"Yes, that way," a.s.sented Pep. "The 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 'phone yesterday, too. It's too bad they did," added Pep grievously.

"I reckon they think so now."

"Explain, Pep," urged the curious Randy.

"Well, about two o'clock 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: 'Buy for Vandamann account at twenty'-and then there was a hiss and a jangle-crossed wires-see?"

Pep's engrossed auditors nodded silently, eager to hear the remainder of his story.

"Then I got the balance of the order-as I supposed-'one thousand shares Keystone Central.' Orders came piling up and I had all I could do to write them down. 'Buy 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 'phone thinking of how I'd be home with the rest of you Sat.u.r.day, when the manager, mad as a hornet, came to me. 'You 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't hear a word of it. 'The idea of loading us down with that bustling stock at twenty, when it was offered on the exchange at three cents yesterday!' he howled. 'Here get out of here and stay out of here. And here, you've cost a pretty penny, and you can take that stock for your pay.' And with that," concluded Pep, "he hurled this package at me, and I'm a bloated bondholder."

Pep drew a little package of green and yellow doc.u.ments from his pocket.

He flung them on the table in a disgruntled way. Ben Jolly picked them up and looked them over.

"Heard of the Keystone Central," he observed-"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 doc.u.ments and remark away with disdain.

"Burn 'em up; throw 'em away-don't care what you do with them," he declared. "I 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."

"All right, Pep," said Jolly blandly, pocketing the papers. "I'll just take care of the doc.u.ments for you. They may bob up in a new way some time; you never can tell."

"What about moving the outfit down from Fairlands, Mr. Jolly?" here interrupted Frank.

"That's so-my report is due; isn't it? Why, I've arranged for everything. Boxed up and crated what there was in good shape, and expect they'll arrive to-morrow or the next day."

"By rail, of course?"

"Oh, yes. It's a long distance, there's 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."

"We had better stock up new as to the seating feature," said Frank, "seeing 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's eyes snapped with antic.i.p.ation of the brilliant way in which the new Wonderland was going to open.

"It looks all smooth sailing; doesn't it now?" Randy submitted in his optimistic way.

"How soon will we open?" pressed the eager Pep.

"I should think we would be all ready within a week or ten days."

"Oh, pshaw! have to wait that long?" mourned Pep.

"You want things right; don't you?" asked Randy.

"Oh, of course, of course," responded Pep, "only every day counts.

Before we know it someone else will break in and get all the cream off the proposition."

"No, no, friend Pep," laughed Ben Jolly confidently. "We've got too good a start in the movies race at Seaside Park, and we're bound to win."

CHAPTER XII-BUSINESS RIVALS

"Put the brake on, Pep!" sang out Randy.

"What's the trouble now?" inquired Ben Jolly. "Someone trying to kidnap you again?"

Frank, Randy and Jolly, on their way to see about their goods at the freight house, had scattered precipitately as a bounding figure turned a street corner and almost crashed into them.

"Glad I found you. Say, what did I tell you?" exclaimed the youthful sprinter. "You come with me and I'll show you something that will open your eyes."

"Later, Pep," said Frank. "We are on our way to arrange for carting the traps from Fairlands up to the playhouse."

"It won't take a minute," declared Pep. "It's only a block or two away.

Say, you'd better come. I'll show you a sight that will set you thinking."

"All right, we'll give you five minutes, Pep," said Frank indulgently.

"And don't forget that I told you so!"

"Told us what?" interrogated Randy.

"You'll find out in a minute."

Pep piloted the group in his usual impetuous way. Quite a busy boardwalk diverged from the main boardwalk thoroughfare, and some minor stores and restaurants of the cheaper cla.s.s occupied the first block.

About midway of the square was a vacant building, once a dime museum.

Frank and his friends had noticed this in their search for a business location. It was off the main route of travel, however, and the building was old, ramshackly and set down from the street level, the lot lying in a depression in the ground so that one had to descend three steps to the entrance.

"There you are," p.r.o.nounced Pep in an impressive way. "What do you say to it?"

Frank, Randy and Ben Jolly came to a halt as they faced an electric sign running out from the front of the building.

"'National,'" read Randy-"'National' what?"

"Photo playhouse," a.s.serted Pep.

"Do you know that?" challenged Jolly.

"I do. When I pa.s.sed by a man who was wiring the sign told me that a big New York fellow and a Seaside Park party were going to open up next week."

"The mischief!" exclaimed Randy, roused up.

"Say," remarked Jolly, bristling up at this hint of rivalry, "we want to get busy."