CHAPTER IV

THE WAY INTO PRINT

Sam Cotting's General Store at Millville divided importance with Bob West's hardware store but was a more popular loafing place for the sparse population of the tiny town. The post office was located in one corner and the telephone booth in another, and this latter institution was regarded with much awe by the simple natives. Once in awhile some one would telephone over to the Junction on some trivial business, but the long-distance call was never employed except by the "nabobs"--the local name for John Merrick and his nieces--or by the manager of the new mill at Royal, who had extended the line to his own office in the heart of the pine forest.

So, when Uncle John and the girls entered Cotting's store and the little gentleman shut himself up in the telephone booth, a ripple of excitement spread throughout the neighborhood. Skim Clark, the youthful hope of the Widow Clark, who "run the Emporium," happened to be in the store and he rushed out to spread the news that "the nabob's talkin' to New Yoruk!"

This information demanded immediate attention. Marshall McMahon McNutt, familiarly known as "Peggy" McNutt--because he had once lost a foot in a mowing machine--and who was alleged to be a real estate agent, horse doctor, fancy poultry breeder and palmist, and who also dabbled in the sale of subscription books, life insurance, liniment and watermelons, quickly slid off his front porch across the way and sauntered into Cotting's to participate in the excitement. Seth Davis, the blacksmith, dropped his tools and hurried to the store, and the druggist three doors away--a dapper gentleman known as Nib Corkins--hurriedly locked his door and attended the meeting. Presently the curious group was enlarged by the addition of Nick Thome the liveryman, Lon Taft, a carpenter and general man-of-all-work, and Silas Caldwell the miller, the latter a serious individual who had "jest happened to come acrost from the mill in the nick o' time."

Now, provide a numbered list of answers to these questions:

1. who used long-distance calls?
2. what was the name of the town?
3. what was nabob the local name for?
4. whose store was more popular, Sam's or Bob's?
5. was it a specific store or a general store?
6. what did people like to do there?
7. who went in the telephone booth?
8. did it cause excitement?
9. whose nickname was Peggy?
10. who was Widow Clark related to?
11. were they the one who talked about the phone call?
12. how many professions was Peggy alleged to have?
13. what chopped off his foot?
14. what was Nick Thome's job?
15. was Peggy excited?
16. where did he go to participate?
17. did Seth Davis also go?
18. what were they doing?

Numbered answers:
1. the "nabobs"
2. Millville
3. John Merrick and his nieces
4. Sam's
5. General
6. loaf
7. Uncle John
8. yes
9. Marshall McMahon McNutt
10. Skim Clark
11. Yes
12. Five
13. a mowing machine-
14. a liveryman
15. Yes
16. into Cotting's
17. Yes
18. watching the nabob's use the phone