Oldal 53 [53]
LITTLE LORD FAUNTLEROY. 33
— = ee SEE == Se ee —— = —— =——
‘Dick is a boot-black,” said his young lordship, quite warming
up in his interest in plans so exciting. " He is one of the nicest
boot-blacks you ever knew. He stands at the corner of a street
down-town. I ve known him for years. Once when I was very
little, I was walking out with Dearest, and she bought me a beauti¬
ful ball that bounced, and I was carrying it and it bounced into the
middle of the street where the carriages and horses were, and I was
so disappointed, | began to cry — 1 was very little. I had kilts on.
And Dick was blacking a man’s shoes, and he said ‘ Hello!’ and he
ran in between the horses and caught the ball for me and wiped it
off with his coat and gave it to me and said, ‘It’s all right, young
un. So Dearest admired him very much, and so did I, and ever
since then, when we go down-town, we talk to him. He says
‘Hello!’ and I say ‘ Hello!’ and then we talk a little, and he tells
me how trade is. It’s been bad lately.
‘“ And what would you like to do for him?” inquired the lawyer,
rubbing his chin and smiling a queer smile.
c Well,” said Lord Fauntleroy, settling himself in his chair with a
business air, “I d buy Jake out.”
‘“ And who is Jake?” Mr. Havisham asked.
‘‘He s Dick’s partner, and he is the worst partner a fellow
could have! Dick says so. He is nt a credit to the business,
and he is nt square. He cheats, and that makes Dick mad.
It would make you mad, you know, if you were blacking boots
as hard as you could, and being square all the time, and your
partner was nt square at all. People like Dick, but they don’t
like Jake, and so sometimes they dont come twice. So if I were
rich, I’d buy Jake out and get Dick a "boss sign—he says a
‘boss’ sign goes a long way; and I d get him some new clothes
and new brushes, and start him out fair. He says all he wants is
to start out fair.”
3