 Preface to Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Wars. This is a LibriVox recording, while LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Wars by Horatio Alger Jr. Preface In presenting Ben the Luggage Boy to the public as the fifth of the ragged dick series, the author desires to say it is, in all essential points, a true history. The particulars of the story having been communicated to him by Ben himself nearly two years since. In particular, the circumstances attending the boys running away from home and adopting the life of a street boy are in strict accordance with Ben's own statement. While some of the street incidents are barred from the writer's own observation, those who are really familiar with the different phases which street life assumes in New York will readily recognize their fidelity. The chapter entitled The Room Under the Wharf will recall to many readers of the Daily Journals a paragraph which made its appearance within two years. The writer cannot close without expressing anew his thanks for the large share of favor which has been accorded to the volumes of the present series and takes this opportunity of saying that, in their preparation, invention has played but a subordinate part. For his delineations of character and choice of incidents, he has been mainly indebted to his own observation, aided by valuable communications and suggestions from those who have been brought into familiar acquaintance with a class whose mode of life he has sought to describe. New York, April 5th, 1876 End of the Preface Chapter 1 Of Ben, the Luckage Boy, or Among the Wharves This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by Tommy Hersant, Carlsbad, California Ben, the Luckage Boy, or Among the Wharves by Horatio Algier Jr. Chapter 1 Introduces Ben, the Luckage Boy How much you made this morning, Ben? Nary red? answered Ben, composedly. Had your breakfast? Only an apple. That's all I've eaten since yesterday. It's most time for the train to be in from Philadelphia. I'm lean around for a job. The first speaker was a short freckle-faced boy, whose box strapped to his back identified him at once as a street boot black. His hair was red. His fingers defaced by stains of blacking. And his clothing constructed on the most approved system of ventilation. He appeared to be about twelve years old. The boy, whom he addressed as Ben, was taller and looked older. He was probably not far from sixteen. His face and hands, though browned by exposure to wind and weather, were several shades cleaner than those of his companion. His face, too, was of a less common type. It was easy to see that, if he had been well-dressed, he might readily have been taken for a gentleman's son. But in his present attire there was little chance of that mistake being made. His pants, marked by a green stripe, small around the waist and very broad at the hips, had evidently once belonged to a Bowery swell. For the Bowery has its swells as well as Broadway. Its more aristocratic neighbor. The vest had been discarded as a needless luxury, its place being partially supplied by a shirt of thick red flannel. This was covered by a frock coat, which might once have belonged to a member of the Fat Men's Association, being Aldermaniac in its proportions. Now it was fallen from its high estate, its snap and original gloss had long departed, and it was frayed and torn in many places. But among the street boys dress is not much regarded, and Ben never thought of apologizing for the defects of his wardrobe. We shall learn in time what were his faults and what his virtues, for I can assure my readers that street boys do have virtues sometimes. And when they are thoroughly convinced that a questioner feels an interest in them, we'll drop the chaff in which they commonly indulge and talk seriously and feelingly of their faults and hardships. Some do this for a purpose no doubt, and the verdant stranger is liable to be taken in by a assumed virtue and waste sympathy on those who do not deserve it. But there are also many boys who have good tendencies and aspirations and only need to be encouraged and placed under right influences to develop into worthy and respectable men. The conversation recorded above took place at the foot of Cortland Street, opposite the ferry wharf. It was nearly time for the train, and there was the usual scene of confusion. Express wagons, hacks, boys, laborers were gathering, presenting a confusing medley to the eye of one unaccustomed to the spectacle. Ben was a luggage boy. His occupation meant to wait at the piers for the arrival of steamboats or at the railway stations on the chance of getting a carpet bag or valise to carry. His business was a precarious one. Sometimes he was lucky, sometimes unlucky. When he was flush, he treated himself to a square meal and finished up the day at Tony Pastors or the Old Bowery, where from his seat in the pit he indulged in independent criticism of the acting as he leaned back in his seat in munched peanuts, throwing the shells about carelessly. It is not surprising that the street boys like the Old Bowery and are willing to stint their stomachs or run the risk of a night in the streets for the sake of the warm room and the glittering allusions of the stage, introducing them, for the time being, to the society of nobles and ladies of high berth and enabling them to forget for a time the hardships of their own lot, while they follow with rapt interest the fortunes of Lord Frederick Montressor or the Lady Imugine de la Cour. Strange as it may seem, the street Arab has a decided fancy for these pictures of aristocracy and never suspects their want of fidelity. When the play ends and Lord Frederick comes to his own, having foiled all the schemes of his crafty and unprincipled enemies, no one rejoices more than the ragged boy who has sat through the evening an interested spectator of the play and in his pleasure at the successful denouement he almost forgets that he will probably find the news boy's lodging-house closed for the night and be compelled to take up with such sleeping accommodations as the street may provide. Ben crossed the street, taking a straight course without paying a special attention to the mud, which caused other pedestrians to pick their way. To the condition of his shoes he was supremely indifferent. Stockings he did not wear. They are luxuries in which few street boys indulge. He had not long to wait. The boat bumped against the wharf and directly a crowd of passengers poured through the open gates in a continuous stream. Ben looked sharply around him to judge who would be likely to employ him. His attention was drawn to an elderly lady with a large carpet bag swelled almost to bursting. She was looking about her in a bewildered manner. Carry your bag, ma'am, he said at the same time motioning towards it. Who be you? asked the old lady suspiciously. I'm a baggage smasher, said Ben. Then I don't want you, answered the old lady, clinging to her bag as if she feared it would be arrested from her. I'm surprised that the law allows such things. You might be in a better business, young man, than smashing baggage. That's where you're right, old lady, said Ben. Banking would pay better if I only had the money to start on. Are you much acquainted in New York? Asked the old lady. Yes, said Ben. I know the mayor and alderman and all the principal men. A.T. Stewart's my intimate friend. And I dine with Vanderbilt every Sunday when I ain't engaged at Aster's. Do you wear them clothes when you visit your fine friends? Asked the old lady shrewdly. No, said Ben. Them are my everyday clothes. I only got some velvet clothes to home embroidered with gold. I believe you are telling fibs, said the old lady. What I want to know is if you know my daughter, Mrs. John Jones. Her first name is Serafini. She lives on Bleaker Street and her husband, who is a nice man, though his head is bald on top, keeps a grocery store. Of course I do, said Ben. It was only yesterday that she told me her mother was coming to see her. I might have known you was she. How would you have known? She told me just how you looked. I did she. How did she say I looked? She said you was most a 90. It isn't true, said the old lady indignantly. I'm only 73 and everybody says I'm wonderful young looking for my years. I don't believe Serafini told you so. She might have said you looked as if you was most 90. You're a sassy boy, said the owner of the carpet bag, indignantly. I don't see how I'm going to get up to Serafini's, she continued, complainingly. They ought to have come down to meet me. How much will you charge to carry my carpet bag and show me the way to my daughters? Fifty cents, said Ben. Fifty cents, repeated the old lady aghast. I didn't think you'd charge more than ten. I have to, said Ben, boards high in New York. How much would they charge me in a carriage? Here, you, sir, addressing a hackman. What will you charge to carry me in your daughter's house? Mrs. John Jones in Bleaker Street. What's the number? I think it's a hundred and sixty-five. A dollar and a half. A dollar and a half? Couldn't you do it for less? Carry your bag, sir, asked the Ben of a gentleman passing. The gentleman shook his head. He made one or two other proposals, meaning in like manner unsuccessful. He returned to the old lady, who, having by this time got through her negotiations with a hackman, whom she had vainly striven to beat down to seventy-five cents, was in a more favorable mood to accept Ben's services. Can't you take less than fifty cents? She asked. No, said Ben, decidedly. I'll give you forty. Couldn't do it, said Ben, who felt sure of gaining his point now. Well, I suppose I shall be obliged to hire you, said the old lady with a sigh. Serafini ought to have sent down to meet me. I didn't tell her I was coming today, but she might have thought I'd come, being so pleasant. Here, you boy, you may take the bag and mind you don't run away with it. There ain't nothing in it but some of my clothes. I don't want none of your clothes, said Ben. My wife's bigger than you, and they wouldn't fit her. Mass is sakes? You ain't married, be you? Why shouldn't I be? I don't believe it. You're not old enough. But I'm glad you don't want the clothes. They wouldn't be of no use to you. You take the bag and I'll follow her on behind. I want my pay first. I ain't got the change. My daughter Serafini will pay you when we get to her house. That don't go down, said Ben decidedly, payment in advance. That's the way I do business. You get your pay, don't you be afraid? I know I shall, but I want it now. You won't run away after I paid you, will you? Of course not. That ain't my style. The old lady took out her purse and drew there from forty-seven cents. She protested that she had not a cent more. Ben pardoned the deficiency, feeling that he would, notwithstanding, be well-paid for his time. All right, he said, magnanimously. I don't mind the three cents. It ain't any object to a man of my income. Take my hand, old lady, and we'll go across the street. I'm afraid of being run over, she said, hesitantly. What's the odds if you be, said Ben? The city'll have to pay you damages. But if I got killed, that wouldn't do me any good, remarked the old lady sensibly. Well, then the money'd go to your friends, said Ben, consolingly. Do you think I will be run over? asked the old lady anxiously. Of course you won't. I'll take care of you. They wouldn't dare to run over me, said Ben confidently. Somewhat reassured by his remark the old lady submitted to Ben's guidance and was piloted across the street in safety. I wouldn't live in New York for a heap of money. It would be as much as my life is worth, she remarked. How far is Blinker Street? About two miles. I almost wish I'd read, but a dollar-and-a-half is a sight to pay. You'd have to pay more than that. Well, that's all the man asked. I know, said Ben. But when he got you there he'd have charged you five dollars. I wouldn't have paid it. Oh, yes you would, said Ben. He couldn't make me. If you didn't pay he'd have locked you in and driven you off to the river and dumped you in. Do they ever do such things? Asked the old lady, startled. Of course they do. Only last week a beautiful young lady was served that way because she wouldn't pay what the Hackman wanted. And what was done with to him? Nothing, said Ben. The police is in league with them and get their share of the money. Why, you don't say so. What a wicked place New York is to be sure. Of course it is. It's so wicked I'm going to the country myself as soon as I get money enough to buy a farm. Have you got much money saved up? As the old woman interested. Four thousand six hundred and seventy-seven dollars and fifty-five cents. I don't count the money you gave me because I'm going to spend it. You don't make it all carrying carpet bags? Said the old lady incredulously. No, I made most of it speculating in real estate, said Ben. You don't say? Yes, I do. You've got most enough to buy a farm already. I ain't going to buy it till I can buy a good one. What's the name of this street? West Broadway. They were really upon West Broadway by this time. That being as direct a line as any to Bleaker Street. You see that store, said Ben? Yes, what's the matter of it? Oh, I don't own it now, said Ben. I sold it because the tenants didn't pay their rent regular. I should think you'd dress better if you got so much money, said the old lady, not unnaturally. What's the use of wearing nice clothes round among the wharves? Said Ben. There's something in that. I tell my daughter Jane, she lives in the country, that it's no use dressing up the children to go to school. They're sure to get their clothes tore and dirty before they get home. So Ben beguiled the way with wonderful stories with which he played upon the old lady's credulity. Of course it was wrong, but a street education is not very likely to inspire its pupils with a reverence for truth. And Ben had been knocking about the streets of New York most of the time among the wharves for six years. His street education had commenced at the age of ten. He had adopted it of his own free will. Even now there was a comfortable home waiting for him. There were parents who supposed him dead and who would have found a difficulty in recognizing him under his present circumstances. In the next chapter a light will be thrown upon his past history and the reader will learn how his street life began. End of chapter 1 Chapter 2 of Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Wharves This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org. Recording by James K. White, Chula Vista. Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Wharves by Horatio Alger Jr. Chapter 2 How Ben Commenced His Street Life One pleasant morning six years before the day at which this story commences, a small coasting vessel drew up at a North River pier in the lower part of the city. It was loaded with freight, but there was at least one passenger on board. A boy of ten, dressed in a neat jacket and pants of gray mixed cloth, stood on deck, working with interest the busy city which they had just reached. Well, bub, here we are," said the captain as he passed. I suppose you know your way home. Yes, sir. Are you going on shore now? Yes, sir. Well, good luck to you, my lad. If you are ever down this way when I'm in port, I shall be glad to see you. Thank you, sir. Goodbye. Ben clambered over the side and stepped upon the wharf. In the great city he knew no one, and he was an utter stranger to the streets, never before having visited it. He was about to begin life for himself at the age of ten. He had voluntarily undertaken to support himself, leaving behind him a comfortable home where he had been well cared for. I must explain how this came about. Ben had a pleasant face and would be considered good-looking, but there was a flash in his eye when aroused, which showed that he had a quick temper, and there was an expression of firmness unusual to one so young, which might have been read by an experienced physiognomist. He was quick-tempered, proud, and probably obstinate. Yet with these qualities he was pleasant in his manners. And had a sense of humour which made him a favourite among his companions. His father was a coal-dealer in a town a few miles distant from Philadelphia, of a hasty temper like Ben himself. A week before he had punished Ben severely for a fault which he had not committed. The boy's pride revolted at the injustice, and young as he was he resolved to run away. I suppose there are a few boys who do not form this resolution at some time or other in their lives, but as a general thing it amounts to nothing. With Ben it was different. His was a strong nature, whether for good or for evil, and when he decided to do anything he was not easily moved from his resolve. He forgot in the present case that though he had been unjustly punished, the injustice was not intentional on the part of his father, who had been under a wrong impression respecting him. But right or wrong Ben made up his mind to run away, and he did so. It was two or three days before a good opportunity presented itself. Then with a couple of shirts and collars rolled up in a small bundle he made his escape to Philadelphia, and after roaming about the streets for several hours he made his way to the wharves where he found a vessel bound for New York. Representing to the captain that he lived in New York and had no money to pay his passage home, that officer, who was a good-natured man, agreed to carry him for nothing. The voyage was now over, and Ben landed, as we have said, an utter stranger with very indefinite ideas as to how he was to make his living. He had told the captain that he knew his way home, for having falsely represented that he lived in New York he was in a manner compelled to this additional falsehood. Still, in spite of his friendless condition, his spirits were very good. The sun shone brightly, all looked animated and cheerful. Ben saw numbers of men at work about him, and he thought, it will be a pity if I cannot make a living. He did not care to linger about the wharf, for the captain might be led to doubt his story. Accordingly he crossed the street, and at a venture turned up a street facing the wharf. Ben did not know much about New York, even by report, but he had heard of Broadway, as was not, and this was about all he did know. When therefore he had gone a short distance he ventured to ask a boot-black whom he encountered at the corner of the next block. Can you tell me the shortest way to Broadway? Follow your nose, Johnny, was the reply. My name isn't Johnny, replied Ben, rather indignant at the familiarity. He had not learned that in New York Johnny is the generic name for boy where the specific name is unknown. Ain't it, though? returned the boot-black. What's the price of turnips out where you live? I'll make your nose turn up if you ain't careful, retorted Ben, wrathfully. You'll do, said the boot-black, favorably impressed by Ben's pluck. Just go straight ahead and you'll come to Broadway. I'm going that way and you can come along with me if you want to. Thank you, said Ben, appeased by the boy's changed manner. Are you going to stay here? inquired his new acquaintance. Yes, said Ben. I'm going to live here. Where do your friends live? I haven't got any friends in New York, said Ben, with a little hesitation. Over in Brooklyn or Jersey maybe? No, I don't know anybody this way. Phew! whistled the other. How you gonna live? I expect to earn my living, said Ben, in a tone of importance. Father and mother dead? No, they're alive. I suppose they're poor? No, they're not. They're well off. The boot-black looked puzzled. Why didn't you stay at home then? Wouldn't they let you? Of course they would. The fact is I've run away. Maybe they'd adopt me instead of you. I don't think they would, said Ben, laughing. I wish somebody with lots of cash would adopt me and make a gentleman of me. It would be a good sight better than blackened boots. Do you make much money that way? inquired Ben. Pleasant days like this sometimes I make a dollar, but when it rains there ain't much doing. How much have you made this morning? asked Ben with interest. Sixty cents. And it isn't more than ten o'clock. That's doing pretty well. Tain't so good in the afternoon. Most everybody gets their boots blacked in the morning. What are you gonna do? I don't know, said Ben. Gonna black boots? I'll show you how, said the other, generously overlooking all considerations of possible rivalry. I don't think I should like that very well, said Ben, slowly. Having been brought up in a comfortable home, he had a prejudice in favor of clean hands and unsoiled clothes, a prejudice of which his street life speedily cured him. I think I should rather sell papers or go into a store, said Ben. You can't make so much money selling papers, said his new acquaintance. Then you might get stuck. What's that? inquired Ben innocently. Don't you know? asked the boot black, wonderingly. Why, it's when you've got more papers than you can sell. That's what takes off the profits. I was a newsboy once, but it's too hard work for the money. There ain't no chance of getting stuck on my business. It's rather a dirty business, said Ben, venturing to state his main objection at the risk of offending. But Jerry Collins, for that was his name, was not very sensitive on this score. What's the odds, he said indifferently. A feller gets used to it. Ben looked at Jerry's begrimed hands and clothes liberally marked with spots of blacking, and he felt that he was not quite ready to get used to appearing in public in this way. He was yet young in his street life. The time came when he ceased to be so particular. Where do you board? asked Ben after a little pause. Jerry Collins stared at the questioner as if he suspected that a joke was intended. But Ben's serious face assured him that he was an earnest. Your jolly green, he remarked sententiously. Look here, said Ben, with spirit. I'll give you a licking if you say that again. It may be considered rather singular that Jerry, instead of resenting this threat, was led by it to regard Ben with favour. I didn't mean anything, he said by way of apology. You're a Trump, and you'll get over it when you've been in the city a week. What made you call me green? asked Ben. Did you think I boarded up to the Fifth Avenue? asked Jerry. What's that, a hotel? Yes, it's one of the big hotels, where they eat off gold plates. No, I don't suppose you board there, said Ben laughing. But I suppose there are cheaper boarding places. Where do you sleep? Sometimes in wagons or in doorways, on the docks, or anywhere where I get a chance. Don't you get cold sleeping outdoors? asked Ben. Oh, I'm used to it, said Jerry. When it's cold I go to the lodging-house. What's that? Jerry explained that there was a newsboy's lodging-house where a bed could be obtained for six cents a night. That's cheap, said Ben. Tain so cheap as sleeping outdoors, returned the boot-black. This was true, but Ben thought he would rather pay the six cents than sleep out, if it were only for the damage likely to come to his clothes, which were yet clean and neat. Looking at Jerry's suit, however, he saw that this consideration would be likely to have less weight with him. He began to understand that he had entered upon a very different life from the one he had hitherto led. He was not easily daunted, however. If he can stand it, I can, he said to himself. End of chapter 2 Recording by James K. White, Chula Vista Chapter number 3 of Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Warps This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are held in the public domain. If you'd like to find out more or if you wish to volunteer, please visit us online at LibriVox.org. Recording by Luke Castle Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Warps by Harito Agar Jr. Chapter 3 Street Scenes He is Broadway, said Jerry, suddenly. They emerged from the side street on which they had been walking, and turning the corner found themselves in the Great Thrill Fair, a block or two above Trinity Church. Ben surveyed the busy scenes that opened before him with the eager interest of a country boy who saw them for the first time. What church is that? He asked pointing to the tall spire of the imposing church that faces Wall Street. That is Trinity Church. Do you go to church there? I don't go anywhere else, said Jerry. But he used to go into church. I thought everybody went to church, said Ben, speaking from his experience in a country village. That is most everybody, he corrected himself. A several persons occurred to him in his mind who were more punctual in their attendance at the liquor saloon than the church. If I had got a good clothes like you have, I'd go see what it's like, but I'd have sat around to go to the old Bauer Theater. But you want not to say that, said Ben, a little startled. Why not? Because it's better to go to the church than the theater. It is, said Jerry. Well, you can go if you want to, and I'd give more for a thought at all play at the Bauer than 50 churches. Ben began to suspect that Jerry was rather loose in his ideas on the subject of religion, but did not think it best to say so for fear of giving offense, though at all probability Jerry's sensitivity-ness would not have been at all disturbed by such a change. During the last portion of the conversation, they'd been standing still at the street corner. I'm going to Nashi Street, said Jerry. If you want to go up Broadway, that's the way. Without waiting for an answer, he darted across the street, threading his way across the numerous vehicles with a coolness and success, which amazed Ben, who momentarily expected to see him run over. He drew a long breath when he saw him safe on the other side, and bethought himself that he would not like to take a similar risk. He felt sorry to have Jerry leave him so abruptly. The black boot had already imparted to him considerable information about New York, which he saw to be a likely benefit to him. Besides, he felt that any society was better than solitude, and a sudden feeling of loneliness overpowered him, as he felt that among the crowd of persons that jostled him as he stood at the corner, there was not one who felt an interest in him, or even knew his name. It was very different from his native village, where he knew everybody and everybody had a friendly word for him. The thought did occur to him for a moment, whether he had been wise in running away from home. But the thought of the unjust punishment came with it, and his expression became firmer and more resolute. I won't go home if I starve, he said proudly to himself, and armed with his new resolution, he proceeded up Broadway. His attention was soon drawn to the street merchants doing business on the sidewalk. Here was a vendor of neckties, displaying a varied assortment of different colors for only 25 cents each. Next came a candy merchant with his stock and trade, divided into irregular lumps and labeled a penny apiece. They looked rather tempting, and Ben would have purchased, but he knew very well his cash capital amounted to only 25 cents, which considering that he was, as yet without income, was likely to be wanted for other purposes. Next came a man with an assortment of knives, all of them open and sticking into a large board, which was the only shop required by the proprietor. Ben stopped the moment to look at them. He had always had a fancy for knives, but was now without one. In fact, he had sold a handsome knife, which he received as a birthday present for 75 cents to raise money for his present expedition. Of the sum, but 25 cents remained. Would you buy a knife today, young gentleman, as the vendor who was on the alert for customers? No, I guess not, said Ben. He is a very nice one for only one dollar, said the street merchant, taking up a showy-looking knife with three blades. It is the best of steer-warranted. You won't get another such knife for the price in the city. It did look cheap, certainly. Ben could not but allow that. He would have owned it, but his circumstances surveyed. No, I won't buy it today, he said. Here, you shall have it for 94 cents, said the vendor, as he began to roll it up in a piece of paper. You can't say it isn't cheap. Yes, it's cheap enough, said Ben, moving away, but I haven't gotten the money with me. This settled the matter, and the dealer reluctantly unrolled it and replaced it among his stock. If you call it around tomorrow, I'll keep it for you till then. All right, said Ben. I wonder, he thought, whether he would be so anxious to sell if he knew that I had run away from home and had about 25 cents in the world. Ben's neat dress deceived the man who naturally supposed him to belong to his city family well-to-do. Our young hero walked on till he came to the Aster house. He stood on the steps a few minutes, being a view of what may be considered the liveliest and most animated part of New York. Nearly opposite was Barnum's American Museum, the site being now occupied by the costly and elegant Herald Building and Park Bank. He looked across to the lower end of the city hall park, not yet diverted from its original purpose for the new post office building. He saw a procession of horse cars and constant motion up and down Park Row. Everything seemed lively and animated, and again the thought came to Ben. If there's employment for all these people, there must be something for me to do. He crossed to the foot of the park and walked up on the Park Row side. Here again, he saw a line of street merchants. Most conspicuous were the dealers and penny ballads who would lie in the railings and were various enough to suit every taste. Here was an old woman who might have gained a first prize for ugliness presiding over an Apple stand. Take one, honey, it's only two cents. She said observing that Ben's attention was drawn to a rosy cheeked Apple. Ben was rather hungry and reflecting that probably Apple's way as cheap as any other article of diet, he responded to the appeal by purchasing. Improved to be palatable and he ate it with great relish. Ice cream and the opinion glass was the next announcement. The glasses, to be sure, were a very small size. Still, ice cream and any quantity for a penny seemed so ridiculously cheap that Ben, poor as he was, could not resist the temptation. I'll take a glass, he said. A dab of ice cream was deposited in a glass and with a pewter spoon was handed to Ben. He raised a spoon to his mouth, but alas, the mixture was not quite so tempting to the taste as to the eye in the pocket. It might be ice cream, but there was an indescribable flavor about it, only to be explained on the supposition that the ice had been frozen dishwater. Ben's taste had not been educated up to that point which would enable him to relish it. He laid it down with an involuntary contortion of the face. Give it to me, Johnny. You heard it as well, bro. Turning, he saw a small, dirty-faced boy of sex with bare feet and tattered attire who was gazing with a look of greedy desire at the delicious mixture. Ben handed him the glass and spoon and stood by looking at him with some curiosity as he deposited the contents with a look of evident enjoyment. Do you like it? He asked. Is bully? So young up a cure. If Ben had not been restricted by his narrow means, he would have purchased another glass for the urchin. It would have been a very cheap treat. But our young adventurer reflected that he had but 22 cents left and prudence for Ben. I don't see how he can like the nasty stuff, you thought. But the time was to come when Ben himself, grown less to studious, would be able to relish food quite as uninviting. Ben made his way across to the park and brought away again. He felt that it was high time for him to be seeking employment. The ideas on the subject were not very well defined, but when he left home, he made up his mind that he would try to get a place in the store on Broadway. He supposed that among the great number of stores, there would be a chance for him to get into someone. He expected to make enough to live in a comfortable boarding house and buy his clothes, though he supposed that would be about all. He expected to have to economize on spending money his first year, but his second year, his wages would be raised and then it would come easier. All this shows how very burdened and unpractical our young adventurer was with the appointment he was preparing for himself. However, Ben's knowledge was to come by experiments and that before long. Reaching Broadway, he walked up slowly on the west side looking in at the shop windows and the lower part of the busy street are many wholesale houses where the upper part is devoted principally to retail shops. Coming to a large warehouse for the sale of ready-made clothing, Ben thought he might as well begin there. In such a large place, there must be a good deal to do. He passed in and looked about him rather doubtfully. The counters, which were numerous, were filled high with ready-made garments. Ben saw no one as small as himself and that led him to doubt whether his size might be an objection. Wait a second, what do you want? Ask the clerk. Do you want to hire a boy? Ask the young adventurer, plunging into his business. I suppose you have considerable experience in the business? Said the clerk, inclined to banter him a little. No, I haven't, said Ben frankly. Indeed, I judge from your look that you are a man of experience. If you don't want to hire me, I'll go. Said Ben independently. Well, young man, I'm afraid you'll have to go. The fact is we should have to hire you before we get hired you. And the clerk laughed at his witticism. Ben naturally saw nothing to laugh at, but felt rather indignant. He stepped into the street, a little depressed at the result of his first application. But then as he reflected, there was a great many other stores beside this and he might have better luck next time. He walked on some distance, however, before trying again. Indeed, he had gone above Blacker Street when his attention was arrested by a paper pasted inside of a shop window, bearing the inscription, Cash Boy Wanted. Ben did not clearly understand what were the duties of a cash boy, though he supposed they might have something to do with receiving money. Looking in through the glass door, he saw boys as small as himself flitting about, and this gave him courage to enter and make an application for a place. He entered therefore and walked up boldly to the first clerk he saw. Do you want a cash boy? he asked. Go up to that desk, Johnny, so the clerk pointed to a desk about midway of the store. A stout gentleman stood behind it, riding with something in a large buck. Ben went up and repeated his inquiry. Do you want a cash boy? How old are you? asked the gentleman looking down at him. Ten years old. Have you ever been in a store? No, sir. Do you live in the city? Yes, sir. With your parents? No, sir, said Ben with hesitation. Who do you live with then? With nobody. I take care of myself. The gentleman looked a little surprised, not at the idea of a boy of ten looking out for himself, for such cases are commonly enough in New York, but the ideas of such a well-dressed lad as Ben being in that situation. The gentleman, inquired. I've only just begun, been admitted. Are your parents dead? No, sir, they're alive. Then I advise you go back to them. We don't receive any boys into our employment who do not live with their parents. The gentleman returned to his riding, and Ben saw that his case was hopeless. His disappointment was greater than before for he liked the looks of the proprietor if as he judged as he was. Besides, boys were wanted and his size would be no objection, the appearance of the other boys in the store. So he had been saying to me the success. Now he saw that there was an objection which he could not remove and which would very likely stand in his way and other places. End of Chapter 3 Chapter 4 of Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Wars This is a LibriVox recording while LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer please visit LibriVox.org Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Wars by Horatio Alger Jr. Chapter 4 A restaurant on Fulton Street Ben kept on his way looking in at the shop windows as before. He had not yet given up the idea of getting a place in the store though he began to see that his chances of success were rather small. The next pause he came to was before a bookstore. He posted on the window Boy wanted. Ben entered. There were two or three persons behind the counter the oldest, a man of forty then decided to be the proprietor. He walked up to him and said Do you want a boy? Yes said the gentleman. We want a boy to run the errands and deliver papers to customers. How old are you? Ten years old. That is rather young. Ben, speaking the truth here for he was rather larger and stouter than most boys of ten. That is not important as you will not have very heavy parcels to carry. Are you well acquainted with the streets in this part of the city? This question was a poser Ben thought. He was at first tempted to say yes but decided to answer truthfully. No sir he answered. Do you live in the lower part of the city? Yes sir. That is not going to live there. How long have you lived in the city? I only arrived this morning then confessed reluctantly. Then I am afraid you will not answer my purpose. We need a boy who is well acquainted with the city streets. He was another disqualification. Ben left the store a little discouraged. He began to think it would be harder work making a living than he had supposed. He would apply in two or three more stores and if unsuccessful he must sell papers or black boots. Of the two he preferred selling papers. Blacking boots would soil his hands and his clothes and as it was possible that he might someday encounter someone from his native village. He did not like to have the report carried home that he had become a New York boot black. He felt that his education bringing up fitted him for something better than that. However it was not necessary to decide this question until he got through applying for a situation in the store. He tried his luck again and once was on the point of being engaged at three dollars a week when a question as to his parents revealed the fact that he was without a guardian and this decided the question against him. It's of no use had been despondently and I might as well go back. So he turned and retraced his steps down broadway. By the time he got to the city hall part he was quite tired. Seeing some vacant seats inside he went in and sat down resting his bundle on the seat beside him. He saw quite a number of street boys within the enclosure most of them boot blacks. As a rule they bore the marks of their occupation not only on their clothes but on their faces and hands as well. Some who were a little more careful than the rest were provided with a small square strip of carpeting on which they kneeled when engaged lining up the customer's boots. This formed a very good protection for the knees of their pantaloons. Two were even more luxurious having chairs in which they seated their customers. Where this extra accommodation was supplied however a fee of ten cents was demanded while the boot blacks in general asked but five. Black your boots asked one boy of Ben observing that our young adventurer's shoes were soiled. Yes said Ben if you'll do it for nothing I'll black your eye for nothing said the other. Thank you said Ben I won't trouble you. Ben was rather interested in the scene which he witnessed shortly afterwards a young man whose parents indicated that he was from the country was waylaid by the boys and finally submitted his boots to an operator. How much do you want? Twenty-five cents was the reply. Twenty-five cents exclaimed the customer gasped. You're joking ain't you? Regular price, Mr. was the reply. Well I saw a boy blacken boots down by the museum for ten cents. Maybe you did but this is the city hall park. We're employed by the city and we have to charge the regular price. I wish I got my boots blacked down at the museum said the victim in a tone of disappointment producing twenty-five cents which was eagerly appropriated by the young extortioner. Hey Tommy give us a treat or we'll peach said one of the boys. Tom led the way to the ice cream vendor's establishment where with reckless extravagance he ordered a penny ice cream all round for the half-dozen boys in his company. Even then making a handsome thing out of the extra pay he had obtained from his rustic patron. By this time it was half past two o'clock. So Ben learned from the city hall clock he was getting decidedly hungry. Apple and cake stands just outside the railings on which he could have regaled himself cheaply but his appetite craved something more silent. There was a faint feeling which nothing but meat could satisfy. Ben had no idea how much plate of meat would cost at a restaurant. He had but twenty-two cents and whatever he got must come within that limit. Still he hoped that something could be attained for this sum. Where to go that was the question. Can you tell me a good place to get some dinner he asked of a boy standing near him? Down on Nassau street or Fulton street was the reply. Where is Fulton street as Ben catching the last name? I'm going that way you can go with me if you want to. Ben readily accepted the companionship pro-offered and was led past the museum the site of which as I have said is now occupied by the Herald building. Turning down Fulton street Ben soon went to a restaurant with bills of fare displayed outside. That's good place said his guide. Thank you said Ben. He scanned the bill in advance ascertaining to his satisfaction that he could obtain a plate of roast beef for fifteen cents and a cup of coffee for five. This would make but twenty cents leaving him a balance of two cents. He opened the door and entered. There was a long table running through the center of the apartment at the rear. On each side against the sides of the room were small tables intended for four persons each. There were but few eating as the busy time at downtown restaurants usually extends from twelve to half past one or two o'clock and it was now nearly three. Ben entered and took a seat at one of the side tables laying his bundle on a chair beside him. A colored waiter came up and stood awaiting his orders. Give me a plate of roast beef, said Ben. Yes sir, coffee or tea? Coffee. The waiter went to the lower end of the dining room and called out roast beef. After a brief delay he returned with the article ordered and a cup of coffee. There were two potatoes with a meat and a small piece of bread on the side of the plate. The coffee looked muddy and not particularly inviting. Ben was not accustomed to the ways of restaurants and supposed that as in shops immediate payment was expected. Here's the money. Twenty cents, he said, producing the sum named. Pay at the desk as you go out, said the waiter. Ben looked up and then for the first time noticed a man behind the counter in the front part of the room. At the same time the waiter produced a green ticket bearing twenty cents printed on it. Ben now addressed himself with a hearty appetite to the dinner. The plate was dingy and the meat neither very abundant nor very tender. He expected that for fifteen cents a large plate of sirloin can be furnished. Ben was not in a mood to be critical. At home he would have turned up his nose at such a repast, but hunger is very well adapted to cure one of vestidiousness. He ate rapidly and felt that he had seldom eaten anything so good. He was sorry that there was no more bread, the supply being exceedingly limited. As for the coffee he was able to drink it though he did not enjoy it so well. It tasted as if there was not more than a teaspoon of milk in the infusion, while the flavor of the beverage differed strangely from the coffee he had been accustomed to get at home. It isn't very good though, Ben, and he could not help wishing he had a cup of the good coffee his mother used to make at home. Have anything more asked the waiter coming up to the table? Ben looked over the bill of fare with the two cents that still remain to him. But because he wanted to notice the prices of different articles his eye rested rather longingly on apple dumplings. He was very fond of this dish and his appetite was so far from being satisfied that he felt he could have easily disposed of a plate. But the price was ten cents and of course it was entirely beyond his means. Nothing more he said and rose from his seat. He went up to the counter and settled his bill and went out again into the street. He felt more comfortable than he had done as one is very apt to feel after a good dinner, and Ben's dinner had been a good one, his appetite making up for any deficiency in the quality. Where should he go now? He was still tired and did not care to wonder about the streets. Besides he had no particular place to go. He therefore decided to walk back to the city hall park on one of the benches. There would be something to see and he was interested in watching the street boys whose ranks he felt that he should very soon be compelled to join. His prospects did not look particularly bright as he was not provided with means sufficient to pay for another meal. But the time had not yet come to trouble himself about that. When he got hungry again he would probably realize his position a little more keenly. Chapter 5 CHAPTER V Ben the luggage boy or among the wharves by Horatio Alger Jr. Chapter 5 Ben sat down again in his old seat and occupied himself once more and looking about him. After a while he became sleepy. Besides having taken a considerable walk he had not slept much the night before. As no one occupied the bench but himself he thought he might as well make himself comfortable. Accordingly he laid his bundle crosswise at one end and laid back using it for a pillow. The visor of his cap he brought down over his eyes so as to shield them from the afternoon sun. The seat was hard to be sure but his recumbent position rested him. He did not mean to go to sleep but gradually the sounds around him became an indistinct hum. Even the noise and bustle of busy Broadway but a few feet distant failed to ward off sleep and in a short time he was sleeping soundly. Of course he could not sleep in so public a place without attracting attention. Two ragged boys aspired him and held a low conference together. What's he got in that bundle, Jim, do you think? Asked one. We'd better look and see. They went up to the bench and touched him to make sure that he was fast asleep. The touch did not rouse him to consciousness. Just lift up his head, Mike and I'll take the bundle, said the larger of the two boys. This was done. Now let him down softly. So the bundle was removed and poor Ben, wandering somewhere in the land of dreams, was none the wiser. His head, deprived of its former support, all rested on the hard bench. It was not so comfortable but he was too tired to awake so he slept on. Meanwhile Jim and Mike opened the bundle. It's a couple of shirts, said Jim. Is that all? asked Mike, disappointed. Well, that's better than nothing. Give me one of them. It's just about your size. Taint big enough for me. Give me the two of them. What'll you give? I ain't got no stamps. I'll pay you a quarter when I get it. That'll go down, said Jim, whose confidence in his confederate's honesty was not very great. Considering the transaction in which they were now engaged it is not surprising that there should have been a mutual distrust. Being unable to make any bargain Jim decided to take his share of the booty round to a second-hand clothes dealer in Chatham Street. Here, after considerable higgling he succeeded in selling the shirt for sixteen cents which was less than his companion had offered. However, it was cashed down and so was immediately available. An important consideration in the present state of Jim's finances. A bird in the hand, as he considered, was worth two in the bush. Jim immediately purchased a cigar with a portion of his dishonest gains, and, procuring a light, walked about in a state of high enjoyment, puffing away as coolly as a man of twice his years. Meanwhile Ben continued to sleep, happily unconscious of the loss of his entire personal possessions. In his dreams he was at home, once more, playing with his school companions. Let him sleep. He will waken soon enough to the hard realities of a street life voluntarily undertaken, it is true, but nonetheless likely to bear heavily upon him. He slept a long time. When he awoke, it was six o'clock. He sat upon his seat and rubbed his eyes in momentary bewilderment. In his dreams he had been back again to his native village, and he could not at once recall his change of circumstances, but it all came back to him soon enough. He realized with a slight pang that he had a home no longer, that he was a penniless vagrant for whom the hospitality of the streets alone was open. He did wish that he could sit down at the plentiful home-table and eat the well-cooked supper which was always provided, that is, if he could blot out one remembrance. When he thought of the unjust punishment that had driven him forth, his pride rose and his determination became as stubborn as ever. I do not defend Ben in this. He was clearly wrong. The best of parents may be unintentionally unjust at times, and this is far from affording an adequate excuse for a boy to leave home. But Ben had a great deal of pride, and I am only telling you how he felt. Our young adventurer did not at first realize the loss which he had sustained. It was at least five minutes before he thought of his bundle at all. At length, chancing to look at the seat beside him, he missed it. Where can it be, I wonder, he thought, perplexed. He looked under the bench, thinking that perhaps it had rolled off. But it need not be said that it was not to be seen. Ben was rather disturbed. It was all he had brought from home and constituted his entire earthly possessions. It must have rolled off and been picked up by somebody, he thought. But the explanation was not calculated to bring any satisfaction. I did not think I should fall asleep. It occurred to him that some of the boys nearby might have seen it, so he went up to a group of boot-blacks nearby, one of whom was Jim, who had actually been concerned in the robbery. The other boys knew nothing of the affair. I say, boys, said Ben, have you seen anything of my bundle? What bundle, Johnny? said Jim, who was now smoking his second cigar. I had a small bundle tied up in a newspaper, said Ben. I put it under my head and then fell asleep. Now I can't find it. Do you think we stole it? said Jim defiantly. Of course I don't, said Ben. But I thought it might have slipped out and you might have seen somebody pick it up. Haven't seen it, Johnny, said one of the other boys. Most likely it stole. Do you think so? asked Ben anxiously. In course you might expect it would be. I didn't mean to go to sleep. What was there in it? There was two shirts. You've got a shirt on, ain't you? Yes, said Ben. That's all right, then. What is a fella one of a thousand shirts? What's the difference between two shirts and a thousand, said Ben? What's the odds? I haven't got but one shirt. That's all I want. When it is wore out, I'll buy a new one. What do you do when it gets dirty? asked Ben in some curiosity. Oh, I washed it once in two or three weeks, was the reply. This was not exactly in accordance with Ben's ideas of neatness. He saw that no satisfaction was likely to be obtained in this quarter, so he walked away rather depressed. It certainly hadn't been a lucky day this first day in the city. He had been rejected in half a dozen stores in his applications for employment, had spent nearly all his money, and been robbed of all his clothing except what he wore. Again, Ben began to feel an appetite. He had eaten his dinner late, but it had consisted of meat only. His funds being now reduced to two cents, he was obliged to content himself with an apple, which did something towards appeasing his appetite. Next Ben began to consider anxiously how he was to pass the night. Having no money to spend for lodging, there seemed nothing to do but to sleep out of doors. It was warm weather and plenty of street boys did it, but to Ben it would be an experience, and he regarded it with some dread. He wished he could meet with Jerry Collins his acquaintance of the morning. From him he might obtain some information that would be of service in his present straight. Three or four hours must elapse before it would be time to go to bed. Ben hardly knew how or where to pass them. He had become tired of the park. Besides, he had got over a part of his fatigue, and felt able to walk about and explore the city. He turned at a venture up Chatham Street and was soon interested in the sights of this peculiar thoroughfare. The shops opened to the street with half their stock and trade exposed on the sidewalk, the importunities of the traders and the appearance of the people whom he met. It seemed very lively and picturesque to Ben and drew away his attention from an awkward position. He was asked to buy by some of the traders, being promised wonderful bargains, but his penniless condition put him out of the reach of temptation. So he wandered on until he came to the Bowery, a broad avenue wider than Broadway, and lined by shops of a great variety but of a grade inferior to those of its more aristocratic neighbor. Here also the goods are liberally displayed on the sidewalk and are generally labeled with low prices, which tempts many purchasers. The purchaser, however, must look carefully to the quality of the goods which he buys. Or he will in many cases find the low price merely a snare and a delusion and regret that he had not paid more liberally and bought a better article. Later in the evening on his return walk, Ben came to an establishment brilliant from which proceeded strains of music. Looking in he saw that it was filled with small tables around which were seated men, women and children. They had glasses before them from which they drank. This was a lager beer-hall or garden, an institution transplanted from Germany and chiefly patronized by those of German birth or extraction. It seemed bright and cheerful, and our young adventurer thought it would be pleasant to go in and spend an hour or two listening to the music. But he was prevented by the consciousness that he had no money to spend and might be considered an intruder. While he was looking in wistfully, he was struck on the back and turning saw to his surprise the face of his only acquaintance in New York, Jerry Collins, the boot-black. I am glad to see you, he said eagerly offering his hand without considering that Jerry's hand unwashed during the day was stained with blacking. He felt so glad to meet an acquaintance, however, that he would not have minded this even if it had occurred to him. The same to you, said Jerry. Are you going in? I haven't got any money, said Ben, a little ashamed of the confession. Well, I have, and that'll do just as well. He took Ben by the arm and they passed through a vestibule and entered the main apartment, which was of large size. On one side, about half way down, was a large instrument, some like an organ, from which the music proceeded. The tables were very well filled, Germans largely predominating among the guests. Sit down here, said Jerry. They took seats at one of the tables. Opposite was a stout German and a German German. Opposite was a stout German and his wife, the latter holding a baby. Both had glasses of lager before them and the baby was also offered a share by its mother, but from the contortions of its face did not appear to relish it. Zwei Glaslager, said Jerry, to a passing attendant. Can you speak German? asked Ben, surprised. Ja, said Jerry. My father was an Irishman and my mother was a Dutchman. Jerry's German, however, seemed to be limited as he made no further attempts to converse in that language. The glasses were brought. Jerry drank his down at a draught but Ben, who had never before tasted lager, could not at once become reconciled to its bitter taste. Don't you like it? asked Jerry. Not very much, said Ben. Then I'll finish it for you. I'll finish the action to the word. Besides the lager a few plain cakes were sold but nothing more substantial. Evidently the beer was the great attraction. Ben could not help observing with some surprise that though everybody was drinking there was not the slightest disturbance or want of decorum or drunkenness. The music which was furnished at intervals was of very good quality and was listened to by Ben. I was going to Tony Pastors tonight, said Jerry. If I hadn't met you. What sort of place is that? asked Ben. Oh, it's a bully place. Lots of fun. You must go there some time. I think I will. answered Bill, mentally adding. If I ever have enough money. Here the music struck up and they stopped to listen to it. Ben would have been willing to stay longer but he saw that his companion did not care so much for the music as himself and he did not wish to lose sight of him. To be alone in a great city particularly under Ben's circumstances is not very pleasant and our young adventurer determined to stick to his new acquaintance who, though rough in his manners had yet seemed inclined to be friendly and Ben felt sadly in need of a friend. Where are you going to sleep tonight? asked Ben. Introducing a subject which had given him some anxiety. I don't know. said Jerry carelessly. I'll find a place somewhere. I'll go with you if you'll let me. said Ben. In course I will. I haven't got any money. I'll find a place somewhere. I'll go with you if you'll let me. said Ben. In course I will. I haven't got any money. What's the odds? They don't charge nothing at the hotel where I stop. What time do you go to bed? Most any time. Do you feel sleepy? Rather. I didn't sleep much last night. Well, we'll go and find a place now. How'd you like sleeping on cotton bales? I think that would be uncomfortable. There's a pile of bales down on the pier where the New Orleans steamers come in. Maybe we could get a chance there. All right. Where is it? Pier 8 North River. It'll take us twenty minutes or maybe half an hour to go there. Let's go! said Ben. He felt relieved at the idea of so comfortable a bed as a cotton bale and was anxious to get stowed away for the night. The two boys struck across to Broadway and followed that street down past Trinity Church turning down the first street beyond. Rector Street, notwithstanding its clerical name is far from an attractive street. Just in the rear of the Great Church and extending down to the wharves is a collection of miserable dwellings occupied by tenants upon whom the near presence of the sanctuary appears to produce little impression of a salutary character. Ben looked around him in ill-concealed disgust. He neither fancied the neighborhood nor the people whom he met but the island is very narrow just here and he had not far to walk to West Street, which runs along the edge of Manhattan Island and is lined with wharves. Jerry, of course, did not mind the surroundings. He was too well used to them to care. They brought out opposite the pier. There it is, said Jerry. Ben saw a pile of cotton bales heaped up on the wharf in front. Just behind them was a gate and over it the sign of the New Orleans Company. I should think somebody would steal the bales, said Ben. Are they left out here all night? There's a watchman round here somewhere, said Jerry. He stays here all night to guard the bales. Will he let us sleep here? I don't know, said Jerry. We'll creep in when he isn't looking. The watchman was sitting down leaning his back against one of the bales. A short pipe was in his mouth and he seemed to be enjoying his smoke. This was contrary to orders, for the cotton being combustible might easily catch fire. But this man, supposing that he would not be detected, indulged himself in the forbidden luxury. Now creep along softly, said Jerry. The latter, being barefooted, had no advantage over Ben, but our young adventurer crept after him as softly as he could. Jerry found a bale screen from observation by the higher piles on each side, where he thought he could sleep unobserved. Following his lead, Ben stretched himself out upon it. The watchman was too busily occupied with his pipe to detect any noise. Ain't it comfortable? whispered Jerry. Yes, said Ben, in a low tone. I wouldn't ask for nothing better, said Jerry. Ben was not so sure about that, but then he had not slept out hundreds of nights, like Jerry, in old wagons or on doorsteps, or wherever else he could. So he had a different standard of comparison. He could not immediately go to sleep. He was tired, it was true, but his mind was busy. It was only twelve hours since he had landed in the city, but it had been an eventful twelve hours. He understood his position a little better now, and how much he had undertaken in boldly leaving home at ten years of age and taking upon himself the task of earning his living. If he had known what was before him, would he have left home at all? Ben was not sure about this. He did own to himself, however, that he was disappointed. The city had not proved the paradise he had expected. Instead of finding shopkeepers eager to secure his services, he had found himself uniformly rejected. He began to suspect that it was rather early to begin the world at ten years of age. Then again, though he was angry with his father, he had no cause of complaint against his mother. She had been uniformly kind and gentle, and he found it hard to keep back the tears when he thought how she would be distressed after running away. He had not thought of that in the heat of his first anger, but he thought of it now. How would she feel if she knew where he was at this moment, resting on a cotton bale, on a city wharf, penniless and without a friend in the great city, except the ragged boy who was already asleep at his side? She would feel badly. Ben knew that, and he half regretted having been so precipitant in his action. He would be at all and relieve his mother's heart by going back, but here Ben's pride came in. To go back would be to acknowledge himself wrong. It would be a virtual confession of failure, and moreover, knowing his father's sternness, he knew that he would be severely punished. Unfortunately for Ben, his father had a stern, unforgiving disposition that never made allowances for the impulses of boyhood. Ben on descended to study his own son, and the method of training he had adopted with him was in some respects very pernicious. His system hardened instead of softening, and prejudiced Ben against what was right, maddening him with a sense of injustice, and so preventing his being influenced towards good. Of course all this did not justify Ben in running away from home. The thought of his mother ought to have been sufficient to have kept him from any such step. But it was necessary to be stated, in order that my readers might better understand what sort of a boy Ben was. So, in spite of his half-relenting, Ben determined that he would not go home at all events. Whatever hardships lay before him in the new life which he had adopted, he resolved to stand them as well as he could. Indeed, however much he might desire to retrace his steps, he had no money to carry him back. Or could he obtain any, unless he should write home for it? And this again would be humiliating. Ben's last thought then, as he sank to sleep, was that he would stick to New York and get his living somehow, even if he had to black boots for a living. At the end of an hour both boys were fast asleep. The watchman, after smoking his pipe, got up and paced up and down the wharf drowsily. He did not happen to observe the young sleepers. If he had done so, he would undoubtedly have shaken them roughly and ordered them off. It was rather fortunate that neither Ben nor his companion were in the habit of snoring, as this would at once have betrayed their presence even to the negligent watchman. After a while the watchman bethought himself again of his pipe, and filling the bowl with tobacco lighted it. Then with the most culpable carelessness, he half reclined on one of the bales and took comfort. Not having prepared himself for the vigils of the night by repose during the day, he began to feel uncommonly drowsy. The whiffs came less and less frequently. Until at last the pipe fell from his lips and he fell back fast asleep. The burning contents of the pipe fell on the bale and gradually worked their way down into the interior. Here the shift soon spread. What followed may easily be imagined. Ben was aroused from his sleep by a confused outcry. He rubbed his eyes to see what was the matter. There was something stifling and suffocating in the atmosphere, which caused him to choke as he breathed. As he became more awake he realized that the cotton bales among which he had taken refuge were on fire. He became alarmed and shook Jerry energetically. What's up? said Jerry drowsily. I ain't done nothin'. You can't take me up. Jerry, wake up. The bales are on fire, said Ben. I thought it was a cop. Said Jerry, rousing and at a glance understanding the position of affairs. Let's get out of this. That was not quite so easy. There was fire on all sides and they must rush through it at some risk. However, it was every moment getting worse and there was no chance for delay. Follow me, said Jerry, and he dashed through closely pursued by Ben. By this time quite a crowd of men and boys had gathered around the burning bales. When the two boys rushed out there was a general exclamation of surprise. Then one burly man caught Jerry by the arm and said, Here's the young bales on fire. Let me alone, will ya? said Jerry. Your grandmother said it on fire more likely. No sooner was Jerry seized than another man caught hold of Ben and forcibly detained him. I've got the other, he said. Now you young rascal, tell me how you did it, said the first. Was you smokin'? No, I wasn't, said Jerry shortly. I was sleepin' alone with this other boy. What made you come here to sleep? Cause we had no other bed. Are you sure you wasn't smokin'? Look here, said Jerry contemptuously. You must think I'm a fool to go and set my own bed on fire. That's true, said a bystander. It wouldn't be very likely. Who did it then? asked the stout man suspiciously. It's the watchman. I seen him smokin' when I turned in. Where is he now? Search was made for the watchman but he had disappeared. Awaking to a consciousness of what mischief he had caused through his carelessness, he had slipped away in the confusion and was not likely to return. The boy tells the truth, said one of the crowd. I saw the watchman smoking myself. No doubt the fire caught from his eyes. The boys are innocent. Better let them go. The two custodians of Jerry and Ben released their hold and they gladly availed themselves of the opportunity to remove themselves to a safer distance from their late bed-chamber. Two fire engines came thundering up and streams of water were directed effectively at the burning bales. The flames were extinguished but not till considerable damage had been caused. As the two boys watched the contest between the flames and the engines, from a safe distance they heard the sonorous clang of the bell in the church tower ringing out twelve o'clock. End of Chapter 6 Recording by James K. White Chulavista Chapter 7 Of Ben the Luggage Boy Or Among the Warves This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the scene. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by James K. White Chulavista Ben the Luggage Boy Or Among the Warves by Horatio Alger Jr. Chapter 7 Ben's Temptation Just my luck complained Jerry. Why couldn't the fire have waited till morning? We might have burned up, said Ben, who was considerably impressed by his narrow escape. Only we didn't, said Jerry. We'll have to try another hotel for the rest of the night. Where shall we go? We may find a hay barge down to the pier at the foot of Franklin Street. Is it far? Not very. Let us go then. So the boys walked along the street until they came to the pier referred to. There was a barge loaded with hay lying alongside the wharf. Jerry speedily provided himself with a resting place upon it and Ben followed his example. It proved to be quite as comfortable, if not more so, than their former bed. And both boys were soon asleep. How long he slept Ben did not know. But he was roused to consciousness in a rude shake. Wake up there, said a voice. Ben opened his eyes and saw a laboring man bending over him. Is it time to get up? He inquired, hardly conscious where he was. I should think it was, particularly as you haven't paid for your lodging. Where's Jerry? asked Ben, missing the boot-black. The fact was that Jerry, whose business required him to be a stir early, had been gone over an hour. He had not felt it necessary to wake up Ben, knowing that the latter had nothing in particular to call him up. I don't know anything about Jerry. You'd better be going home, young'un. Take my advice and don't stay out another night. He evidently thought that Ben was a truant from home, as his dress would hardly class him among the homeless boys who slept out from necessity. Ben scrambled upon the pier and took a cross-street up towards Broadway. He had slept off his fatigue and the natural appetite of a healthy boy began to assert itself. It was rather uncomfortable to reflect that he was penniless and had no means of buying a breakfast. He had meant to ask Jerry's advice as to some occupation by which he could earn a little money and felt disappointed that his companion had gone away before he waked up. His appetite was the greater because he had been limited to a single apple for supper. Where to go, he did not know. One place was as good as another. It was a strange sensation to Ben to feel the cravings of appetite with nothing to satisfy it. All his life he had been accustomed to a good home where his wants were plentifully provided for. He had never had any anxiety about the supply of his daily wants. In the city there were hundreds of boys younger than he who, rising in the morning, knew not where their meals were to come from or whether they were to have any. But this had never been his case. I am young and strong, thought Ben. Why can't I find something to do? His greatest anxiety was to work and earn his living somehow. But how did not seem clear even if he were willing to turn boot black he had no box nor brush and had some doubts whether he should at first possess the requisite skill. Selling papers struck him more favorably, but here again the want of capital would be an objection. So in a very perplexed frame of mind our young adventurer went on his way and after a while caught sight of the upper end of the city hall park. Here he felt himself at home and, entering, looked among the dozens of boys who were applying their work to see if he could find his acquaintance Jerry. But here he was unsuccessful. Jerry's business stand was near the Courtland Street Pier. Hour after hour passed and Ben became more and more hungry and dispirited. He felt thoroughly helpless. There seemed to be nothing that he could do. He began to be faint and his head ached. One o'clock found him on Nassau Street near the corner of Fulton. There was a stand for the sale of cakes and pies located there presided over by an old woman of somewhat ample dimensions. This stall had a fascination for poor Ben. He had such a craving for food that he could not take his eyes off the tempting pile of cakes which were heaped up before him. It seemed to him that he should be perfectly happy if he could be permitted to eat all he wanted of them. Ben knew that it was wrong to steal. He had never in his life taken what did not belong to him, which is more than many boys can say who have been brought up even more comfortably than he. But the temptation now was very strong. He knew it was not right, but he was not without excuse. Watching his opportunity he put his hand out quickly and, seizing a couple of pies, stowed them away hastily in his pocket and was about moving off to eat them in some place where he would not be observed. But though the owner of the stolen articles had not observed the theft there was a boy hanging about the stall, possibly with the same object in view, who did see it. He's got some of your pies, old lady, said the young detective. The old woman looked round and though the pies were in Ben's pocket there was a telltale in his face which betrayed him. Put back them pies, you young thief, said the angry pie merchant. Ain't you ashamed of yourself to rob a poor witty that has hard work to support herself under chillers and that's dressed like a gentleman and ought to know better? Give it to a old lady, said the hard-hearted young vagabond who exposed Ben's iniquity. As for Ben he had not a word to say. In spite of his hunger he was overwhelmed with confusion at having actually attempted to steal and been caught in the act. He was by no means a model boy, but apart from anything which he had been taught in the Sunday School he considered stealing mean and discreditable and yet he had been led into it. What would his friends at home think of it if they should ever hear of it? So as I said he stood without a word to say in his defense mechanically replacing the pies on the stall. I say, old lady you ought to give me a pie for telling you, said the informer. You'd have done the same you young imp if you'd had the chance answered the pie vendor with more truth than gratitude. Clear out the hole of you. Trouble enough with you. Ben moved off thankful to get off so well. He had feared that he might be handed over to the police and this would have been the crowning disgrace. But the old woman seemed satisfied with the restoration of her property and the expression of her indignation. The attempt upon her stock she regarded with very little surprise having suffered more than once before in a similar way. But there was another spectator of the scene whose attention had been drawn to the need attire and respectable appearance of Ben. He saw that he differed considerably from the ordinary run of street boys. He noticed also the flush on the boy's cheek when he was detected and judged that this was his first offense. Something out of the common way must have driven him to the act. He felt impelled to follow Ben and learn what that something was. I may as well state here that he was a young man of twenty-five or thereabouts, a reporter on one or more of the great morning papers. He, like Ben, had come to the city in search of employment and before he secured it had suffered more hardships and privations than he liked to remember. He was now earning a modest income sufficient to provide for his once and leave a surplus over. He had seen much of suffering and much time in his daily walks about the city but his heart had not become hardened nor his sympathies blunted. He gave more in proportion to his means than many rich men who have a reputation for benevolence. Ben had walked but a few steps when he felt a hand upon his shoulder. Looking round hastily he met the gaze of the young man. He had thought at first it might be a policeman and he felt relieved when he saw his mistake. You were the boy who just now took a couple of pies from a stall, said the reporter. Yes, said Ben, hesitatingly, his face crimsoning as he spoke. Do you mind telling me why you did so? There was something in his tone which reassured Ben and he determined to tell the truth frankly. I have eaten nothing today, he said. You never took anything before? No, said Ben quickly. I suppose you had no money to buy with. No, I had not. How does it happen that a boy as well dressed as you are are in such a position? I would rather not tell, said Ben. Have you run away from home? Yes, I had a good reason, he added quickly. What do you propose to do? You must earn your living in some way or starve. I thought I might get a place in a store, but I have tried half a dozen and they won't take me. No, your chance will be small unless you can bring good references, but you must be hungry. I am, Ben admitted. That can be remedied at all events. I'm just going to get some dinner. Will you go with me? I have no money. I have, I will answer the purpose for this time. We will go back to Fulton Street. Ben turned back thankfully and with his companion entered the very restaurant in which he had dined the day before. If you are faint, soup will be the best thing for you to begin on, said the young man, and he gave an order to the waiter. Nothing had ever seemed more delicious to Ben than that soup. When he had done justice to it, a plate of beef steak awaited him, which also received his attention. Then he was asked to select some dessert. I'm afraid you are spending too much for me, he said. Don't be afraid of that. I'm glad that you have a good appetite. At length the dinner was over. Ben felt decidedly better. His despondency had vanished and the world again seemed bright to him. It is hard to be cheerful or take bright views of life on an empty stomach as many have learned beside our young adventurer. Now, said his newfound friend, I have a few minutes to spare. Suppose we talk over your plans and prospects and see if we can find anything for you to do. Thank you, said Ben. I wish you would give me your advice. My advice is that you return to your home when you have one, said the reporter. Ben shook his head. I don't want to do that, he answered. I don't, of course, know what is your objection to this, which seems to me the best course. Putting it aside, however, we will consider what you can do here to earn your living. That is what I want to do. How would you like selling papers? I think I should like it, said Ben, but I have no money to buy any. It doesn't require a very large capital. I will lend you or give you the small amount which will be necessary. However, you mustn't expect to make a very large income. If I can make enough to live on, I won't care, said Ben. He had at first aimed higher, but his short residence in the city taught him that he would be fortunate to meet his expenses. There are a good many besides Ben who have found their early expectations of success considerably modified by experience. Let me see. It is half past one o'clock, said the reporter, drawing out his watch. You would better lay in a supply of expresses and evening posts, and take a good stand somewhere, and do your best with them. As you are inexperienced in the business, it will be well to take a small supply at first and you might get stuck. That's so. You must not lay in more than you can sell. Where can I get the papers? I will go with you to the newspaper offices, and buy you half a dozen of each. If you succeed in selling them, you can buy more. Tomorrow you can lay in some of the morning papers, the Herald, World, Tribune or Times. It will be well also to have a few funds for those who do not care to pay for the higher priced papers. Thank you, said Ben, who was eager to begin his business career. They rose from the table and set out for the offices of the two evening papers whose names have been mentioned. End of Chapter 7 Recording by James K. White Chulavista Chapter 8 of Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Warves This is a LibriVox recording. All LibriVox recordings are in the public domain. For more information or to volunteer, please visit LibriVox.org Recording by James K. White Chulavista Ben the Luggage Boy or Among the Warves by Horatio Alger Jr. Chapter 8 Ben Commences His Business Career Ben soon took a stand in the street with a roll of papers under his arm supplied by the generosity of his new acquaintance. It was rather a trying ordeal for a country boy, new to the city and its ways, but Ben was not bashful. He was not a timid boy, but was fully able to push his way. So, glancing at the telegraphic headings, he began to call out the news in a business-like way. He had already taken notice of how the other newsboys acted, and therefore was at no loss how to proceed. He met with very fair success, selling out the twelve papers which had been bought for him in a comparatively short time. It might have been that the fact that he was neater and better dressed operated in his favour. At any rate, though a new hand, he succeeded better than those who were older in the business. But his neat dress operated to his disadvantage in another quarter. His business rivals, who were with scarcely an exception, dressed with no great pretensions to style or neatness, looked upon the interloper with a jealous eye. They regarded him as stuck up in virtue of his superior dress, and were indignant to find their sales affected by his competition. Who's he? Ever seen him before? asked Tim Banks of a newsboy on his side. No. He's a new chap. What business has he got to come here and steal away our trade, I'd like to know? continued Tim, eyeing Ben with no friendly glance. At that moment a gentleman passing Tim bought an evening post of Ben. It was the third paper that Ben had sold since Tim had affected a sale. This naturally increased his indignation. He's putting on heirs just because he's got good clothes, said the other newsboy, who shared Tim's feelings on the subject. Let's shove him out, suggested Tim. All right. Tim, who was a boy of twelve with a shock head, which looked as if it had never been combed, and a suit of clothes which bore the marks of severe usage, advanced to Ben, closely followed by his confederate William. Ben had just sold his last paper when the two approached him. He did not understand their object until Tim, swaggering up to him, said offensively, you'd better clear out, you ain't wanted here. Ben turned and faced his ragged opponent with intrepidity. Why ain't I wanted here? he inquired, without manifesting the least symptom of alarm. Tim rather anticipated to show the white feather, and was a little surprised at his calmness. Cause you're ain't, that's why, he answered. If you don't like my company, you can go somewhere else, said Ben. This is my place, said Tim. You ain't got no right to push in. If it's your place, how much did you pay for it, asked Ben. I thought that the sidewalk was free to all. You ain't got no right to interfere with my business. I didn't know that I had interfered with it. Well, you have. I ain't sold more than half as many papers since you've been here. You've got the same chance as I have, said Ben. I didn't tell them not to buy of you. Well, you ain't wanted here, and you'd better make tracks, said Tim, who considered this the best argument of all. Suppose I don't, said Ben. Then I'll give you a licking. Ben surveyed the boy who uttered this threat in the same manner that a general would examine an opposing force with a view to ascertain his strength and ability to cope with him. It was clear that Tim was taller than himself and doubtless older. As to being stronger, Ben did not feel so positive. He was himself well and compactly made and strong of his age. He did not relish the idea of being imposed upon and prepared to resist any encroachment upon his rights. He did not believe that Tim had any right to order him off. He felt that the sidewalk was just as free to him as to any other boy, and he made up his mind to assert and maintain his right. If you want to give me a licking, just try it, he said. I've got just as much right to stand here and sell papers as you have, and I'm going to do it. You needn't be so stuck up just because you've got good clothes on. If they are good, I can't help it," said Ben. They're all I have and they won't be good long. Maybe I could get good clothes if I'd steal them," said Tim. Do you mean to say I stole these?" retorted Ben angrily. He had no sooner said it, however, than he thought of the pies which he should have stolen if he had not been detected and his face flushed. Luckily Tim did not know why his words produced an effect upon Ben, or he would have followed up his attack. Yes, I do," said Tim. Then you judge me by yourself, said Ben. That's all I've got to say. Say that again, said Tim menacingly. So I will, if you want to hear it. You judge me by yourself. I'll give you a licking. You've said that again. You've said that before. Tim was not particularly brave. Still, Ben was a smaller boy and besides, he had a friend at hand to back him. So he concluded that it would be safe to venture. Doubling up a dirty fist, he struck out, intending to hit Ben in the face. But our young adventurer was on his guard and fended off the blow with his arms. Demanded Tim, pausing after his attack. Why should I? If you don't, I'll give you another lick. I can stand it, if it isn't any worse than that. Tim was spurred by this to renew the assault. He tried to throw his arms around Ben and lift him from the ground, which would enable him to throw him with greater ease. But Ben was wary and experienced in this mode of warfare, having often had scuffles in fun with his school fellows. He evaded Tim's grasp, therefore, and dealt him a blow in the breast, which made Tim stagger back. He began to realize that Ben, though a smaller boy, was a formidable opponent and regretted that he had undertaken a contest with him. He was constrained to appeal to his companion for assistance. Just lend a hand, Jack, and we'll give it to him. So you have to ask help, said Ben scornfully, though you're bigger than I am. I could lick you well enough alone, said Tim, but you've been interfering with Jack's business as well as mine. Jack responded to his friend's appeal, and the two advanced to the assault of Ben. Of course, all this took place much more quickly than it is taken to describe it. The contest commenced and our young adventurer would have got the worst of it if help had not arrived. Though a match for either of the boys singly, he could not be expected to cope with both at a time, especially as he was smaller than either. Tim found himself seized forcibly by the arm, just as he was about to level a blow at Ben. Looking up, he met the glance of another news boy, a boy of fourteen, who was known among his comrades as rough and ready. This boy was stout and strong, and was generally liked by those of his class for his generous qualities as well as respected for his physical strength, which he was always ready to exert in defense of a weaker boy. What's all this, Tim? he demanded. Ain't you ashamed the two of you to pitch into a smaller boy? He ain't got no business here, said Tim doggedly. Why not? He's taken away all our trade. Hasn't he just as much right to sell papers as you? He can go somewhere else. So can you. He's a new boy. This is the first day he sold papers. Then you ought to be able to keep up with him. What's your name, youngin'? This question was, of course, addressed to Ben. Ben answered our young hero. He did not think it necessary to mention his other name, especially as having run away from home he had a vague idea that it might lead to his discovery. Well, Ben, go ahead and sell your papers. I'll see that you have fair play. Thank you, said Ben. I'm not afraid of either of them. Both of them might be too much for you. I don't want to interfere with their business. They've got just as good a chance to sell as I have. Of course they have. Is this your first day? Yes. How many papers have you sold? Six posts and six expresses. That's pretty good for a beginning. Are you going to get some more? Yes. I was just going into the office when that boy, pointing to Tim, tried to drive me off. He won't do it again. Come in with me. I'm going to buy some papers too. What's your name, asked Ben. I like you. You're not mean like those fellows. My name is Rufus, but the boys call me rough and ready. Where do you live? At the Newsboy's lodging house? No, I live in Leonard Street. I've got a mother and a little sister. I live with them. Have you got a father? No, that is not a real father. I've got a stepfather, but he's worse than none, for he is loafing round most of the time and spends all the money he can get on drink. If it wasn't for me, he'd treat mother worse than he does. How long have you been in New York? Only a day or two, said Ben. Where are you living? Anywhere I can. I haven't got any place. Where did you sleep last night? I was in the garage at one of the piers, along with a boot-black named Jerry. That was the first night I ever slept out. How did you like it? I think I prefer a bed, said Ben. You can get one at the lodge for six cents. I didn't have six cents last night. They'll trust you there and you can pay next time. Where is the lodging house? It's on the corner of this street in Fulton, said Rufus and Reddy. I'll show it to you if you want me to. I'd like to have you. I'd rather pay six cents than sleep out again. By this time they reached the office of the express and entering purchased a supply of papers. He was about to invest his whole capital but by the advice of his companion but only eight copies as by the time these were disposed of a later edition would be out which of course would be more saleable. End of Chapter 8 Recording by James K. White Chula Vista