WAYS AND MEANS.
Having decided to purchase a lottery ticket, the important question
suggested itself, "Where was he to obtain the necessary five dollars?"
To most boys or young men of eighteen this would not have been a
difficult question to solve. But to Joshua it was a perplexing problem.
If he saved his entire weekly allowance, it would take him twenty weeks
to obtain the needed sum. This delay was not to be thought of. Was there
any pretext on which he could ask his father for five dollars? He could
think of none that would be likely to succeed. Had he been trusted with
the purchase of his own clothes, he might have asked for a new coat and
misapplied the money; but Mr. Drummond took care to order Joshua's
clothes himself from the village tailor, and never did so without
grumbling at the expense he was obliged to incur. Indeed, Joshua was
not able to boast much of his clothes, for his father was not disposed
to encourage extravagance in dress.
"Perhaps mother may have the money," thought Joshua. "If she has, I'll
get it out of her."
He resolved at once to find out whether any help was to be obtained from
this quarter, and with this object turned his steps at once homeward.
Mrs. Drummond was engaged in the homely employment of darning stockings
when Joshua entered the house.
"You're home early, Joshua," she remarked, looking up.
"Yes, mother. Have you got anything good to eat?"
"I baked a small pie for you in a saucer. I thought that was the best
way. The other evening your father noticed that a piece was gone from
the half pie that was taken from the supper-table."
"How awful mean he is!"
"You shouldn't say that of your father, Joshua."
"It's true, mother, and you know it. He's the meanest man in town."
"I don't like to hear you talk in that way, Joshua. Don't forget that
he is your father."
"I wish he'd treat me like a father, then. I leave it to you, mother, if
twenty-five cents a week isn't a miserable allowance for a fellow of my
age."
"It is rather small," said Mrs. Drummond, cautiously.
"Small! I should think it was. It's just about right for a boy of ten.
That's just the way he treats me."
"Perhaps, if you would speak to your father about it, Joshua--"
"I have spoken to him, and that's all the good it does. He blows me up
for my extravagance. Extravagance on twenty-five cents a week!"
"I'll speak to him myself, Joshua," said his mother;--a heroic resolve,
for she knew that the request would bring anger upon herself.
"He won't mind your talk any more than mine. But I'll tell you what you
can do to oblige me, mother."
"Well, Joshua?"
"I know of a way to make considerable money, and all I need to go into
it is five dollars. If you'll lend me that, I'll pay it back to you as
soon as I can. I think it won't be more than a fortnight."
"What is the plan you are thinking of, Joshua?"
But upon this subject Joshua thought it best to preserve a discreet
silence. He knew that the lottery scheme would not impress his mother
favorably, and that she would not lend the money for any such purpose.
He was aware in what light lotteries are generally regarded. Still his
imagination had been inflamed by the stories he had read of other
persons' luck, and he had succeeded in convincing himself that his own
chance would be very good. Thus he referred to it, in speaking to his
mother, as if he were sure of obtaining a large amount for his
investment.
"I can't tell you just at present, mother," he said; "the fact is,
somebody else is concerned in it, and I am not allowed to tell."
"I hope, Joshua, you have not allowed yourself to be imposed upon. You
know you are not used to business."
"I know what I'm about, mother. I'm not a baby. All I want is the
money. Can you lend me five dollars?"
"I wish I could; but you know your father doesn't allow me much money. I
get my dress patterns and most of what I want out of the store, so I
don't need it."
"You have to buy things for the house,--groceries, and so on."
"We have a bill at the grocery store. Your father pays it quarterly; so
no money passes through my hands for that purpose."
"Then you haven't got the money, mother," said Joshua, disappointed.
"I haven't had as much as five dollars in my possession at one time for
years," answered his mother.
It was true that Mr. Drummond kept his wife uncommonly close. She was
allowed to obtain a limited amount of goods from the store for her own
wardrobe, but apart from that her husband appeared to think she had no
need of money. More than once she wished she could have a little money
at her control to answer occasional calls for charity. But on one
occasion, having been indiscreet enough to give twenty-five cents and a
good meal to a woman, sick and poor, who crawled to her door and asked
for help, Mr. Drummond indulged in such a display of ill-humor at her
foolish extravagance, as he called it, that she was forced afterwards to
deny her generous impulses, or give in the most secret manner, pledging
the recipient to silence.
"I'm sorry I can't oblige you, Joshua," said his mother. "Will you have
the pie?"
"Yes," said Joshua, sullenly, for he was at a loss where next to apply,
and felt that his scheme of sudden riches was blighted at its inception.
Notwithstanding his disappointment, however, he was able to dispose of
the pie. After consuming it, he went out of doors, to reflect upon other
ways of raising the necessary money.
There was his cousin Walter; he was quite sure that he had the money,
but quite as sure that he would not lend it. Besides, he would have
hesitated to apply, on account of the dislike he had come to entertain
for our hero. This dislike had been increased by the result of the boat
race between the "Pioneer" and the "Arrow." He had occasion to know
that the defeat of the former boat was generally ascribed to his own
imperfect steering, and he also knew that Walter had obtained
considerable credit for his own performance in the same line. Now Joshua
knew in his own heart that he could not steer, but he wanted the
reputation of steering well, and it was very irksome to him to have to
play second fiddle to Walter. He had indicated his dislike ever since by
refusing to notice or speak to Walter, except in so far as it was
absolutely necessary. Of course Walter noticed this want of cordiality,
and was in a measure sorry for it; still he had become pretty thoroughly
acquainted with Joshua's character by this time, and this knowledge led
him to feel that the loss of his friendship was not a very serious one.
He had made some other acquaintances, in the village, with boys of his
own age, in whose society he found considerable more pleasure than he
was ever likely to do in Joshua's.
"He can go his way, and I'll go mine," he said to himself. "I'll paddle
my own canoe, and he may paddle his. Perhaps he will succeed better in
that than in steering," he thought with a smile.
Help from Walter, therefore, was not to be expected. Was there any one
else to help him?
Joshua thought doubtfully of his father's clerk, young Nichols, who has
already been introduced to the reader. He did not think there was much
prospect of obtaining a loan from Nichols; still there might be. At any
rate there seemed no other resource, and he made up his mind to sound
him.
He stepped into the store one day when Walter was absent on an errand,
and his father was out also.
"Good-morning, Joshua," said the salesman. "What's up this morning?"
"Nothing that I know of."
"You have an easy time. Nothing to do but to lounge about all day. You
aint cooped up in a store fourteen hours a day."
"That's so; but I suppose I'll have to begin some time."
"Oh, you're all right. Your father's getting richer every year."
"Yes, I suppose he is; but that doesn't give me ready money now. The
fact is, I'm hard up for five dollars. Can't you lend it to me for a
week? I'll give it back in a week, or ten days at any rate."
"You couldn't come to a worse place for money," said Nichols, laughing.
"The fact is, I'm hard up myself, and always am. Old Jones, the tailor,
is dunning me for this very suit I have on. Fact is, my salary is so
small, I have the hardest kind of work to get along."
"Then you can't lend me the money? It's for only a week I want it."
"I've got less than a dollar in my pocket, and I'm owing about fifty
dollars to the tailor and shoemaker. Perhaps Walter can lend you the
money."
"I shan't ask him," said Joshua, shortly. "I'll go without first."
"Don't you like him?"
"No, I don't. He's a mean fellow."
Nichols was privately of the opinion that the term described Joshua
himself much more aptly, but did not express his opinion.