CHAPTER XXIII
In the newspaper was another piece that was interesting to a lot ofpeople, besides the piece about Rock. It was one Mark wrote about adaily newspaper such as Spragg was trying to get up. Mark had written toeverybody he could think of that would know about it, and got facts andfigures, and set them right down in print where everybody could see.
He showed how much it would cost to _start_ such a paper. He showed howmuch it would cost to run it a year, and how much it would have to bepaid for advertising, and how much for subscriptions, and how manysubscribers it would have to have to live at all.
Then he proved the thing that upset Spragg's apple-cart--that themerchants wouldn't get their advertising for nothing, but that theywould have to advertise six days a week instead of one, and that, evendividing up what profits there were, the merchants would have to spendabout five times as much as they ever had before, not counting in whatthey put into the scheme to start it.
Well, when the business men read that article, and saw who Mark got hisinformation from and all, they were pretty sick, because they hadalready gone into it and put up quite a lot of money. Some of them camein to see Mark, but he said he wouldn't talk then, but would wait tillthe meeting that night.
That's what he did. We all went to it. Spragg was there, looking prettysick, and Lawyer Jones went with us. First Spragg raved and talked, butit didn't do any good. They had formed a company, and Spragg had _some_money in it, as well as anybody else. He didn't like to see the waythings were going. And besides, he wasn't getting even with Mark.
Then Mark got up and repeated some of his figures, and ended up bysaying:
"You've g-g-got up a company to run a n-newspaper, so why don't you runone? We f-f-fellers has got to go back to school, but we've built up the_Trumpet_ so's it's a _good_ paper, with fifteen hunderd subscribers,and it's m-makin' good money. Now, why don't you buy it, you b-businessmen, and run it for the benefit of Wicksville and yourselves? Hire agood editor and give this county the b-b-best newspaper in the State.It's all ready. All you got to do is t-take it over. We'll sell cheap."
"How much?" says. Mr. Pawl, who was the chairman.
"Well," says Mark, "we got our p-plant and stock, that's worths-somethin'. We got fifteen hunderd subscribers, and that's worth a lot,for they've got a year to run, and we've got cash in the bank. Abouttwelve hunderd d-d-dollars. I'll tell you what. Give us t-t-two thousanddollars, and we'll call it a deal."
Well, they figgered, and Lawyer Jones figgered with them, and Markfiggered with them, until at last they agreed, and a contract was madeand signed sayin' the money would be paid over next day. Then Mark says:
"You're goin' to n-need an editor right off. You got a n-newspaper manhere. Maybe he hain't acted jest right to us, but for all that, maybehe's a good man. Why d-don't you give Spragg a chance at b-bein' editor?He's worked to git up this company of yourn. It'll be up to him to makegood."
Spragg looked queer at Mark, but didn't say a word till the meetingdecided to give him a try. Then he walked over to Mark and says, holdingout his hand:
"What you just did, Mark Tidd, is a mighty fine thing, and I'm going todeserve it. And if you're ever looking for a friend come to me--Spragg."That was all.
And so I guess that's about all of everything. We sold out for twothousand dollars, which Mark divided between us, fair and square, and weput it in the bank. We knew Mark was a business man, and he had donethings before that made folks take notice, but I don't know as he'llever do a job of work harder than taking a busted-down newspaper that hebought for three-four hunderd dollars, and making it a first-classnewspaper, and selling out for such a profit--just to pass away avacation.
Some day he's going to make Rockefeller hustle.
THE END
Books by
CLARENCE BUDINGTON KELLAND
THE HIGHFLYERSMARK TIDD, MANUFACTURERTHE SOURCESUDDEN JIMTHE HIDDEN SPRINGMARK TIDDMARK TIDD IN THE BACKWOODSMARK TIDD IN BUSINESSMARK TIDD'S CITADELMARK TIDD, EDITORTHIRTY PIECES OF SILVER
HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK
Established 1817
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