United States -- National Guard -- Juvenile fiction
“Yes, sir,” was the reply, “he is.”
“And it is a very honorable and responsible position. As president of
the local Armory Board engaged in the erection of the new armory, I
have come into frequent contact with him, and I have great respect for
his ability, and for his willingness to be guided in this important
military undertaking by men of greater business experience than his,
and familiar with large affairs. I am sure he will approve of the
sentence I am about to impose on you.”
He spoke as though he were a judge sitting in the criminal courts,
about to impose sentence on a convicted prisoner.
“Ben,” he continued, turning to his son, “are you ready to share in the
punishment I propose to provide for this young man?”
“I’m ready, father.” The boy answered without hesitation, and with
apparent frankness.
“Very well!”
Mr. Barriscale pressed a button under the edge of his table, and a
young woman entered the room with pencil and pad in her hand.
“Miss Lawranson,” he said, “you will please take dictation.”
She seated herself at the opposite side of the table from him, and,
after a moment of consideration, he dictated the following letter:
“JAMES MCCRAE,
_Superintendent of Construction of the State Armory,
Fairweather, Pa._
“_Dear Sir_:
“You will do me a favor by employing two boys, Halpert McCormack
and Benjamin Barriscale, Jr., at such laborious tasks as they
are fitted to perform in and about the State Armory. Their hours
will be from 7 to 8:45 in the morning, and from 4:15 to 6 in the
afternoon, with a full day on Saturdays. You will please keep
them at such labor until their combined wages, at the rate of
one dollar each per day, and at the rate of two dollars per
day for Saturdays, shall amount to the sum of sixty dollars,
at which time you will kindly make a report to me, accompanied
by the appropriate extracts from your time-sheets, and I will
arrange, through the proper channels, for their compensation.
They will report to you for service on Monday morning of the
coming week.
“Very truly yours,
BENJ. BARRISCALE,
_President of the local Armory Board_.”
Mr. Barriscale leaned back in his chair with a look of self-satisfaction
on his face. He faced each boy in turn, and asked:
“Are you content?”
And, when both boys had answered him in the affirmative, he said:
“Very well! Ben, you may return to your desk. McCormack, you may be
excused.”
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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