"Oh, you can have it if you think you can do anything with it," said
the editor carelessly.

"No, I don't want it for nothing. I'll pay you for it."

"What are you going to do with it? It's too little to run any but
the small presses. Ain't going to start a paper, are you?"

"No. I can fix it up so as to make it do good work. I want to put
it in a motor-boat."

"It might do for that, and if you can fix it up you're welcome to it.
You have a mechanical bent, I know, and I guess if any one can fix it
up, you can. Well, say ten dollars."

"All right. It will cost me another ten to put it in shape, but after
that it will do all right. Will you deliver it to a man that I send
after it? I'll take it down to the Riverton shops and work on it.
They let me tinker things there whenever I want to."

"Certainly. Send an order, and I'll let the man have it."

"Very good. That's all for the present," and Jack went out.

His next call was at the machine shop he had spoken of, and going on
their wharf he looked around, saw an old rowboat lying on the ground,
took a good look at it, and then went to the foreman and said:

"What do you want for that rowboat lying on the wharf? I'd like to
buy it. It will just suit me."