Now Willie reviewed the entire occurrence in his mind. He tried to remember every word and act of his. When he had thought it all over, he said to himself very soberly, “Of course that man liked to be treated politely. I know how it makes a fellow feel when a fresh office boy barks out ‘Whatcha want?’ as that guy did who held this job before me. Anybody would like to be treated politely. And it pleased him that I handed him a magazine. I don’t know why I did that. Just happened to, I guess. But he thought I was trying to make him comfortable. I’ll remember that. If it makes a man feel like giving a fellow a job in his own office, it’s a trick worth remembering. In future I’ll make a real effort to make everybody comfortable. Mr. King said he didn’t always promote boys when he got rid of them, and some day something might happen and I’d be glad of a chance at another job.” Poor Willie! Much sooner than he would have believed possible, he was wondering very seriously if he could find another job. He thought the matter over a bit further and a new idea came to him. “Why, I believe that’s one of the best ways to keep the job I’ve already got,” muttered Willie. “I could see that that man went into Mr. King’s office feeling mighty good about something, though I never dreamed I had anything to do with it. Mr. King can put through a whole lot more work in an hour if he deals with people that feel good than he could if he had to talk to a lot of soreheads. That’s a cinch. Why, if I could keep callers all jollied up so they feel good-natured, it ought to make things easier for Mr. King.” A minute later Willie chuckled. “That’s one thing I tumbled to, myself,” he muttered, “without being shown by my predecessor.” Then he laughed good-naturedly at the recollection of the spittoons he had tried to clean. “I sure was a greeny,” he said. “But the affair didn’t hurt me a bit. So I have no call to feel sore at the other office boy. I’ll just forget him.” That was easier to say than to do, however, for every day or so Willie met the fellow somewhere. Always the older lad tried to bully Willie. If they met in a corridor, he would walk in the middle of the way and roughly crowd Willie to one side. He nicknamed Willie Peanut. If there was no one around to hear him, he called Willie names and swore at him. So far, Willie had never met the fellow outside of the Custom-house. He had no doubt that the boy would handle him roughly if they did meet on the street, for Smith—that was the bully’s name, Tom Smith—had threatened him with a good whipping the first time he caught him alone. So Willie resolved to keep his eyes open when he was on the street.