CHAPTER THREE

by Ellis Parker Butler

　　"I reckon you see now how your plan would work out," said Phineas; "we'dgive away nigh on to a thousand pies, an' all because we didn't use hosssense. I'm ag'in' trusts, same as you. I'd vote any day to down any o'them big fellers, but a little private agreement between gentlemen don'thurt nobody. What I say is, git together an' fix on a fair price an'stick to it."

　　"Jest what I say," said Eph. "You lift your price up to ten cents--"

　　"Never in this green world," said Phineas. "Contrariwise, you dropyour grade of pie down equal to mine, an' put your price down to eightcents."

　　"Not so long as I live!" said Eph.

　　"Well, then," said Phineas, "it stands this way. If we leave our pricesas they be, it means fight an' loss to us both, an' we won't change em,so what's to be done?" Eph looked out over the river gloomily.

　　"Dog me if I know," he sighed. "There's just one thing," said Phineas."We got to form a stock company, you an' me, an' put all our earningstogether, an' then, every so often, divide up even. Then if I sell morepies because mine are eight cents, you'll git your half of all I sell;an' if you sell more because your pies are bigger an' better, I'll getmy share of what you sell. An' when things git goin' all right, we'llraise up the price all around--say, my pies to ten cents an' yours totwelve; an' bein' in cahoots, there won't be nobody to say we sha'n't doit, an' we'll lay aside that extra profit to build up the business."

　　"Phineas," said Eph, solemnly, "it's a wonder I didn't think o' thatmyself."

　　"Ain't it, now?" asked Phineas. "But I 've give this thing some thought,an' I ain't begun to tell you where it ends. I wanted to see how youtook to it before I let it all out on you."

　　Eph leaned forward eagerly. "Go on," he said. "Let it out on me now."

　　"When the only two homemade pie-makers git together like we'll be," saidPhineas, triumphantly, "I'd like to know who'll stop us from liftin'up the price. Huh! Them that don't like to pay our prices, they can eatbakers' pies an' welcome."

　　"I know some folks in this town," Eph said, "that wouldn't eat bakers'pies if they had to pay twenty-five cents apiece for homemade." Hepaused to consider this pregnant statement, and then added: "But Ireckon the bakers would git away a heap of our trade if we begun liftin'our prices much." Phineas's eyes snapped.

　　"They would, hey?" he said, laughing. "Mebby they would an' mebby theywouldn't. What do you suppose we'd be doin' with that surplus we'daccumulate? Come strawberry season, we'd up an' buy every strawberrythat come to Gloning. We'd pay more than anybody could afford to, an'add the difference to our strawberry-pie price, because we'd have theonly strawberry pies in town. An' what strawberries we couldn't useright off we'd can for winter pies. An' as other fruits come in,we'd buy them up the same way. But we wouldn't be mean. We'd open afruit-store an' sell folks fruit at a good high price if they'd sign anagreement not to use any fer pie. An' in a little while the bakers wouldgit sick an' sell out their shops to us fer almost nothin'. An' thenwe'd go into the bakin' business big."

　　"We'd bake cakes an' bread then," said Eph, eagerly.

　　"Cakes an' bread an' doughnuts an' buns an' everything," said Phineas,with enthusiasm. "We'll git one big bake-shop an' save on expenses, an'shove up the price of stuff a little, an' just coin money."

　　"We'd ought to git at it quick," said Eph. "We'd oughtn't to waste notime. What do you reckon would be a good name fer the company?"

　　"I've fixed that all up," said Phineas. "We'll call it the American PieCompany, Incorporated; an' bein' as only you an' me will be in it, we'lleach have to be officers."

　　"I'm goin' to be president," exclaimed Eph, with all the eagerness of aboy.

　　"All right, Eph," said Phineas. "We don't want to have no more fights,an' I want to do what's right, so you can be president. I'll betreasurer."

　　Eph thought for a minute. He knew Phineas well.

　　"I want to do what's right, too," he said at last. "You can bepresident. I'll be treasurer."

　　"I guess mebby we'd better take turns bein' treasurer," suggestedPhineas.