Ragged Dick | Page 5

Johnny had dodged he
would not have lived long enough to obtain a place in our story. He
fled the house, and from that time had not dared to re-enter it.
Somebody had given him a brush and box of blacking, and he had set
up in business on his own account. But he had not energy enough to
succeed, as has already been stated, and I am afraid the poor boy had
met with many hardships, and suffered more than once from cold and
hunger. Dick had befriended him more than once, and often given him
a breakfast or dinner, as the case might be.
"How'd you get away?" asked Dick, with some curiosity. "Did you
walk?"
"No, I rode on the cars."
"Where'd you get your money? I hope you didn't steal it."

"I didn't have none."
"What did you do, then?"
"I got up about three o'clock, and walked to Albany."
"Where's that?" asked Dick, whose ideas on the subject of geography
were rather vague.
"Up the river."
"How far?"
"About a thousand miles," said Johnny, whose conceptions of distance
were equally vague.
"Go ahead. What did you do then?"
"I hid on top of a freight car, and came all the way without their seeing
me.* That man in the brown coat was the man that got me the place,
and I'm afraid he'd want to send me back."
* A fact.
"Well," said Dick, reflectively, "I dunno as I'd like to live in the country.
I couldn't go to Tony Pastor's or the Old Bowery. There wouldn't be no
place to spend my evenings. But I say, it's tough in winter, Johnny,
'specially when your overcoat's at the tailor's, an' likely to stay there."
"That's so, Dick. But I must be goin', or Mr. Taylor'll get somebody
else to shine his boots."
Johnny walked back to Nassau Street, while Dick kept on his way to
Broadway.
"That boy," soliloquized Dick, as Johnny took his departure, "aint got
no ambition. I'll bet he won't get five shines to-day. I'm glad I aint like
him. I couldn't go to the theatre, nor buy no cigars, nor get half as much
as I wanted to eat.--Shine yer boots, sir?"

Dick always had an eye to business, and this remark was addressed to a
young man, dressed in a stylish manner, who was swinging a jaunty
cane.
"I've had my boots blacked once already this morning, but this
confounded mud has spoiled the shine."
"I'll make 'em all right, sir, in a minute."
"Go ahead, then."
The boots were soon polished in Dick's best style, which proved very
satisfactory, our hero being a proficient in the art.
"I haven't got any change," said the young man, fumbling in his pocket,
"but here's a bill you may run somewhere and get changed. I'll pay you
five cents extra for your trouble."
He handed Dick a two-dollar bill, which our hero took into a store close
by.
"Will you please change that, sir?" said Dick, walking up to the
counter.
The salesman to whom he proffered it took the bill, and, slightly
glancing at it, exclaimed angrily, "Be off, you young vagabond, or I'll
have you arrested."
"What's the row?"
"You've offered me a counterfeit bill."
"I didn't know it," said Dick.
"Don't tell me. Be off, or I'll have you arrested."
CHAPTER III
DICK MAKES A PROPOSITION

Though Dick was somewhat startled at discovering that the bill he had
offered was counterfeit, he stood his ground bravely.
"Clear out of this shop, you young vagabond," repeated the clerk.
"Then give me back my bill."
"That you may pass it again? No, sir, I shall do no such thing."
"It doesn't belong to me," said Dick. "A gentleman that owes me for a
shine gave it to me to change."
"A likely story," said the clerk; but he seemed a little uneasy.
"I'll go and call him," said Dick.
He went out, and found his late customer standing on the Astor House
steps.
"Well, youngster, have you brought back my change? You were a
precious long time about it. I began to think you had cleared out with
the money."
"That aint my style," said Dick, proudly.
"Then where's the change?"
"I haven't got it."
"Where's the bill then?"
"I haven't got that either."
"You young rascal!"
"Hold on a minute, mister," said Dick, "and I'll tell you all about it. The
man what took the bill said it wasn't good, and kept it."
"The bill was perfectly good. So he kept it, did he? I'll go with you to

the store, and see whether he won't give it back to me."
Dick led the way, and the gentleman followed him into the store. At the
reappearance of Dick in such company, the clerk flushed