interfered, and there were but two mornings when formore than sixty minutes the store would have to be left to Mr. J.Warren Pulsifer’s care.
“Corking!” declared Jimmy. “I’ll go down Monday morning with you andyou can show me where things are and all that. Something tells me,Emerson, that I was born to be a merchant, and Heaven help any poor guythat steps his foot inside that store while I’m there. He will eitherhave to buy something or fight me!”
“Better try peaceful means first,” suggested Russell, smiling.
“Oh, yes, I shan’t insist on trouble. By the way, are there anypunching-bags in stock? It might be well for me to keep in trim. Let’ssee, how do you do it?” Jimmy rubbed his hands and bowed to Russell.“Good morning, sir. Nice weather we’re having, are they not? Tennisballs? Certainly. Right this way, please, to the tennis department.Here you are, sir, the finest ball on the market. Used exclusively bythe Prince of Wales, Lloyd George and all the best players. Coveredwith the most expensive Peruvian broadcloth. Every ball filled withtwo thousand atmospheres of balloon gas, making it the lightest andliveliest ball on the market. As I might say, sir, it’s bound to bound.We are making a special price on them this year, eighty cents apieceor five dollars a half-dozen. If you take six dozen we include ahigh-grade racket. With a gross we give you, absolutely without charge,a receipt for making indelible ink. Half a dozen? Yes, sir. Thank you,sir. Shall I wrap them up or will you take them with you?”
“Aren’t you mixed on your prices a little?” laughed Russell.
“Possibly.” Jimmy waved carelessly. “I never was good at arithmetic. Bythe way, you haven’t a cash register, have you? No? That’s good. I’dnever be a success as a salesman where there was one of those things tokeep tabs on me!”
“Austen,” asked Russell, sobering, “what are you doing this for?”
“This? Oh, you mean _this_. We-ell--” Jimmy blinked. “I don’t know,Russell. I thought it was because I liked your--your pep and wanted tohelp you out. But I’m not sure that it isn’t really because I want alark!”
“Well, it’s mighty decent of you, anyway,” replied Russell. “It gets meout of a hole. You see, I like football, Austen, even if I’m not verymuch good at it, and it was sort of hard not to play this fall. Still,I wouldn’t have thought of doing it if Gaston hadn’t got after me. NowI’m wondering whether I’m going to play because I think it’s my duty toor just because I really want to!”
“Jove,” said Jimmy, “you’ve got a regular Puritan conscience, Emerson!What’s it matter? The main thing is that you’re going to. Now sit downand tell me about things at the store. You give a discount to ourchaps, don’t you? Well, how about high school students?”
“Just the same,” said Russell. “I thought we’d better. They might getsore if we didn’t.”
“I see. Still, I don’t believe Crocker does.”
“All the more reason why we should, then, Austen.”
“Yes, but-- Say, cut out that ‘Austen’ stuff, won’t you? My name’sJimmy.”
“And mine’s Russell,” replied the other, smiling. “More often just Rus.”
“I get you! Though, of course,” Jimmy added, “when I am on duty I shallcall you Mr. Emerson!”
Half an hour later Jimmy paused at the door to say: “Oh, by the way,about to-morrow night.”
“That’s all right,” replied Russell quickly. “It doesn’t matter.”
“Eh? What doesn’t matter?” asked Jimmy, puzzled.
“Why, I mean,” floundered Russell, “if it isn’t convenient--”
“Rot! What I was about to say was that I think it’ll be best not tobe too raw, if you see what I mean. We’ll use tact and diplomacy, oldson. You just happen in and we’ll have a social little talk, the lotof us, and after awhile I’ll accidentally bring up the subject of thestore. You leave it to me. Better not let those guys suspect thatwe’re putting up a game on ’em, eh? Well, so long, Rus. Drop in aboutseven-thirty or a quarter to eight.”
Stick, when he returned to the room later, was in a much better humorthan when he had left. He had, it developed, won two straight gamesof billiards from another chap over in Haylow. Russell listened withflattering attention to Stick’s dramatic narrative of the contests,thereby increasing the latter’s content. At last, Stick tore himselffrom the engrossing subject, frowned slightly and asked: “Well, did youand Austen fix it up?”
Russell explained the arrangements. “That’ll give you every morningfree except Saturday, Stick. Saturday Austen won’t be able to be there,and I have a nine o’clock and an eleven. In the afternoons, exceptTuesdays-- Here, this is the schedule. I tend store every afternoonexcept Tuesday from one to three. You come on at three and stay untilsix. Or, five-thirty, if you like. I’ll be down every day right afterpractice and I ought to get there by half-past. How is that?”
“All right, I guess,” replied Stick slowly, looking over the schedulerather as though he suspected that something was being put over onhim. “Of course, afternoon’s likely to be the busy part of the day, ifthings ever get busy, that is!”
“I know, but you won’t have so much to do that it’ll wear you out,”answered Russell.
“It doesn’t look like it,” agreed Stick plaintively. “Say, we’re goingto lose our money as sure as shooting, Rus!”
“I don’t think so,” answered the other with more confidence than hefelt. “We can’t lose it all, anyhow, Stick. We haven’t signed anylease and we can give up the place at a month’s notice. We can returnmost of our stock, too.”
“Yes, but we’ll be out two months’ rent at the very least, and we’vesunk about a hundred in rent and advertising and dolling the place up.Pulsifer won’t allow us anything for the paint and varnish and work weput in there, I suppose.”
“No, we’re bound to lose something, of course, if we have to quit,”acknowledged Russell. “But I don’t believe we’ll have to, Stick.Something tells me that things are going to pick up pretty soon.”
“I wish something would tell me so,” said Stick mournfully. “I don’tmind saying, Rus, that I’m plaguey sorry I went into it!”
“Well, don’t let’s give up the ship yet,” replied the other patiently.“Toss me that Latin book over here, will you?”
“What I don’t see,” went on Stick, complying, “is what this fellowAusten gets out of it. I suppose he’s--well, square, eh?”
“Of course he is,” answered Russell indignantly.
“Well, don’t get waxy. How do I know? What’s he going to tend the storefor without pay, then?”
“He’s not. He’s on salary.”
“_What?_” almost shrieked Stick. “You mean we’re going to pay himmoney?”
Russell nodded, enjoying Stick’s consternation.
“I won’t do it!” cried the other. “No, sir! Why, hang it, Rus, we can’tafford it!”
“Oh, yes, we can,” answered Russell soothingly. “It’s only ten cents aweek!”
“Ten cents! Ten cents a--” Stick stared blankly. “Is he crazy? What’she want ten cents for? Why doesn’t he do it for nothing?”
“Well, he told me that he wanted to be a wage-earner,” explainedRussel
l gravely.
Stick viewed him suspiciously. “It’s mighty funny,” he grunted. “Thewhole business is mighty funny. You and Austen are up to something,I’ll bet. All right, but just let me tell you that I’m not paying outmy money to him!”
“You don’t mind five cents a week, do you?” asked Russell, grinning.
“No, I’ll pay five cents, all right, but I won’t pay a penny more. I’velost enough already in the fool business!” And Stick pulled a book tohim savagely and intimated that he was through with the subject.
Russell found not only the hockey and basket ball captains in Number4 Lykes Hall the next evening, but Cal Grainger. These, with Stanley,Jimmy and Russell, quite filled the room. Afterwards, Russell learnedfrom Jimmy that Cal’s appearance was unsolicited and unexpected.Jimmy managed to convey the impression that Russell was a frequentcaller, and was aided in the mild deception by Stanley, who had beenadmitted to the conspiracy. Russell was aware of the slightly puzzledinspections of the others, but appeared not to be. Bob Coolidge, thehockey team captain, was a tall, slim-bodied senior with a nice smileand a queer way of stuttering when he got the least bit excited. SidGreenwood was small in comparison, with sharp black eyes, rebelliousdark hair and a quick manner of speech and movement. Russell knewthem both by sight, just as he knew Cal Grainger, but had never beenintroduced to them before to-night. He found a seat on a corner ofStanley’s bed after the introductions had been performed and helpedhimself to the caramels that Stanley passed. The talk was concernedwith the criminality of the Athletic Committee, and Coolidge stutteredamusingly as he thumped the edge of the window-seat.
“A l-lot of Miss N-N-Nancies,” he declared earnestly. “You’d think wewere j-just kids, the way they c-c-coddle us! Gosh! Why, look at Kenly!They g-g-got a twelve-game sc-sc-sc-sc--”
“Schedule,” prompted Cal kindly.
“--Hedule,” went on Coolidge, batting his eyes wildly. “And all wec-c-can get is s-seven games, with a p-p-possibility of eight if wec-c-can p-p-persuade Oak Grove to play here! What kind of a sc-sc--”
“You can’t say it, Bob,” interposed Greenwood. “Don’t try. We know whatyou mean. Also, son, we agree with you that the committee is a bunchof old women and that Peghorn is the worst of the lot. I hope he getshis bonnet-strings all knotted up! You can’t--”
“Oh, Peg isn’t to blame,” said Jimmy. “He’s no worse than the rest.What we need here is a student council or something to talk turkey tothose antediluvian birds. How many games do you fellows get away, Sid?”
“Four,” replied the basket ball leader scornfully.
“Well, that’s one more than we get,” said Jimmy.
“Sure, but it’s different--”
“Taking a football team around’s not at all the same,” broke in Cal.“You have to have thirty or more fellows and half a dozen coaches andtrainers and nurses--”
“Quite different,” agreed Coolidge, eagerly. “We take ten or elevenf-f-fellows, and it d-d-doesn’t c-cost us anything to speak of, and weget home early--”
“Having lost the game,” interpolated Cal, unkindly.
“Sh-sh-shut up! S-s-same with the b-b-basket ball outfit, too.S-s-seven or eight men and n-no expense--”
Russell lost the rest, for just there, under cover of the conversation,Stanley addressed him. “I hear you’re on the second football team,Emerson,” he said.
“I’m going out to-morrow,” answered Russell.
“Yes, Jimmy was telling me. I guess Steve Gaston’s going to work up arip-snorting outfit, if what I hear is right. Great fellow, Steve. Hardluck, his not being able to play this year. What’s your position?”
“I played end last year. Gaston wants me to try for it again.”
“How’s the store getting along? Doing pretty well?”