The next day David sold twice as many papers as he had sold the day
before. He carried thirty-six cents home to his mother that night. This
was as much money as his mother had earned, and he was as proud as a
lord of what he had done.
David now found himself settled in the business; and in a few weeks
his mother bought him a suit of clothes with the money he had earned.
They had a great many nice things at the cottage, which they had not
had since Mr. White’s death.
But the little merchant did not always have such good luck as on the
first days. When he sold all his papers one day, and had calls for
more than he could supply, he asked Mr. Field to bring him six dozen.
Then he could not sell them, and this caused a loss.
There were a few bad boys in Riverdale, and David had some trouble with
them. One day, when he was running across a field with his bundle of
papers under his arm, Joe Birch stopped him. He was a bad boy, and did
not like David, because the little merchant was a good boy, and would
not idle away his time with him.
“How many papers have you sold, David?” asked Joe.
“About twenty,” replied David.
“Give me one--will you?”
“I can’t give them away; I have to pay for them.”
“What if you do?--can’t you give me one?”
“If I have any left, I will give you one,” said David.
Then he tried to get away from the bad boy; but Joe tripped him up, and
he fell at full length on the ground. David did not care for the fall,
but all the money in his pocket came out, and was scattered about in
the grass.
Joe was a good deal larger than David, and our little hero was afraid
of him. So he did not dare to say any thing, though he felt very bad
indeed. He had a stout heart, but he felt very much like crying. This
would do no good; so he began to pick up the cents.
The bad boy said he would help him, and began to look in the grass with
David; but he did not give him any of the money he found. The little
merchant, after he had looked a long while, found only one half of
what he had lost. He felt very bad at the idea of losing ten cents; but
he did not say any thing about his loss, and ran on to leave a paper at
the house on the other side of the field.
“Hallo, David!” shouted Joe.
“What do you want?” asked David.
“Do you mean to say I have got any of the money?”
“I didn’t say so.”
“’Cause if you do, I’ll whip you.”
“I didn’t say so.”
“Yes, you did.”
David did not answer him again, but ran with all his might to the
house. When he got to the door, he could not control his feelings any
longer, and burst into tears.
“What is the matter, David?” asked John Gray, the farmer’s son, as he
gave him a paper.
“I lost my money in the field,” sobbed David.
“Joe Birch was with you--wasn’t he?”
“Yes; and he tripped me up, and when I fell, the money all came out of
my pocket, and I lost ten cents.”
“You go back and ask Joe Birch if he has any of it. I know he has got
some of it.”
“I don’t like to do that; Joe will whip me if I do.”
“You go and ask him, and I will be there in a minute.”
David did not like to do so, but John Gray said so much that at last he
agreed to go. When he reached the field again, Joe was leaving it; but
he called after him, and he stopped.
“Did you find any of my money, Joe?” asked David, who spoke in a very
civil manner.
“No, I did not. Do you mean to say I got any of it? If you do, I’ll
whip you.”
“I don’t say so.”
“Yes, you do.”
Joe doubled up his fist, and moved towards David. Our little merchant
walked away from him; but just then John Gray came to the spot.
“He says I’ve got some of his money,” said Joe, as John joined them.
“Haven’t you got some of it?”
“No.”
“Turn out your pockets, and let me see,” said John.
“I don’t want to do that; but I haven’t got any of his money,” replied
Joe.
The bad boy then tried to run away; but John caught him, and turned
his pockets out for him. In one of them he found eight of the cents
David had lost. John gave them to David, and told Joe if he touched him
again, he would put him in prison for stealing.
David was very glad to get his money again; and while John held Joe,
he ran off to sell the rest of his papers. Joe was afraid of being put
in prison for what he had done; so he did not dare to whip David for
telling John about it.
This was only one of David’s trials. He told his mother about it when
he got home. She said he must not mind it, and that he must have
nothing to do with Joe, for he was a very wicked boy. She told him he
must not heed these troubles, for every body in the world has to meet
them.
David kept on selling papers for several years, and the money he earned
in this way helped his mother very much, and no mother could be more
happy in having such a good son. I hope all my little friends will
do all they can to help their mothers. If they cannot sell papers,
they can do a great many things. They can at least be good boys and
girls, and this will help their mothers a good deal, and make life very
pleasant to them.
[Illustration]