The Counterfeit Mystery. Norvin Pallas
don’t think so. Besides, you’re not even doing the kind of work I was doing. I had very little to do with the filing or the correspondence. I don’t even know shorthand.”
“Well, I hope you’re not just saying that to be polite, Ted, because I’d feel awfully bad if I thought I really was interfering. It isn’t that I have to work, but I am glad of the chance to get some practical experience, and Aunt Marian seems to like to have me around. However, I’d quit in a minute if I thought it was hurting you.”
“Not at all, Nancy, not at all,” he said quickly. “I think I’m going to like my new job. It’ll be a change, and even if I don’t like it, it’s only for a few weeks anyway.” The truth was that he was still working for the newspaper, over at Mr. Woodring’s place, but he decided not to mention that. If Mr. Dobson wanted it known, he could tell her.
“I hope you do, Ted. It does help to get around into different places, doesn’t it? I feel I’ve learned a whole lot in just the few days I’ve been at the newspaper.”
Ted thought quickly about that movie again. It was the only movie in town, and he didn’t have a car to take her to North Ridge. He couldn’t ask a girl like Nancy to go to a horror movie like that—or could he?
“Nancy, I was going to ask you to go to the movies Saturday night, but it’s about one of those monsters from outer space—”
“Why, Ted, that’s just what I love! I always like to see if I can get scared, but most of them are too tame.”
Ted brightened. “Then would you—could we—”
“Sure, Ted. Saturday night. Aunt Marian’s waiting for me, so I’d better hang up. Good-by now.”
Reluctantly Ted replaced the receiver.
CHAPTER 4
AN UNPLEASANT DISCOVERY
At a quarter to nine Ted was waiting in front of the new office. He thought it would make a little better impression to arrive ahead of time the first day, but he had to wait just fifteen minutes, for Mr. Woodring arrived precisely on time.
“Good morning, Ted,” he said briskly.
“Good morning, Mr. Woodring,” Ted responded, but his new boss had already turned away and was unlocking the door. It was quite a small office and at the moment a desk, a chair, a wastebasket, and an empty coat rack were the only furnishings.
“The phone will be in soon, and I’ve already given the number to some interested prospects, so there may be some calls.”
“What shall I tell anyone who calls?” Ted questioned.
“Well, in the first place, it will probably be people who will want an appointment with me. I have my appointment book here.” Mr. Woodring drew it from his brief case and laid it out flat on the desk. “Now you can see that on certain mornings and afternoons I’ll be out of town and won’t be available for local appointments. I try to avoid being absent for a whole day at a time if I can. If the caller asks for an appointment, you can look at my schedule and see when I’ll be available, and make an appointment for me.”
“What if they only want some information?” asked Ted.
“Then give it to them, of course, if you can. Don’t try to answer if you aren’t sure, but just tell them they’ll have to get in touch with me. Still, I’d much rather have you try to steer them into making an appointment. That will give me an opportunity to outline my whole proposition to them and perhaps cement the deal.”
“But if all they want is information, I’m not sure I know enough about this to tell them,” Ted objected.
“There isn’t a whole lot to tell. You’re familiar in a general way with how the stamp plan works, aren’t you?” Ted nodded. “I’ve got samples of my supplies available for anyone who wants them, and I’ll put a few of each in the desk. But don’t try to answer any questions about money, or anything like that. It would be too complicated, and I’d have to go into it myself.”
“Then all you want me to do is answer the phone?” asked Ted, disappointed. He didn’t think there would be very many calls, at least not today, and he saw a long, empty day stretching out ahead of him.
“There’s one other thing,” Mr. Woodring suggested. “You may get an express shipment this morning. I had it addressed to the hotel, since I didn’t know just where I would be opening an office, but I left word there to have it transferred over here. The shipment consists of premiums which we are offering for stamps when they are redeemed. You can open the packages, and then arrange a little display in front of the window. That may arouse the curiosity of passers-by, and if they come in and ask a few questions about the stamps, that will be all to the good. I’ve got some posters here, too, which you can put into the window, but don’t put them up until the shipment arrives. There wouldn’t be any point in having people come in before we’ve got something to show them. The posters will tell people what’s going on. I don’t believe it will be worth while to put any lettering on the door or window for the few weeks we’ll be here. Everything clear?”
“Yes, I think so,” Ted agreed. It surely didn’t sound very complicated.
“Fine. I’m leaving now, and I’ll be back again at three o’clock.”
He picked up his brief case, and with an abrupt nod of his head left the office.
Being alone in a business office would have given Ted a feeling of being in charge of things, except that there wasn’t very much to take charge of. There wasn’t even a typewriter, and all the drawers of the desk except the top one were empty, as he discovered after a quick investigation. Ted wondered what he ought to do. The place didn’t look very presentable and could very well use a sweeping out. In a back closet Ted found a broom and dustpan, among other odds and ends, and went to work, raising a little cloud of dust. When that was finished, he dusted off the desk and chair and returned the utensils to the closet. The window was perfectly clean and bright, and so there seemed nothing more for him to do.
He hadn’t brought a book or magazine with him and considered ducking out for a minute to pick up something to read from the corner drugstore, but decided against it. If someone came in and found him reading, it would look as though they didn’t have very much business—which, alas, was the truth.
No, the best thing to do was to look busy, and he decided he could begin by looking through the samples Mr. Woodring had left. This would at least make him more familiar with their line, and perhaps he could answer questions more intelligently. He was about to start when the telephone man arrived, and for half an hour there was too much interference to allow him to settle back in his chair.
“That’ll do it,” the installation man finally announced, and Ted thanked him. At least having a telephone offered the possibility of something doing.
More dust had arisen in the process, and Ted swept out the office once more. Then he settled back to look over his material. There were a number of empty stamp books on hand—but no stamps. Apparently Mr. Woodring hadn’t wanted to leave any of these lying around. If anyone wanted to know what the stamps looked like, he could find out from the large illustrated posters which were later going to be placed in the window. They showed an enlarged stamp, of the same design Ted had seen the day before, except that the picture looked even more attractive. The details stood out more vividly than they did when the illustration was reduced to less than the size of a postage stamp.
The catalogue showing the premiums to be earned was next to receive Ted’s attention. He ran through it briefly, admiring some of the items shown, and then was distracted by the arrival of an express truck pulling up in front.
There were about a dozen parcels altogether, which was more than Ted had expected, and he helped the expressman carry them in. The largest could be nothing except a bicycle, but Ted had no idea what the others were, and looked forward to opening the packages. After he had signed for the delivery, and the expressman had left, Ted used his pocketknife to cut the stout cords and rip carefully