Читать онлайн
Paul the Peddler; Or, The Fortunes of a Young Street Merchant
Paul the Peddler; Or, The Fortunes of a Young Street Merchant
CHAPTER I
PAUL THE PEDDLER
“Here’s your prize packages! Only five cents! Money prize in every package! Walk up, gentlemen, and try your luck!”
The speaker, a boy of fourteen, stood in front of the shabby brick building, on Nassau street, which has served for many years as the New York post office. In front of him, as he stood with his back to the building, was a small basket, filled with ordinary letter envelopes, each labeled “Prize Package.”
His attractive announcement, which, at that time, had also the merit of novelty—for Paul had himself hit upon the idea, and manufactured the packages, as we shall hereafter explain—drew around him a miscellaneous crowd, composed chiefly of boys.
“What’s in the packages, Johnny?” asked a bootblack, with his box strapped to his back.
“Candy,” answered Paul. “Buy one. Only five cents.”
“There ain’t much candy,” answered the bootblack, with a disparaging glance.
“What if there isn’t? There’s a prize.”
“How big a prize?”
“There’s a ten-cent stamp in some of ‘em. All have got something in ‘em.”
Influenced by this representation, the bootblack drew out a five-cent piece, and said: