CONTINUED ILL LUCK.
Rodney set himself to work searching for a new situation. But
wherever he called he found Some one ahead of him. At length he saw an
advertisement for an entry clerk in a wholesale house in Church Street.
He applied and had the good fortune to please the superintendent.
“Where have you worked before?” he asked.
“At Otis Goodnow’s, on Reade Street.”
“How much were you paid there?”
“Seven dollars a week.”
“Very well, we will start you on that salary, and see if you earn it.”
Rodney was surprised and relieved to find that he was not asked for a
recommendation from Mr. Goodnow, knowing that he could not obtain one.
He went to work on a Monday morning, and found his duties congenial and
satisfactory.
Seven dollars a week was small, compared with what he had received as a
tutor, but he had about two hundred and fifty dollars in the Union Dime
Savings Bank and drew three dollars from this fund every week in order
that he might still assist Mike, whose earnings were small.
One of his new acquaintances in the store was James Hicks, a boy about a
year older than himself.
“Didn’t you use to work at Otis Goodnow’s?” asked James one day when
they were going to lunch.
“Yes.”
“I know a boy employed there. He is older than either of us.”
“Who is it?”
“Jasper Redwood. Of course you know him.”
“Yes,” answered Rodney with a presentiment of evil.
He felt that it would be dangerous to have Jasper know of his present
position, but did not venture to give a hint of this to James.
His fears were not groundless. Only the day after James met Jasper on
the street.
“Anything new?” asked Jasper.
“Yes; we’ve got one of your old friends in our store.”
“Who is it?”
“Rodney Ropes.”
Jasper stopped short, and whistled. He was excessively surprised, as he
supposed Rodney still to be Arthur Sargent’s tutor.
“You don’t mean it?” he ejaculated.
“Why not? Is there anything so strange about it?”
“Yes. Did Ropes bring a recommendation from Mr. Goodnow?”
“I suppose so. I don’t know.”
“If he did, it’s forged.”
“Why should it be?”
“Goodnow wouldn’t give him a recommendation.”
“Why wouldn’t he?”
“Because he discharged Ropes. Do you want to know why?”
“Yes.”
“For stealing articles from the store.”
It was the turn of James Hicks to be surprised.
“I can’t believe it,” he said.
“Its true. Just mention the matter to Ropes, and you’ll see he won’t
deny it.”
“I think there must be some mistake about it. Rodney doesn’t look like a
fellow that would steal.”
“Oh, you can’t tell from appearances--Rogues are always plausible.”
“Still mistakes are sometimes made. I’d trust Rodney Ropes sooner than
any boy I know.”
“You don’t know him as well as I do.”
“You don’t like him?” said James shrewdly.
“No I don’t. I can’t like a thief.”
“You talk as if you had a grudge against him.”
“Nothing but his being a thief. Well, what are you going to do about
it?”
“About what?”
“What I have just told you.”
“I don’t feel that I have any call to do anything.”
“You ought to tell your employer.”
“I am no telltale,” said James scornfully.
“Then you will let him stay in the store, knowing him to be a thief?”
“I don’t know him to be a thief. If he steals anything it will probably
be found out.”
Jasper urged James to give information about Rodney, but he steadily
refused.
“I leave others to do such dirty work,” he said, “and I don’t think any
better of you, let me tell you, for your eagerness to turn the boy out
of his position.”
“You are a queer boy.”
“Think so if you like,” retorted Hicks. “I might give my opinion of
you.”
At this point Jasper thought it best to let the conversation drop. He
was much pleased to learn that Rodney had lost his fine position as
tutor, and was now in a place from which he might more easily be ousted.
As he could not prevail upon James Hicks to betray Rodney he decided to
write an anonymous letter to the firm that employed him.
The result was that the next afternoon Rodney was summoned to the
office.
“Sit down Ropes,” said the superintendent. “For what store did you work
before you came into our house?”
“Otis Goodnow’s.”
“Under what circumstances did you leave?”
“I was accused of theft.”
“You did not mention this matter when you applied for a situation here.”
“No, sir. I ought perhaps to have done so, but I presumed in that case
you would not have given me a place.”
“You are right he would not.”
“Nor would I have applied had the charge been a true one. Articles were
certainly missing from Mr. Goodnow’s stock, but in accusing me they did
me a great injustice.”
“How long since you left Mr. Goodnow’s?”
“Four months.”
“What have you been doing since?”
“I was acting as tutor to the son of Mr. Sargent, of West Fifty Eighth
Street.”
“A well known citizen. Then you are a scholar?”
“Yes, sir, I am nearly prepared for college.”
“Of course he did not know you were suspected of dishonesty.”
“On the contrary he did know it. I told him, and later he received an
anonymous letter, notifying him of the fact.”
“We also have received an anonymous letter. Here it is. Do you recognize
the hand writing?”
“Yes,” answered Rodney after examining the letter. “It was written by
Jasper Redwood.”
“Who is he?”
“A boy employed by Mr. Goodnow. For some reason he seems to have a spite
against me.”
“I admit that it is pretty small business to write an anonymous letter
calculated to injure another. Still we shall have to take notice of
this.”
“Yes, sir, I suppose so.”
“I shall have to bring it to the notice of the firm. What they may do I
don’t know. If the matter was to be decided by me I would let you stay.”
“Thank you, sir,” said Rodney gratefully.
“But I am not Mr. Hall. You can go now and I will see you again.”
Rodney left the office fully persuaded that his engagement would
speedily terminate. He was right; the next day he was sent for again.
“I am sorry to tell you, Ropes,” said the superintendent kindly “that
Mr. Hall insists upon your being discharged. He is a nervous man and
rather suspicious. I spoke in your favor but I could not turn him.”
“At any rate I am grateful to you for your friendly effort.”
The superintendent hesitated a moment, and then said: “Will this
discharge seriously embarrass you? Are you short of money?”
“No, sir. I was very liberally paid by Mr. Sargent, and I saved money.
I have enough in the savings bank to last me several months, should I be
idle so long.”
“I am glad of it. I hope you will remember, my boy, that this is none of
my doing. I would gladly retain you. I will say one thing more, should
Jasper Redwood ever apply for a situation here, his name will not be
considered.”
So Rodney found himself again without a position. It seemed hard in view
of his innocence, but he had confidence to believe that something would
turn up for him as before. At any rate he had enough money to live on
for some time.
When Mike Flynn learned the circumstances of his discharge he was very
angry.
“I’d like to meet Jasper Redwood,” he said, his eyes flashing. “If I
didn’t give him a laying out then my name isn’t Mike Flynn.”
“I think he will get his desert some time, Mickey, without any help from
you or me.”
“Should hope he will. And what’ll you do now, Rodney?”
“I don’t know. Sometimes I think it would be well to go to some other
city, Boston or Philadelphia, where Jasper can’t get on my track.”
“Should hope you won’t do it. I can’t get along widout you.”
“I will stay here for a few weeks, Mike, and see if anything turns up.”
“I might get you in as a telegraph boy.”
“That wouldn’t suit me. It doesn’t pay enough.”
Rodney began to hunt for a situation again, but four weeks passed and
brought him no success. One afternoon about four o’clock he was walking
up Broadway when, feeling tired, he stepped into the Continental Hotel
at the corner of Twentieth Street.
He took a seat at some distance back from the door, and in a desultory
way began to look about him. All at once he started in surprise, for
in a man sitting in one of the front row of chairs he recognized Louis
Wheeler, the railroad thief who had stolen his box of jewelry.
Wheeler was conversing with a man with a large flapping sombrero, and
whose dress and general appearance indicated that he was a Westerner.
Rodney left his seat and going forward sat down in the chair behind
Wheeler. He suspected that the Western man was in danger of being
victimized.