LIVING IN COMFORT AGAIN--FEATURED AS “THE BOY REPORTER.”
ARCHIE often speaks of the day when he visited the newspaper office
for the first time as the happiest day in all his life. The change from
despair and homesickness to the joy of being appreciated by some one
was so rapid that it made his head fairly swim with the exhilaration of
success. With thirty dollars in his pocket, and the knowledge that he
would have steady employment of the kind he desired on the morrow, he
walked up the Bowery feeling like a prince. He entered the lodging-house
where he had left his bundle of clothing, and so surprised the clerk
by his new appearance that he was invited to remain there for another
night. The shrewd man guessed that some good fortune must have befallen
Archie, or he wouldn’t be so happy. But the one night of misery which
he had spent in the squalid hotel was enough for Archie, and he walked
hastily up-town with his bundle, keeping a sharp lookout for a pleasant
place where he might get a room. In his previous wanderings he had seen
several nice houses with rooms to rent, but now that he wanted a room he
found it difficult to find any of these neighbourhoods. He was anxious
to get settled as quickly as possible, for he wanted to get everything
done to-day, so that to-morrow he could have time to do anything
required of him by the editor of the Enterprise. He must get a new suit
of clothes, he must get his hair cut, and last, but not least, he must
write home to mother and tell her of his great good fortune.
Finally, in his wanderings, Archie came to a beautiful square which
was surrounded on every side by business houses and tenements. But the
square itself and the houses on it were very quaint and very handsome,
so that it seemed to be a very oasis in the desert. The green trees,
just a little tinged with the brown and gold of autumn, reminded Archie
of the front yard at home, and he decided to get a room in one of the
houses here if he could possibly do so.
It so happened that there was a hall bedroom empty in one of the
best-looking places, and Archie at once engaged it. The price was more
reasonable than he had hoped for, even, and this made him happy, for as
yet he had no idea how much his earnings would be, and he was anxious to
be able to save something to send home, if he possibly could. The room
was nicely furnished, and looked out upon the fountain, with the green
trees, so that it was highly satisfactory in every respect. It didn’t
take Archie long to undo his bundle, and it was a pitiful display that
greeted him when it was opened. The little comb and brush, a piece of
soap, a Testament given him last Christmas by the teacher at Sunday
school, a suit of underwear, and a couple of handkerchiefs. The whole
lot of things hardly filled a corner in one of the bureau drawers, and
Archie realised that he must buy a great many things within a week or
two.
But before going out to do any shopping, he sat down and wrote a long
letter home, describing his success of the morning, and telling his
mother of the editor’s promise to give him regular employment. He
enclosed a copy of the paper with his picture and the story of his
adventures, and it made him very happy to think of his mother’s feelings
when she read it all. Then, when he had finished, he went out to a
post-office, and bought a money-order for ten dollars, which he also
enclosed. “I know I can spare it,” he said to himself, “and it will
gratify her so much.” Then, when the letter with its contents was safely
mailed, he bought himself a new suit of clothing, and renovated himself
in many ways, so that when he returned to his room in the square it was
nearly dark, and he looked a different boy entirely.
Before going to bed, he determined to see his policeman friend, and tell
him of his good fortune. “He is probably expecting me to sleep in the
station,” Archie thought, “and it will be a great surprise to him.”
But when he met the good man, he found that he had already heard of his
success.
“I bought the Enterprise, and could hardly believe my eyes,” said he,
“but I always thought you would find some one to appreciate your pluck.
I’m mighty glad for you, my lad, and you must always let me know how
you are getting along.” This Archie promised to do, and returned to his
lodging to sleep.
The next morning he was on hand at the Enterprise office before the
editor himself was down. The place was quite as fascinating as it had
been on the preceding day, and he found something new to look at
every minute. The reporters at their desks, several of whom introduced
themselves and congratulated Archie on his perseverance, were a source
of great interest to him, and the copy-boys, running here and there with
special copy for the first edition, gave an air of hustling activity to
the place that was very attractive to this new reporter.
When the editor came he had already thought of something for Archie to
do. “Now you’ve been introduced to the public,” he said, “and we want to
feature you for a few days. Every one will be interested in knowing what
you are doing, and what is going to become of you. You must write us
an article for the paper to-day, telling about your experiences since
yesterday, about getting a new suit, and about hunting for a room. And
you can tell about your policeman friend, too.”
This was surprising. Archie couldn’t imagine why any one should
be interested in knowing about his daily life, but he sat down and
succeeded in writing a very interesting two columns about it. He was
much surprised that he should be able to write so easily and so well. Of
course he knew that composition and rhetoric had been his two strongest
studies at school, but he had never realised before that he had any
great talent for writing. When he had finished this article, the editor
looked it over, and said, “That’s great. You’re all right, my boy. We’ll
make a great journalist of you yet,” and of course this made Archie very
happy. “Wait until this story is set up,” said Mr. Jennings, the editor,
“and I’ll see what you can do in the way of correcting proofs.”
When the proofs came, in a very short time, he hardly knew what to do
with them. But in reading them he discovered several mistakes, which he
lost no time in correcting, and Mr. Jennings said that he had done very
well indeed. “Now you can spend the day in doing what you please.
I would suggest that you go about New York and have as many strange
experiences as possible, so that to-morrow you can write them up for us.
And it will pay you, by the way, to go out to Coney Island, which is a
different place from any you have seen before. You are sure to see some
unusual things, and in the morning you can bring me in two columns about
it.”
Before leaving, Archie was asked if he needed any money. “You mustn’t
hesitate to ask for it, because you can have it as well to-day as on
Saturday.” But as he had left several dollars of the thirty he had
received the day before, Archie didn’t draw any more, and he thought it
most remarkable that the editor should have so much money to pay out.
He had no difficulty in getting a trolley-car to Coney Island, and,
after an hour’s riding through Brooklyn streets, he found himself in the
most unique and most delightful place imaginable, It was a queer-looking
town, with great wheels in the air, high towers, with elevators and
innumerable merry-go-rounds, and other sources of amusement. The noise
was something terrific. Hand-organs, street-pianos, and German bands
were all playing at the same time, while people hurried about from one
place to another, enjoying the hundreds of games and riding the various
scenic railways and carrousels. Archie stood mute with delight at it
all, but before five minutes had passed he had shot the chutes, and had
ridden over a steeplechase which took him through dark caverns, where
dragons glared at him and where electrical sparks were constantly flying
through the air. It was all so new, so different from anything he had
seen before, that he was simply lost in admiration. He was standing
near a theatre, when a short, dark man touched him on the arm, and said,
“Come this way, young man, and I’ll teach you the best game of all.”