ben had certainly met with good luck so far. even his temporary detention at the station-house he regarded as a piece of good luck, since he was paid handsomely for the confinement, while his bed there was considerably more comfortable than he often enjoyed. his adventure with the burglar also brought him in as much as under ordinary circumstances he would have earned in a week. in two days he was able to lay aside fifteen dollars and a half towards his fund.
but of course such lucky adventures could not be expected every day. the bulk of his money must be earned slowly, as the reward of persistent labor and industry. but ben was willing to work now that he had an object before him. he kept up his double business of baggage-smasher and vender of weekly papers. after a while the latter began[pg 256] to pay him enough to prove quite a help, besides filling up his idle moments. another good result of his new business was, that, while waiting for customers, he got into the habit of reading the papers he had for sale. now ben had done very little reading since he came to new york, and, if called upon to read aloud, would have shown the effects of want of practice, in his frequent blunders. but the daily lessons in reading which he now took began to remedy this deficiency, and give him increased fluency and facility. it also had the effect of making him wish that his education had not been interrupted, so that his cousin charles might not be so far ahead of him.
ben also gave up smoking,—not so much because he considered it injurious, but because cigars cost money, and he was economizing in every possible way. he continued to sleep in the room under the wharf, which thus far the occupants had managed to keep from the knowledge of the police. gradually the number had increased, until from twenty to thirty boys made it a rendezvous nightly. by some means a stove had been procured, and what[pg 257] was more difficult, got safely down without observation, so that, as the nights grew cooler, the boys managed to make themselves comfortable. here they talked and told stories, and had a good time before going to sleep. one evening it was proposed by one of the boys that each should tell his own story; for though they met together daily they knew little of each other beyond this, that they were all engaged in some street avocation. some of the stories told were real, some burlesque.
first jim bagley told his story.
"i aint got much to tell, boys," he said. "my father kept a cigar store on eighth avenue, and my mother and sister and i lived behind the shop. we got along pretty well, till father got run over by a street-car, and pretty soon after he died. we kept the store along a little while, but we couldn't make it go and pay the rent; so we sold out to a man who paid half down, and promised to pay the rest in a year. but before the year was up he shut up the shop, and went off, and we never got the rest of the money. the money we did get did not last long. mother got some sewin' to do, but she[pg 258] couldn't earn much. i took to sellin' papers; but after a while i went into the match business, which pays pretty good. i pay mother five dollars a week, and sometimes more; so she gets along well."
"i don't see how you make so much money, jim," said phil cranmer. "i've tried it, and i didn't get nothin' much out of it."
"jim knows how," said one of the boys. "he's got enterprise."
"i go off into the country a good deal," said jim. "there's plenty of match boys in the city. sometimes i hire another boy to come along and help me. if he's smart i make money that way too. last time i went out i didn't make so much."
"how was that, jim?"
"i went up to albany on the boat. i was doin' pretty well up there, when all to once they took me up for sellin' without a license; so i had to pay ten dollars afore they'd let me off."
"did you have the money to pay, jim?"
"yes, but it cleaned me out, so i didn't have[pg 259] but two dollars left. but i travelled off into the country towns, and got it back in a week or two. i'm glad they didn't get hold of bill."
"who was bill?"
"the feller that sold for me. i couldn't have paid his fine too. that's about all i have to tell." [b]
"captain jinks!" called out one of the boys; "your turn next."
attention was directed to a tall, overgrown boy of sixteen, or possibly seventeen, to whom for some unknown reason the name of the famous captain jinks had been given.
"that aint my name," he said.
"oh, bother your name! go ahead."
"i aint got nothing to say."
"go ahead and say it."
the captain was rather taciturn, but was finally induced to tell his story.
[b] the main incidents of jim bagley's story are true, having been communicated to the writer by jim himself, a wide-awake boy of fifteen, who appeared to possess decided business ability and energy. the name only is fictitious.
[pg 260]
"my father and mother are dead," he said. "i used to live with my sister and her husband. he would get drunk off the money i brought home, and if i didn't bring home as much as he expected, he'd fling a chair at my head."
"he was a bully brother-in-law," said jerry. "did it hurt the chair much?"
"if you want to know bad, i'll try it on you," growled the narrator.
"good for captain jinks!" exclaimed two or three of the boys.
"when did you join the hoss marines?" asked jerry, with apparent interest.
"shut up your mouth!" said the captain, who did not fancy the joke.
"go ahead, jinks."
"i would not stand that; so i went off, and lived at the lodge till i got in here. that's all."
captain jinks relapsed into silence, and tim mcquade was called upon. he had a pair of sparkling black eyes, that looked as if he were not averse to fun.[pg 261]
"maybe you don't know," he said, "that i'm fust cousin to a markis."
"the markis of cork," suggested one of the boys.
"and sometimes i expect to come in for a lot of money, if i don't miss of it."
"when you do, just treat a feller, will you?" said jerry.
"course i will. i was born in a big castle made of stone, and used to go round dressed in welvet, and had no end of nice things, till one day a feller that had a spite ag'in the markis carried me off, and brought me to america, where i had to go to work and earn my own livin'."
"why don't you write the markis, and get him to send for you?" asked jerry.
"'cause he can't read, you spalpeen! what 'ud be the use of writin' to him?"
"maybe it's the fault of your writin', tim."
"maybe it is," said tim. "when the markis dies i'm going back, an' i'll invite you all to come an' pass a week at castle mcquade."[pg 262]
"bully for you, tim! now, dutchey, tell us your story."
dutchey was a boy of ten, with a full face and rotund figure, whose english, as he had been but two years in the country, was highly flavored with his native dialect.
"i cannot english sprechen," he said.
"never mind, dutchey. do as well as you can."
"it is mine story you want? he is not very long, but i will tell him so goot as i can. mine vater was a shoemaker, what makes boots. he come from sharmany, on der rhein, mit my moder, and five childer. he take a little shop, and make some money, till one day a house fall on his head mit a brick, an he die. then i go out into der street, and black boots so much as i get him to do, and the money what i get i carry home to mine moder. i cannot much english sprechen, or i could tell mine story more goot."
"bully for you, dutchey! you're a trump."
"what is one trump?" asked the boy, with a puzzled expression.
"it is a good feller."[pg 263]
this explanation seemed to reconcile dutchey to being called a trump, and he lay back on the bed with an expression of satisfaction.
"now, ben, tell us your story."
it was ben, the luggage boy, who was addressed. the question embarrassed him, for he preferred to keep his story secret. he hoped ere long to leave his present haunts and associates, and he did not care to give the latter a clue by which they might trace him in his new character and position. yet he had no good reason to assign for silence. he was considering what sort of a story he could manufacture, that would pass muster, when he was relieved from further consideration by an unexpected occurrence.
it appears that a boy had applied for admission to the rendezvous; but, on account of his unpopular character, had been refused. this naturally incensed him, and he determined to betray the boys to the policeman on the beat. the sight that greeted ben, as he looked towards the entrance, was the face of the policeman, peering into the apartment. he[pg 264] uttered a half exclamation, which attracted the general attention. instantly all was excitement.
"the copp! the copp!" passed from mouth to mouth.
the officer saw that the odds were against him, and he must summon help. he went up the ladder, therefore, and went in search of assistance. the boys scrambled up after him. some were caught, and ultimately sentenced to the island, on a charge of stealing the articles which were found; but others escaped. among these was ben, who was lucky enough to glide off in the darkness. he took the little german boy under his protection, and managed to get him safely away also. in this case the ends of justice were not interfered with, as neither of the two had been guilty of dishonesty, or anything else rendering them amenable to the law.
"well, dutchey, we're safe," said ben, when they had got some blocks away from the wharf. "how do you feel?"
"i lose mine breath," said the little boy, panting with the effort he had made.[pg 265]
"that's better than losin' your liberty," said ben. "you'll get your breath back again. now we must look about and see where we can sleep. i wonder if jim bagley's took."
just then a boy came running up.
"why, it's ben and dutchey," he said.
"jerry, is it you? i'm glad you're safe."
"the copp got a grip of me, but i left my jacket in his hands. he can carry that to the station-house if he wants to."
jerry's appearance corresponded to his statement, his jacket being gone, leaving a dilapidated vest and ragged shirt alone to protect the upper part of his body. he shivered with the cold, for it was now november.
"here, jerry," said ben, "just take my vest an' put over yours. i'll button up my coat."
"if i was as fat as dutchey, i wouldn't mind the cold," said jerry.
the three boys finally found an old wagon, in which all three huddled up together, by this means keeping warmer than they otherwise could. being[pg 266] turned out of their beds into the street might have been considered a hardship by boys differently reared, but it was not enough to disturb the philosophy of our young vagrants.
