Coming of age -- Juvenile fiction; Conduct of life -- Juvenile fiction
The lawyer was a pleasant-looking man of medium age, and Andy felt sure
that he would be a kind and considerate employer.
After office hours, and before going up to his pupil, Andy called at the
humble home of Mrs. Carter. The widow's face brightened as she saw him.
"You are my good friend," she said. "You are welcome."
"My employer, Mr. Crawford, sends you this," and Andy displayed the
bill.
"It is a godsend. It will enable me to pay my rent, due on Saturday, and
give me three dollars over."
"But that is not all. I have procured you a situation as typewriter in a
lawyer's office. You will have to be on hand to-morrow morning a little
before ten. The office is Mr. Gardner's, at 132 Nassau Street."
"I can hardly believe in my good fortune. I will be there."
"Can you leave the children?"
"I will ask my neighbor, Mrs. Parker, to look after them. What a good
young man you are!" she exclaimed, gratefully.
"Not young man--boy," corrected Andy, with a smile.
"Won't you stay and take a cup of tea?"
"Thank you, Mrs. Carter, but I have an evening engagement. Oh, by the
way, I forgot to say that Mr. Gardner will pay you ten dollars a week."
"I shall feel rich. I shall no longer be worried by thoughts of
starvation."
"Some time you might consult Mr. Gardner about your brother-in-law's
withholding your share of the estate. He will be able to advise you."
Andy felt a warm glow in his heart at the thought of the happiness he
had been instrumental in bringing to the poor family. He had learned the
great lesson that some never learn, that there is nothing so
satisfactory as helping others. We should have a much better world if
that was generally understood.
The next day Andy received a letter from his stanch friend, Valentine
Burns. He read it eagerly, for it brought him some home news, and in
spite of his success he had not forgotten Arden and his many friends
there.
This was the letter:
"DEAR ANDY: How long it seems since I saw you! You know that you
were my most intimate friend, and of course I miss you very much. To
be sure, there is Conrad, who seems willing to bestow his company
upon me, as my father happens to be pretty well off, but I look upon
Conrad as a snob, and don't care much about him. When we met
yesterday, he inquired after you.
"'What's your friend, Andy Grant, doing in the city?'
"'He is in a real estate office,' I replied.
"'Humph! how much does he get paid?'
"'Five dollars.'
"'That is probably more than he earns, but it isn't much to live
upon.'
"I didn't care to tell him that you had another income, but said:
'Don't you think you could live on it?'
"'I couldn't live on ten dollars a week,' said Conrad, loftily.
'But, then, I haven't been accustomed to live like Andy Grant.'
"It must be pleasant to you to know that Conrad feels so much
interest in your welfare.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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