In the newspaper was another piece that was interesting to a lot of people, besides the piece about Rock. It was one Mark wrote about a daily newspaper such as Spragg was trying to get up. Mark had written to everybody he could think of that would know about it, and got facts and figures, 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 how much it would cost to run it a year, and how much it would have to be paid for advertising, and how much for subscriptions, and how many subscribers it would have to have to live at all.

Then he proved the thing that upset Spragg’s apple-cart—that the merchants wouldn’t get their advertising for nothing, but that they would have to advertise six days a week instead of one, and that, even dividing up what profits there were, the merchants would have to spend about five times as much as they ever had before, not counting in what they put into the scheme to start it.

Well, when the business men read that article, and saw who Mark got his information from and all, they were pretty sick, because they had already gone into it and put up quite a lot of money. Some of them came in to see Mark, but he said he wouldn’t talk then, but would wait till the meeting that night.

That’s what he did. We all went to it. Spragg was there, looking pretty sick, and Lawyer Jones went with us. First Spragg raved and talked, but it 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 way things were going. And besides, he wasn’t getting even with Mark.

Then Mark got up and repeated some of his figures, and ended up by saying:

“You’ve g-g-got up a company to run a n-newspaper, so why don’t you run one? 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-business men, and run it for the benefit of Wicksville and yourselves? Hire a good 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 worth s-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. About twelve hunderd d-d-dollars. I’ll tell you what. Give us t-t-two thousand dollars, and we’ll call it a deal.”

Well, they figgered, and Lawyer Jones figgered with them, and Mark figgered with them, until at last they agreed, and a contract was made and 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 man here. Maybe he hain’t acted jest right to us, but for all that, maybe he’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 make good.”

Spragg looked queer at Mark, but didn’t say a word till the meeting decided to give him a try. Then he walked over to Mark and says, holding out his hand:

“What you just did, Mark Tidd, is a mighty fine thing, and I’m going to deserve 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 two thousand dollars, which Mark divided between us, fair and square, and we put it in the bank. We knew Mark was a business man, and he had done things before that made folks take notice, but I don’t know as he’ll ever do a job of work harder than taking a busted-down newspaper that he bought for three-four hunderd dollars, and making it a first-class newspaper, and selling out for such a profit—just to pass away a vacation.

Some day he’s going to make Rockefeller hustle.

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