Frank was not given to being very demonstrative on any occasion. As, however, he now began to stare at the next letter he opened and almost uttered a shout, Markham knew that something very much out of the ordinary had come up. “What is it, Frank?” he questioned eagerly. “Markham,” said Frank, quite unnerved with excitement, “it’s a big, big order.” “How big?” demanded Markham. “Quick, I’m on the edge of nervous prostration.” “Fifty to one hundred dollars,” announced Frank, in quite a husky voice. “A few more of such orders and we’ll know where we stand. It’s from the owner of a general store at Decatur. He writes that he has purchased from an advertising agency fifty-two picture rebuses--easy ones--one for each week in the year. Accompanying them are fifty-two separate advertisements. These he intends to insert in his weekly paper. He wants to offer each week ten prizes for the ten persons who first appear at his store with correct solutions of the rebuses.” “I see,” nodded Markham--“good idea.” “He wants us to designate fifty-two novelties that we can supply, about half and half ten-and-twenty-cent articles. He will take ten of each article, or five hundred and twenty in all. Think of it, Markham!” “It’s grand, yes, just grand!” declared Markham, in a tone of suppressed excitement. “He says he will trust to our judgment to select the most catchy novelties, only he expects us to give him special figures on the lot.” “Of course you’ll do it, Frank?” “Yes, and make a neat profit, too. Well, this is encouraging.” “Yes, Frank, that one order will cover the cost of all the circularizing we have done to date. Hello! hello! hello!” In three different crescendo tones Markham tallied off three letters which Frank opened next in turn, and in each instance with cash results--two silver dimes and thirty cents in postage stamps. When the entire mail was opened, Frank had a little heap at his elbow representing six dollars and eighty cents, three dollars of which was to pay for two rings. “Seven orders for your puzzle, Markham,” announced Frank, “besides what goes in the big order. Only one apple corer ordered. I’m afraid my prized invention is a frost.” “Not at all,” dissented Markham. “Look here, it’s plain from the letter you got this morning that the Riverton hardware man had already used at least some of the names in the mail order lists. If I were you, Frank, in any new printed matter you get out I would refer to your apple corer as a decided improvement on the old one. I think, even, I would illustrate these improvements.” “An excellent idea, Markham,” declared Frank. “Further, I don’t know but it would be a good thing to offer one of the new corers, free on return of an old one, charging only the postage.” “Oh, we’re learning,” declared Markham, buoyantly. “This thing is a decided go.”