A NEWSBOY'S EXPERIENCES.
Frank slept that night at the lodging-house, and found a much better bed
than he had been provided with by his late employer. He was up bright
and early the next morning, and purchased a stock of morning papers.
These he succeeded in selling during the forenoon, netting a profit of
thirty cents. It was not much, but he was satisfied. At any rate he was
a good deal better off than when in the employ of Mr. Mills. Of course
he had to economize strictly, but the excellent arrangements of the
lodging-house helped him to do this. Twelve cents provided him with
lodging and breakfast. At noon, in company with his friend Dick, he went
to a cheap restaurant, then to be found in Ann street, near Park row,
and for fifteen cents enjoyed a dinner of two courses. The first
consisted of a plate of beef, with a potato and a wedge of bread,
costing ten cents, and the second, a piece of apple-pie.
"That's a good square meal," said Dick, in a tone of satisfaction. "I
oughter get one every day, but sometimes I don't have the money."
"I should think you could raise fifteen cents a day for that purpose,
Dick."
"Well, so I could; but then you see I save my money sometimes to go to
the Old Bowery, or Tony Pastor's, in the evenin'."
"I would like to go, too, but I wouldn't give up my dinner. A boy that's
growing needs enough to eat."
"I guess you're right," said Dick. "We'll go to dinner together every
day, if you say so."
"All right, Dick; I should like your company."
About two o'clock in the afternoon, as Frank was resting on a bench in
the City-Hall Park, a girl of ten approached him. Frank recognized her
as an inmate of the tenement-house where Mills, his late employer,
lived.
"Do you want to see me?" asked Frank, observing that she was looking
towards him.
"You're the boy that went round with the blind man, aint you?" she
asked.
"Yes."
"He wants you to come back."
Frank was rather surprised, but concluded that Mills had difficulty in
obtaining a boy to succeed him. This was not very remarkable,
considering the niggardly pay attached to the office.
"Did he send you to find me?" asked our hero.
"Yes; he says you needn't pass that money if you'll come back."
"Tell him that I don't want to come back," said Frank, promptly. "I can
do better working for myself."
"He wants to know what you are doing," continued the girl.
"Does he? You can tell him that I am a newsboy."
"He says if you don't come back he'll have you arrested for stealing
money from him. You mustn't be mad with me. That's what he told me to
say."
"I don't blame you," said Frank, hotly; "but you can tell him that he is
a liar."
"Oh, I wouldn't dare to tell him that; he would beat me."
"How can he do that, when he can't see where you are?"
"I don't know how it is, but he can go right up to where you are just as
well as if he could see."
"So he can. He's a humbug and a fraud. His eyes may not be very good,
but he can see for all that. He pretends to be blind so as to make
money."
"That's what mother and I think," said the girl. "So you won't come
back?"
"Not much. He can hire some other boy, and starve him. He won't get me."
"Aint you afraid he'll have you arrested for stealing?" asked the girl.
"If he tries that I'll expose him for wanting me to pass a counterfeit
note. I never took a cent from him."
"He'll be awful mad," said the little girl.
"Let him. If he had treated me decently I would have stayed with him.
Now I'm glad I left him."
Mills was indeed furious when, by degrees, he had drawn from his young
messenger what Frank had said. He was sorry to lose him, for he was the
most truthful and satisfactory guide he had ever employed, and he now
regretted that he had driven him away by his unreasonable exactions. He
considered whether it would be worth while to have Frank arrested on a
false charge of theft, but was restrained by the fear that he would
himself be implicated in passing counterfeit money, that is, in
intention. He succeeded in engaging another boy, who really stole from
him, and finally secured a girl, for whose services, however, he was
obliged to pay her mother twenty cents every time she went out with him.
Mean and miserly as he was, he agreed to this with reluctance, and only
as a measure of necessity.
As he became more accustomed to his new occupation Frank succeeded
better. He was a boy of considerable energy, and was on the alert for
customers. It was not long before his earnings exceeded those of Dick
Rafferty, who was inclined to take things easily.
One evening Dick was lamenting that he could not go to the Old Bowery.
"There's a bully play, Frank," he said. "There's a lot of fightin' in
it."
"What is it called, Dick?"
"'The Scalpers of the Plains.' There's five men murdered in the first
act. Oh, it's elegant!"
"Why don't you go, then, Dick?"
"Cause I'm dead-broke--busted. That's why. I aint had much luck this
week, and it took all my money to pay for my lodgin's and grub."
"Do you want very much to go to the theatre, Dick?"
"Of course I do; but it aint no use. My credit aint good, and I haint no
money in the bank."
"How much does it cost?"
"Fifteen cents, in the top gallery."
"Can you see there?"
"Yes, it's rather high up; but a feller with good eyes can see all he
wants to there."
"I'll tell you what I'll do, Dick. You have been a good friend to me,
and I'll take you at my expense."
"You will? To-night?"
"Yes."
"You're a reg'lar trump. We'll have a stavin' time. Sometime, when I'm
flush, I'll return the compliment."
So the two boys went. They were at the doors early, and secured a front
seat in the gallery. The performance was well adapted to please the
taste of a boy, and they enjoyed it exceedingly. Dick was uproarious in
his applause whenever a man was killed.
"Seems to me you like to see men killed, Dick," said his friend.
"Yes, it's kinder excitin'."
"I don't like that part so well as some others," said Frank.
"It's' a stavin' play, aint it?" asked Dick, greatly delighted.
Frank assented.
"I'll tell you what, Frank," said Dick; "I'd like to be a hunter and
roam round the plains, killin' bears and Injuns."
"Suppose they should kill you? That wouldn't suit you so well, would
it?"
"No, I guess not. But I'd like to be a hunter, wouldn't you?"
"No, I would rather live in New York. I would like to make a journey to
the West if I had money enough; but I would leave the hunting to other
men."
Dick, however, did not agree with his more sensible companion. Many boys
like him are charmed with the idea of a wild life in the forest, and
some have been foolish enough to leave good homes, and, providing
themselves with what they considered necessary, have set out on a
journey in quest of the romantic adventures which in stories had fired
their imaginations. If their wishes could be realized it would not be
long before the romance would fade out, and they would long for the good
homes, which they had never before fully appreciated.
When the week was over, Frank found that he had lived within his means,
as he had resolved to do; but he had not done much more. He began with
a dollar which he had received from Mr. Bowen, and now he had a dollar
and a quarter. There was a gain of twenty-five cents. There would have
been a little more if he had not gone to the theatre with Dick; but this
he did not regret. He felt that he needed some amusement, and he wished
to show his gratitude to his friend for various kind services. The time
had come to accept Mr. Bowen's second dinner invitation. As Frank looked
at his shabby clothes he wished there were a good pretext for declining,
but he reflected that this would not be polite, and that the old
gentleman would make allowances for his wardrobe. He brushed up his
clothes as well as he could, and obtained a "_boss shine_" from Dick.
Then he started for the house on Madison avenue.
"I'll lend you my clo'es if you want 'em," said Dick.
"There are too many spots of blacking on them, Dick. As I'm a newsboy,
it wouldn't look appropriate. I shall have to make mine answer."
"I'll shine up the blackin' spots if you want me to."
"Never mind, Dick. I'll wait till next time for your suit."