THE ASSAULT.
The appearance of the clean-looking boy, even though his clothes were
rather shabby, attracted no particular attention among the small army of
newsboys and bootblacks to be found in the vicinity of City Hall Park;
and Teddy Thurston was enabled to survey the scene around him without
interruption.
During a few moments he interested himself in what, to the country lad,
must have been a bewildering scene; and then, mentally "pulling himself
together," he began to watch the young gentlemen who were selling
papers.
Near by him were several bootblacks who appeared to be doing a
flourishing business; and he said to himself, jingling the coins in his
pocket, as if trying to revive his courage:
"If I had money enough to buy brushes an' a box, I b'lieve I'd black
boots for a while. It seems as if there was a good deal of profit in it.
One of those fellows has earned fifteen cents since I stood here, an'
I'm sure the paper-sellers aren't doin' so well."
Just at that moment a small boy, with particularly red hair, and a
stubby nose on which was a large smudge of blacking, finished his work
of polishing a gentleman's boots, and pocketed with an air of
satisfaction the three extra pennies which had been given him.
Then, standing very near Teddy, he whistled in the most contented manner
possible.
The boy from Saranac looked at him a moment, as if trying to decide
whether the city fellow would be willing to give the desired
information, and then asked:
"Say, what do the brushes cost?"
"I paid Ikey Cain forty cents for these two," the stranger replied
without hesitation, as he displayed the articles last mentioned.
"They're good ones. I couldn't have got 'em less'n a dollar down on
Fulton Street."
"That settles me," Teddy said, as if speaking to himself; and then,
without particular animation, he inquired, "What's the cost of the
boxes?"
"Oh, the fellers don't buy these; they make 'em. All you've got to do is
ask some man in a store for one, an', if he gives it to you, find a
chunk of wood an' whittle out this top part. It's the blackin' what
takes the profits off. I paid twenty cents for that bottle last Monday,
an' it's more'n half gone already."
Teddy ceased jingling his coins, and was about to turn away, when his
new acquaintance asked: "Was you thinkin' of shinin'?"
"Eh?"
"I mean was you goin' inter the business?"
"No, I can't; haven't got money enough. I reckon I'll have to sell
papers for a while."
"You'll be jest as rich," the small boy said as he added another smudge
of blacking to his nose by rub bing it in a thoughtful manner. "You
see, when it rains, the fellers can sell papers all the same; but we
have to lay off 'cause nobody wants their boots shined in wet weather.
Where do you live?"
"Well, about anywhere, now. You see, I jest come down from Saranac, to
find out how I could earn my livin'."
"What was you doin' up there?"
"I worked for Farmer Taylor a spell, but he wouldn't give me more'n my
clothes; an' when a feller has to work a year on the farm for sich a
rig-out as I've got here, it don't seem as if he'd get rich very soon."
"I ain't so sure," the boy with the blackened nose said, as he surveyed
the stranger. "You seem to be rigged out pretty swell, an' I guess they
fed you well enough--gave you all you wanted, eh?"
"Oh, yes, I got enough to eat, an' a fair place to sleep in; but it
seems as though a feller like me ought er have more'n that, if he works
hard all day for it."
"Well, I s'pose he had; but you see there's a good many times when
business is dull 'round here, an' if you haven't got the cash to pay
right up to dots for a room, you'll have a chance to sleep where you
can. I've been thinkin' of goin' on to a farm, myself; but I don't seem
to get ahead fast enough to make a break."
Teddy was rather pleased with his new acquaintance. The red-haired boy
was the first in the city who had treated him with the slightest degree
of friendliness, and it would have been gross carelessness to neglect
him.
"What's your name?" he asked, as he moved slowly toward one of the
benches, with an air which invited the bootblack to sit down.
"Well, it's Joseph Williams; but nobody 'round here calls me that. The
fellers sing out 'Carrots' when they want me, 'cause you see my hair is
red."
"Yes, I could tell that in the dark," Teddy said with a smile, as he
looked at Master Williams's flame-colored head.
"I don't care what they call me. If it does 'em any good to sing out
'Carrots' whenever I go by, why, let 'em do it. But that's what makes me
think 'bout goin' to farmin'."
"What is?"
"'Cause they yell so much 'bout carrots. I don't know as I'd like sich
things, for I never eat any; but it seems as if a feller that's so
red-headed as I am b'longs in the country."
"I don't know how you make that out."
"Neither do I; but that's the way it looks to me. Must be nice to be
where there's grass, so's you can get up in the mornin' an' run 'round
in the fields."
"Yes; but that's what you wouldn't be doin'. If you was livin' on a farm
you'd have to hustle, an' there's enough work in the mornin' without
runnin' 'round the fields, I tell you."
"What did you use ter do?"
"Well, first place, I fed the cows. We didn't keep any sheep; but I
looked after the hosses an' pigs, an' then there was a pesky little calf
that gave me lots o' trouble. But look here," Teddy added quickly,
"there's plenty of time for me to tell you 'bout a farm. Jest now I want
er do somethin' to earn my livin.' Can you show me where to get some
papers?"
"Are you goin' into the business sure?"
"Only for a little while. I don't count on sellin' papers all my life.
You see, I 'low to make money enough so's I can go inter somethin'
reg'lar for myself."
"Oh, you do, eh?" and Master Carrots indulged in a bit of sarcasm.
"Well, I reckon it'll be a pretty long while before you earn that much.
You'll be mighty lucky to have all you want er eat, an' a place to
sleep. What have you got in your pocket?"
"Nothin' pertic'lar. That's my baggage," and, in order to prove his
friendliness toward the red-haired stranger, Teddy displayed the
contents of the newspaper parcel, greatly to the surprise of his new
acquaintance.
"What's that little brush for?"
"Why, to clean my teeth, of course."
Carrots looked at his new friend in surprise which amounted almost to
bewilderment.
"Well," Teddy asked, "what's the matter?"
"Well, seems as if you was puttin' on a good deal of style for a feller
that hasn't got money enough to buy the outfit for the bootblack trade."
"I don't know as there's anything so queer 'bout that; but you fellers
seem to think there's no call to keep yourselves lookin' clean."
"Well, you see, we don't claim to be swells."
"Yes, so I see," Teddy replied; then he added: "Say, these fellers seem
to be sellin' a good many papers. S'pos'n' you show me where to buy
some?"
"All right; come along;" and, slinging his box over his shoulder,
Carrots started across Printing House Square, threading his way in and
out of the vehicles in a manner which seemed to Teddy almost criminally
reckless.
More than once, before the short journey was ended, did the boy from
Saranac fancy he would be trampled under the feet of the horses; but, by
dint of his own exertions, aided now and then by a vigorous pull from
his guide, he was soon standing in an ill-ventilated room, where half a
dozen fellows were clamouring for round flat pieces of brass.
"Here--I don't want those," Teddy said, as Carrots led the way to the
desk where the disks were being sold.
"But you've got to have the checks if you count on gettin' papers. Give
me your money. How many do you want?"
"I'll take twenty cents' worth, anyhow, an' see what I can do with them
as a starter;" and Teddy handed the pennies confidently to his new
acquaintance.
Carrots laid the coins in front of the busy man at the desk, received
the bits of brass, and with them went to the counter on which large
numbers of newspapers were lying, where he received Teddy's first stock
in trade.
"Find out what the news is, an' yell the best you know how," Carrots
said, pushing the young gentleman from Saranac toward the street-door;
and five minutes later the new merchant was following his friend's
advice to the letter, by crying his wares in such a manner as excited
the mirth of the other dealers.
"It seems to me I ain't doin' this jest right," Teddy said to himself,
and then he waited a moment, listening to the more experienced venders.
It was not long before he succeeded in imitating their cries, and had
already sold four papers when Skip Jellison, who was accompanied by his
friends Sid Barker and Teenie Massey, appeared in view.
"There he is!" Teenie cried in his shrillest tones. "Now let's see you
go for him! He's actin' as if he owned the whole town!"
Skip prepared for battle by rolling up his coat-sleeves, and settling
his dilapidated cap more firmly on his head. Then, running swiftly
forward, he confronted Teddy as he was on the point of selling a paper
to a gentleman through a horse-car window.
Skip did not wait to be attacked, for he believed in striking the first
blow as a means of confusing the enemy; and, before Teddy recognized the
boy who had threatened him, he received a severe blow in the face which
caused him to reel backward.
The paper fell from his hand, the horse-car continued its way, and this
important transaction in news was nipped in the bud, to the serious loss
of the young merchant.
Teddy was bewildered for an instant, as Skip had expected, and he did
not recover his self-possession until Master Jellison had struck him
once more, this time without serious effect, since the blow, being a
hasty one, glanced from the boy's shoulder.
It sufficed, however, to throw Teddy's stock of papers into the mud of
the street, thereby ruining several so that they would not sell to
fastidious customers; and this, more than the injury received, aroused
Teddy's ire.
The boy from Saranac may have been ignorant concerning the customs of
the city, but he was thoroughly well aware that it was necessary to
defend himself; and, an instant later, Skip found he had quite as much
on hand as he could attend to properly.
Teddy, giving no heed to his wares, struck out with more strength than
science, and forced his adversary to beat a swift retreat.
"Now you've got it!" Teenie shrieked, as if delighted that Skip had met
an opponent who was a match for him.
But Skip paid no heed to Teenie, and, raising his fists as an invitation
to Teddy to "come on," awaited the conclusion of the battle, confident
as to who would be the victor.
Teddy had no idea of holding back; for this attack was but the beginning
of a series which was intended to drive him out of business, and it was
necessary it should be repulsed if he wished to earn his livelihood by
the sale of newspapers.
Therefore he advanced boldly, and aimed what was intended for a stinging
blow at his antagonist's face; but it was met by Skip's arm, and, before
Teddy could raise his hand again, Teenie squeaked loudly and shrilly
enough to have been heard at the post-office:
"Cops! Hi, fellers, here's de cops!"
[Illustration: TEDDY IS ARRESTED, WHILE HIS ENEMIES ESCAPE.]
Teddy was wholly at a loss to know what was meant by this cry, although
he understood it was one of warning; and as he looked around to
ascertain the cause, Skip turned and immediately started at full speed
across the park, intent only on escaping from the blue-coated guardians
of the peace.
With a cry of triumph, Teddy followed in pursuit; but before he had
traversed twenty yards a heavy hand was laid upon his shoulder, and he
found himself in the clutches of one of the park guards.
"I've made up my mind that this sort of thing's been going on long
enough," the officer said, shaking the boy from Saranac, as he led him
toward the approaching policeman. "You little ragamuffins seem to think
this park's kept for you to fight in, but now I'm going to show you
what's what."
"Just let me get hold of the fellow who knocked my papers in the mud,
and I'll show _you_ what's what!" Teddy cried, not understanding that he
had been arrested. "They aren't goin' to drive me away from this town,
if I know myself."
"Well, now there won't be anybody able to do that till after you settle
with the court," the guard said, as he handed his prisoner over to the
policeman; and Teddy's face grew pale as he realized that his attempted
entrance into the business community of New York City was to be checked
in an ignominious manner.