BENTON’S VENTURE [Illustration: “‘This is Saturday and we ought to have a half-holiday’”] BENTON’S VENTURE BY RALPH HENRY BARBOUR AUTHOR OF “AROUND THE END,” “CHANGE SIGNALS,” “FOR THE HONOR OF THE SCHOOL,” ETC. [Illustration] ILLUSTRATED NEW YORK AND LONDON D. APPLETON AND COMPANY 1914 Copyright, 1914, by D. APPLETON AND COMPANY Printed in the United States of America TO SELINDA ONE OF THE THREE BEST CONTENTS CHAPTER PAGE I.――TOM HAS AN IDEA 1 II.――AND SO HAS WILLARD 12 III.――MR. BENTON SAYS YES 24 IV.――JIMMY BRENNAN REPORTS 33 V.――THE BARGAIN IS SEALED 42 VI.――WILLARD GOES ON STRIKE 51 VII.――JERRY TO THE RESCUE 67 VIII.――TOM LEARNS TO RUN THE ARK 83 IX.――“CAB, SIR?” 100 X.――THE FIRST PASSENGER 110 XI.――THE _NEWS-PATRIOT_ AIDS 126 XII.――WILLARD ENCOUNTERS A FRIEND 137 XIII.――PAT HERRON LOSES HIS TEMPER 145 XIV.――JERRY TAKES A RIDE 154 XV.――AN AFTERNOON OFF 163 XVI.――AN INTERVIEW WITH THE POLICE 176 XVII.――“J. DUFF, JOBBING DONE” 186 XVIII.――DIVIDENDS FOR TWO 203 XIX.――MR. DUFF GIVES NOTICE 212 XX.――INTRODUCING JULIUS CÆSAR 221 XXI.――JIMMY MAKES A PROPOSITION 231 XXII.――THE BOYS TAKE A PARTNER 241 XXIII.――MR. CONNORS MAKES AN OFFER 250 XXIV.――JIMMY GOES TO NEW YORK 260 XXV.――THE ARK FINDS A NEW HOME 272 XXVI.――THE NEW MOTOR TRUCK 279 XXVII.――THE ENEMY IN TROUBLE 288 XXVIII.――A WILD RIDE 297 XXIX.――THE ARK SAYS GOOD-BYE 310 LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS FACING PAGE “‘This is Saturday and we ought to have a half-holiday’” _Frontispiece_ “He gave the handle another half-dozen turns without result” 86 “As long as it was in sight he stood and shook his fist at it” 152