A District Messenger Boy and a Necktie Party | Page 7

when,
by eating as much as possible, he had lost his appetite for such things..
After this repast was ended, and the remainder of the eatables packed
away in Joe's and Ned's pockets, Bartholomew appeared to have lost
his desire to show his new acquaintances around the city; he still said
that he would carry them to New York on the following morning, but
he seemed to think that they should be able to care for themselves until
then.
"I've got to lay 'round so's to find out whether anybody's goin' to be on
the boat this evenin'," he said, "an' you fellers had better wait on the
wharf awhile. Perhaps we can all sleep on board the boat to-night, an' if
we can, I'll come back for you and take you aboard."
"Where are you going now?" asked Joe.
" Over near where the boat is."
"Why can't we go with you?"
"It wouldn't do, 'cause somebody might see you, an' then they would
know what we was up to."
"What if they should?" asked Joe, quickly, beginning to think that the
yacht-owner did not appear to have many rights on board of his own
vessel. " Can't you take your boat when you want to?"
"Oh, I'll tell you all about it to-morrow, after we're on the way to New
York," said Master West. "You stay right around the wharf till I come

back."
Before either Joe or Ned could prevent him, he had darted away in the
direction of the yacht, leaving his two friends at whose expense he had
just been feasting to look out for themselves.
"' Do you know, Ned, I don't believe that feller owns the whole of the
boat, 'cause he acts so queer about her, an' I'm almost sorry we spent
that money for what we did. You see, it belongs to the office, and when
I get back an' tell the manager that I had to spend it to get something to
eat, he'll take it out of my wages."
"' I wish we was home, an' my papa would give you the money to pay
back," said Ned, warmly. '" Oh, dear, have we got to stay here a whole
night? "
"I'm 'fraid we have, Ned, an' it makes me feel awful bad to think about
mother. She must be about crazy 'cause I don't come home, an' as likely
as not the manager thinks I run away with the money."
"My papa had gone away, so he don't know that I didn't come home,"
said Ned, with quivering lip; "but my mamma is feeling as bad as yours
is."
"Yes, Ned, but we won't talk about it now, 'cause it don't make me feel
very good. We'll wait awhile, an' if that West boy don't come, we'll
start off somewhere, 'cause I'd rather walk than stay 'round here."
"Don't you s'pose the captain of the steamboat would let us go back, if
we should tell him what made us come here? I'm sure my mother
would pay him when we got home," said Ned.
"Do you s'pose she'd have money enough? You know it would cost
much as two or three dollars apiece."
"Course she's got enough. Why, sir, if she wanted as much as twenty
dollars she could get it, my mother could."
"Then let's go right down to the steamboat an' see if they'll take us, -
you are a sensible little chap," and Joe started to his feet; but he stopped,
suddenly, as a second thought came to him. "It wouldn't do to go,
'cause the man that stole you is waitin' round there, prob'ly, an' he'd
catch you sure."
"Oh, dear, I'd forgot all about him," said the child.
Joe made no reply; seated on a pile of boards, with his chin in his hands,
he gave himself up to the most gloomy reflections, so hopeless did the
case, seem. He had remained in this sorrowful attitude some moments,

with Ned silent by his side, when both were startled by a shout:
"Hello, there I why hain't you up to the office?"
Joe sprang to his feet. He saw just behind him a boy about his own age,
in the uniform of a district messenger. "Why, you hain't one of our
boys, .are you? Where did you corne from?" continued the newcomer.
Joe looked first at the uniform and then at the boy that wore it, as if
uncertain whether he could trust the evidence of his own senses. "
Well," said the messenger, "what's the. matter with .you now? Does it
overcome you very much to see me?"
" Where did you come from?" asked Joe.
"Corne from? Why, I belong here. What are you doip'? Where do you
work?"
" In New York."