Nobody knew us in the town, so we posed as Cameron & Connolly,
owners of the Great Hall of Illusions, and Managers of the World
Wonder and Magic King, Signor Beppo Petroskinski, and Ma'moselle
Dodo, the Oriental Queen of Mystery.
Pretty hot line of goods, eh?
We handed out the salve thing to all the paper lads and they were
for us good and plenty.
After our publicity department had been in operation for about four
hours we began to see the neighbors sit up and notice us, and we
figured on about a $1,000 opening.
"The show will cost us about $80 a day," Bunch financed, with a
strangle hold on a big green lead pencil. "Let's see! expenses say
$500 a week at the outside. Now, let's strike a low average and
say we play to $800 a night; that's $4,800 a week, and two matinees
at, say $200, that's $5,000 on the week, eh, John! That gives us a
clean profit of $1,500 apiece for the three of us--oh, aces!"
"It looks good to me. Bunch," I agreed, and then we went out and
ordered some more three-sheets and a flock of snipe.
We spent the whole day in New Rochelle, and I reached home tired,
but enthusiastic.
"John," said Clara J. when we were alone after dinner, "Uncle Peter
says if you will let him have that $5,000 by Thursday or Friday he
will invest it where the returns will be enormous!"
"Sure," I answered, and I could feel my ears getting pale; "I'll
hand it over to him Thursday or Friday--if you think it's best not
to invest it in that new house.
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