But the crowd was too thick and too large to find him, and after a quarter of an hour's search the young auctioneer gave it up.

It was now getting late, and as soon as he was satisfied that the confidence man was gone, Matt hurried along on his errand.

He found that the lady who had purchased the goods had just reached home. She had heard of the brown bear episode, and insisted upon Matt giving her the particulars, which he did. She was very much interested in his story, and after she had heard how the affair terminated she plied him with questions concerning the auction business.

"You may think me very curious," she said at length. "But the reason I ask is because my only son, Tom Inwold, ran away with a traveling auctioneer about three months ago."

"Ran away?" repeated Matt.

"Yes; he got into a difficulty in school, and when I insisted that he apologize to his teachers, he grew angry and left the house."

"How old was he?"

"Tom was fifteen last May."

"He was very young to become an auctioneer," smiled Matt. "I am hardly old enough for the business."

"He has made a friend of this auctioneer--who used to stand up in a wagon and sing songs, and then sell cheap jewelry--and he went off with him one Sat.u.r.day, when I thought he had gone to New York with his uncle."

"And doesn't he want to come back?" asked Matt, deeply interested.

"I have never heard of him since he went away." Mrs. Inwold put her handkerchief to her eyes to dry the tears which had started. "One reason I wished these goods delivered was because I thought I might get a chance to talk to you about Tom. You intend to travel from place to place, do you not?"

"Yes, madam; we shall remain here but a few days."

"Then, perhaps, in your travels you may run across Tom. If you do I wish you would tell him to send word home. He ought to come home of himself, but I suppose he won't do that, he is so headstrong."

"I should think he would prefer a good home to traveling around with a cheap jewelry man," was Matt's comment, as he looked around at the comfortable house Mrs. Inwold occupied. "I know I would."

"Boys do not always know what is best for them," sighed the lady. "Tom generally had his own way, and that made him headstrong. He is my only son, and as his father is away most of the time, I suppose I treated him more indulgently than was good for him."

"You have no idea where he and the jewelry man went?"

"Not the slightest. I notified the police and sent out several detectives, but could learn nothing. The detectives told me that the jewelry man was little better than a thief, and always covered his tracks when he left a city, so that his victims could not trace him up."

"That's most likely true. But I trust you do not take my partner and me for such fellows," added Matt honestly.

"No; you look like a young gentleman, and the other young man was one, too, I feel sure."

"We try to do things on the square. We never willfully misrepresent what we sell--as many do."

"That is right, and if you keep on that way you will be bound to prosper. No one ever yet gained much by resorting to trickery in trying to get along."

Mrs. Inwold talked to Matt for quite awhile after this, and promised to come down to the store and buy several other articles of which she thought she stood in need. It was nearly five o'clock when the boy left the mansion.

"A very nice lady," thought Matt, as he hurried back to the auction store. "I hope I meet her son Tom some day. I'll tell him how she feels about his going away, and advise him to return home without delay. My gracious! you wouldn't catch me leaving a home like that in order to put up with the hardships of the road!"

CHAPTER XVII.

THE STORM.

That evening Matt and Andy were kept busy until nearly eleven o'clock selling goods to people that came from the circus. They put up nearly every kind of article on their shelves, and only about half the stock remained unsold when they finally closed and locked the doors.

"That circus was a windfall to us!" exclaimed Andy. "We would not have done half as well had it not been in town."

"Maybe it would be a good idea to follow up the circus," suggested Matt. "That seems to draw out the people more than anything else I know of."

"We will follow the circus as much as we can, Matt. But there is one thing I must do first."

"And what is that?"

"Take the first train back to New York in the morning and buy more goods. Some of our best sellers are entirely gone."

"Then go by all means," returned Matt quickly.

"But can you get along alone?"

"I guess so. If I can't I'll lock up till you get back."

"All right, then. Now let us go over the stock and I'll make out a list of what's wanted."

"Let us figure up what we have made," returned Matt quickly, for he was anxious to know what the exact amount would be.

"Very well; I would like to know myself."

On a sheet of paper they had kept a record of every article sold, with the price. Opposite these, Andy, who was more familiar with their cost than Matt, placed the amount of profit on each. Then with his partner leaning over his shoulder, he added the column up.

"Thirty-one dollars and a quarter!" exclaimed Matt, as he surveyed the result of Andy's calculations. "Did we really make as much as that?"

"We did. Of course we must take out our personal expenses and Billy's keep. That amounts to four dollars and a quarter nearly."

"That still leaves twenty-seven dollars for one day's work. At this rate we'll get rich fast."

"We must not expect such luck every day, Matt. Remember, to-day was circus day. We will have rainy days, and days spent in traveling, during which we will not take in anything, while our expenses go on just the same."

"But it's a good thing we didn't have that kind of a start, Andy. We would have been 'busted' otherwise."

"You are right there," returned Andy.

By seven o'clock on the following morning he was on the way to New York, leaving Matt to open the store alone. This the young auctioneer did, and as trade was very quiet, Matt spent the time in cleaning up such goods as had been handled, and tidying up generally.

Compared with the day before, the street was almost deserted, but during the noon hour, when people were going to and coming from dinner, Matt managed to start up a sale which lasted until nearly two o'clock, and by which he disposed of over three dollars' worth of goods at a good profit.

It was nearly seven o'clock when Andy returned. He had rushed matters in New York, but had bought several bargains, especially one in imitation cut gla.s.sware, which, when it arrived the next day, made a pretty showing in the window.