and do not know where to go for a room or meals."
"So I thought, and that's why I offered to put you into the right track.
My name is Bob Hunter--I hain't got no business cards yet, but all the
boys knows me, and my place of business is right round here in City Hall
Park. You'll find me here 'most any time durin' business hours."
"Bob Hunter! Well, you may be sure I shall remember your name and place
of business, for I want to see you again. But what are your business
hours?"
"Oh, yes; I forgot that. Everybody must have business hours, of course.
Well, say from five to ten in the mornin', and three to eight in the
afternoon, you can find me in."
"In! You mean _out_, don't you--out here?"
"Shucks! don't be so schoolmastery. Everybody in business says _in_. I
guess I know what's proper!"
"All right, Bob Hunter, I'll give it up. You know all about propriety in
New York, and I know nothing of it, so here is my hand. I'll say good by
till tonight, when I will call upon you again. I must look over these
papers now, and hunt for a situation."
"I hope you'll have luck, and get a bang up place. I'll be _in_ when you
call tonight; and if you hain't no objections, I'd like to know your
name. It would be more handy to do business, you see. How could my
clerks announce you so I'd know you, if I don't know your name? You see,
I might think it was some one that wanted to collect a bill," continued
Bob, dryly, "and I'd be _out_. Don't you see how it's done? I'd just
tell my clerks to say 'Mr. Hunter is not in;' so, you see, you would get
left. Why, business men do it every day!"
"My name is Herbert Randolph," replied the other, laughing heartily at
his comical friend--I say friend, for he already felt convinced that he
had found one in Bob Hunter.
"Herbert Randolph! that's a tony name--some old fellow I read about in
school was called Randolph; most likely he was some of your relations."
The day was too cold for him to remain out in the park and read; so
Herbert, acting on the advice of Bob Hunter, hurried to the great
granite post office, and there, in the rotunda, ran his eye over the
"wants" in his two papers.
Many columns of closely printed matter in each paper offering every
conceivable position were spread out before him--a bewildering display
of flattering prospects.
Young Randolph soon learned that if he stopped to read every
advertisement in both journals it would be very late in the day before
he co
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