uctions. "I've been here a little more'n an hour, an' haven't
been called off the bench once."

This remark appeared to arouse the fat boy to the consciousness of
being alive, and on making great effort to sit upright, he noticed Jet
for the first time.

"Hello! You're a new feller; I s'pose," he said with a yawn.

"Do you think I look very new?"

"You've jest com here to work, haven't you?"

"The way things look now I've come to set around an' keep the flies
offer them young gents as has ter sleep forenoons."

"You'll be glad to do that same thing before you've worked here a week.
It's dull now, but wait awhile, an' then see how the fellers have to
hump themselves."

"Say, do you ever do very much?" Jet asked gravely.

"I was out on a job yesterday that I didn't get through with till past
midnight."

"Do the fellers have to work so late as that?"

"Once in a while. You have to go where the customers send you, an'
some of the jobs are funny ones."

"How far have you ever been on an errand?"

"Up to Albany to bring down a dog for a man what was goin' huntin'."

"Did you get him here?"

"Of course I did."

"It must have been mighty rough on the dog."

"Why?"

"'Caus he'd be away from home so long if he wasn't allowed to walk any
faster than you can."

"Think you're funny, don't you?" and the fat boy made ready to resume
his interrupted nap.

Before Jet could turn his attention to the tariff again the boy at the
desk called loudly: "Number forty-eight!" and he went forward quickly,
well pleased that something had occurred to break the monotony.

A summons had come from one of the hotels near by, and on answering it
he found nothing of more importance than to carry a letter to a certain
house in the immediate vicinity, but to Jet it was particularly
agreeable work, since he was given ten cents more than the regular fee.

"If all the messages turn out like this one I shall have a mighty good
thing of it," he said to himself, in a tone of satisfaction as he
returned to the station.

Jet was called upon only twice more during this first day of his new
work, and when he went home it was with the pleasing knowledge that he
had received as presents fifteen cents.

On the following morning he was at his post so early that some of the
"night boys" made sport of him for appearing at such an hour,
predicting that in less than a week he would have "sense enough to stay
at home till he was wanted."