helpless to supply all their wants at once. The fact that goods were offered at the very lowest figure possible, that a twenty-five cent ball of fish line was marked ten cents, of course, accounted for the rush. Many boys could get hold of a dime, but a quarter was not so easy to pick up, it seemed. Then, too, the advertising, one boy telling the other, had done much to make the sale known; hence the early morning rush. “Now don’t muss everything up!” ordered Ted, for a group of boys had laid hold of the fish-hook box, and it was impossible for Nancy to get it back. “You must not take things away from the counter,” she protested, for at that moment the box of sinkers was being carted off to the door, by Jud Morgan and Than Beach. They said they only wanted to pick out a couple where there was more room, but it was plainly a risky way to make their selection. “Dear me!” sighed Nancy to Ted. “Please look out and see if the girls are coming. These boys will have everything upset—” But the girls were coming, in fact they were just then elbowing their way in from the front door. “Hello—hello—hello!” called out Ruth joyfully. “Isn’t this grand! Going to buy us out first thing—” “Oh, land sakes!” wailed Nancy. “I’ve been in here fifteen minutes and I haven’t sold a stick. We should have charged admission.” Isabel looked on rather importantly. Evidently she knew or thought she knew how to handle a crowd of boys. “You’ve got to get in line!” she announced. A laugh, a whole series of laughs was her answer. “Do you hear me?” she insisted, raising her voice to suit the occasion. “Sure, we hear you. Want us to clap?” answered impudent Sammy Larkins. “Now see here,” Ruth attempted to order. “If you boys really want to buy anything you have got to stand back and take turns—” No sooner had that order been given than everybody made a dash for the first place in line, and the tumult that followed all but drove Nancy under the counter. “Say, look here! Want us to put you all out?” demanded Ted, in unassumed
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