CROSSED WIRES
揥hy, hello, Pep!?exclaimed Frank in joyful surprise, jumping up from the table and greeting the missing chum with a hearty handshake.
揌old on梘o a little easy on that hand,?spoke the unexpected guest. 揑t抯 the one I hurt in that automobile accident, you know, and not quite as strong as it used to be.?
揥hat automobile accident??inquired Frank in surprise.
揙h, that抯 so,?broke in Randy quickly棑Frank has just got back from the city and hasn抰 heard of it yet. We didn抰 expect you so soon. You wrote us yesterday you wouldn抰 leave Brenton until Saturday.?
揌umph! Had to,?said Pep with a wry grimace.
揌ow is that??
揊ired,?explained Pep tersely, and looking as if he had not enjoyed the experience one bit. 揝ay, don抰 bother me now about it. I抦 hungry as a bear, and had to walk eight miles to get here before dark, and I抣l feel better natured when I抳e had something to eat and a little rest.?
Ben Jolly arched his eyebrows in an inquiring way and Randy looked Pep over sharply. Jolly had just returned from Fairlands that morning, and Randy had heard from Pep by mail only twice during his sojourn at the Tyson home at Brenton. From all he had learned and seen during his brief visit there, Randy had been led to believe that Pep would return with waving colors. He would not only be mended up, as Randy had reason to figure it out, but would have a comfortable sum of money representing lost time.
Pep, however, did not look like a favorite of fortune. He used both hands with equal celerity in dispatching the meal, and his injured wrist seemed to give him no inconvenience or pain. His face was glum, however, and when he spoke of being 揻ired?Randy knew that something was up.
揟ell us about this accident of yours, Pep,?urged Frank as all hands got over the first promptings of appetite.
揜andy will,?snapped Pep.
Randy was agreeable to the suggestion. He was glad to descend on the heroism of his chum, and dwelt somewhat upon the bravery of Pep in risking his life for the little child in the baby carriage. Randy led the course of the narrative to his visit to Brenton, the peculiar situation in which he found Pep, and detailed the contents of the two letters he had received from their absent partner.
揥ell, Pep,?hailed Frank heartily, at the end of the story. 揑 suppose you抳e turned out an adopted son or great favorite with this Mr. Tyson.?
Pep had just finished a second helping of Jolly抯 famous rice pudding and was ready to talk now.
揙h, yes, I have! See me!?he retorted in a scornful and disgusted way. 揝ay, the next fellow who plays me for an invalid will be a good one, I tell you. It抯 all right up to where Randy left me in the arms of luxury at the Tyson residence. Yes, it was all right for two days after that. Then I got into my usual trim梤estless. Of course I couldn抰 work with my bad arm, but it didn抰 bother me a bit. I told Mr. Tyson so. He spoke to that old fogy surgeon of his and after a regular battle we came to terms.?
揥hat terms, Pep??inquired Frank.
揑 wanted something to do. I was dead sick of hanging around doing nothing. It seems that Mr. Tyson runs a broker抯 office in Brenton. It抯 a branch of a big Wall Street concern in New York City. They do some business, too, and he hires a lot of clerks. Well, the surgeon said that as long as I didn抰 use my bad arm it was all right, so old Tyson takes me down to the office. First day he put me at the information desk. Then the boy who held that position regularly came back and he set me at one of the telephones.?
揥hat doing, Pep??inquired Jolly.
揟aking quotations and orders on the long distance. The 抪hone was arranged on a standard and I didn抰 have to handle it at all. I had a pad of paper at my side. All I had to do was to write out the quotations, or orders. Then I would touch an electric bell and a boy would take them to the manager.?
揝ort of stock exchange business; eh??propounded Jolly.
揧es, that way,?assented Pep. 揟he first day I got through grandly. Old Tyson told me I had the making of a smart man in me and advised me to cut away from the movies and become a second Vanderbilt. They kept me at the 抪hone yesterday, too. It抯 too bad they did,?added Pep grievously. 揑 reckon they think so now.?
揈xplain, Pep,?urged the curious Randy.
揥ell, about two o抍lock in the afternoon there was a rush of business. Everybody in the office was busy. I heard the manager say that it looked like a regular Black Friday, whatever that was, the way stocks and bonds were being juggled. Right when everything was going at lightning speed and the office was in a turmoil, long distance says: 態uy for Vandamann account at twenty挆and then there was a hiss and a jangle梒rossed wires梥ee??
Pep抯 engrossed auditors nodded silently, eager to hear the remainder of his story.
揟hen I got the balance of the order梐s I supposed棏one thousand shares Keystone Central.?Orders came piling up and I had all I could do to write them down. 態uy one thousand Keystone Central at twenty?went to the manager with the rest. I thought no more of it until this morning. I was at my 抪hone thinking of how I抎 be home with the rest of you Saturday, when the manager, mad as a hornet, came to me. 慪ou see Mr. Tyson just as quick as you can,?he snapped at me, and I did. Mr. Tyson had just found out that I had mixed orders. I talked about crossed wire, but he wouldn抰 hear a word of it. 慣he idea of loading us down with that bustling stock at twenty, when it was offered on the exchange at three cents yesterday!?he howled. 慔ere get out of here and stay out of here. And here, you抳e cost a pretty penny, and you can take that stock for your pay.?And with that,?concluded Pep, 揾e hurled this package at me, and I抦 a bloated bondholder.?
Pep drew a little package of green and yellow documents from his pocket. He flung them on the table in a disgruntled way. Ben Jolly picked them up and looked them over.
揌eard of the Keystone Central,?he observed棑lot of watered stock and new people trying to squeeze out the old shareholders. Maybe a few dollars in these, Pep.?
But the disgusted Pep waved documents and remark away with disdain.
揃urn 抏m up; throw 抏m away梔on抰 care what you do with them,?he declared. 揑 am sick of the whole business. I want to forget how mean money makes a millionaire, and just get back into the gladness and bustle of the old motion picture proposition.?
揂ll right, Pep,?said Jolly blandly, pocketing the papers. 揑抣l just take care of the documents for you. They may bob up in a new way some time; you never can tell.?
揥hat about moving the outfit down from Fairlands, Mr. Jolly??here interrupted Frank.
揟hat抯 so梞y report is due; isn抰 it? Why, I抳e arranged for everything. Boxed up and crated what there was in good shape, and expect they抣l arrive to-morrow or the next day.?
揃y rail, of course??
揙h, yes. It抯 a long distance, there抯 a lot of bad roads and hills to climb, and freight was the only way. I left the chairs. It would cost as much to move them as they were worth.?
揥e had better stock up new as to the seating feature,?said Frank, 搒eeing that we need double what we had at Fairlands. Well, boys, now to show you what I have accomplished.?
Frank had done so much that he held their fascinated attention unbroken for well nigh an hour. Jolly smiled and nodded his approval as Frank told in detail of his negotiations with the supply houses in the city. Pep抯 eyes snapped with anticipation of the brilliant way in which the new Wonderland was going to open.
揑t looks all smooth sailing; doesn抰 it now??Randy submitted in his optimistic way.
揌ow soon will we open??pressed the eager Pep.
揑 should think we would be all ready within a week or ten days.?
揙h, pshaw! have to wait that long??mourned Pep.
揧ou want things right; don抰 you??asked Randy.
揙h, of course, of course,?responded Pep, 搊nly every day counts. Before we know it someone else will break in and get all the cream off the proposition.?
揘o, no, friend Pep,?laughed Ben Jolly confidently. 揥e抳e got too good a start in the movies race at Seaside Park, and we抮e bound to win.?