to admit.

"Didn't I tell you so?" said Teddy, triumphantly. "Here's where you get
fifty-cent prizes."

The appeal was successful. The sight of the fifty-cent prize led to a
large call for packages, of which Teddy immediately sold ten, while Paul
found himself completely deserted. None of the ten, however, contained
over two cents. Still the possibility of drawing fifty cents kept up the
courage of buyers, while Paul's inducements were so far inferior that he
found himself wholly distanced.

"Don't you wish you'd gone pardners with me?" asked Teddy, with a
triumphant grin, noticing Paul's look of discomfiture. "You can't do
business alongside of me."

"You can't make any money giving such big prizes," said Paul. "You
haven't taken in as much as you've given yet."

"All right," said Teddy. "I'm satisfied if you are. Have a package,
Jim?"

"Yes," said Jim. "Mind you give me a good prize."

The package was bought, and, on being opened, proved to contain fifty
cents also, to Paul's great amazement. How Teddy's business could pay,
as it was managed, he could not comprehend. One thing was certain,
however, his new competitor monopolized the trade, and for two hours
Paul did not get a solitary customer.

"There's something about this I don't understand," he pondered,
thoughtfully. "He must lose money; but he's spoiled my trade."

Paul did not like to give up his beat, but he found himself compelled
to. Accordingly he took his basket, and moved off toward Wall street.
Here he was able to start in business without competitors, and succeeded
in selling quite a number of packages, until a boy came up, and said:

"There's a feller up at the post office that's givin' fifty-cent prizes.
I got one of 'em."

There was a group of half-a-dozen boys around Paul, two of whom were
about to invest; but on hearing thus they changed their intention, and
walked of in the direction of the post office.

Looking up, Paul saw that the boy who had injured his trade was Mike,
who had drawn the first fifty-cent prize from his competitor.

"Can't you stop interfering?" he said, angrily. "I've lost two customers
by you."

"If you don't like it, you can lump it," said Mike, insolently. "This is
a free country, ain't it?"

"It's a mean trick," said Paul, indignantly.

"Say that ag'in, and I'll upset your basket," returned Mike.

"I'll say it as often as I like," said Paul, who wasn't troubled by
cowardice. "Come on, if you want to."