Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot-Blacks

to secure three other customers, two of them reporters in the Tribune establ

eakfast. He went up to the head of Spruce Street, and turned into Nassau. Two blocks further, and he reached Ann Street. On this street was a small, cheap restaurant, whe

akfast was soon before him. Neither the coffee nor the steak were as good as can be bought at Delmonico's; but then it is very doubtful whether, in the presen

king wistfully into the restaurant. This was Johnny Nolan, a boy of fourteen, who was engaged i

nny?" inquired Dick, cut

N

en. Here's r

hnny, looking a little envious

you had a

t I shan't get any

you h

e, and

l stand treat

to accept this invitation, an

you have,

e as

and beefsteak

rought, and Johnny at

gy and industry are rewarded, and indolence suffers. Dick was energetic and on the alert for business,

surveying Johnny's attacks upon

s hu

her Webster's or Worcester's big dictionary;

here often?"

ay. You'd bet

't aff

en," said Dick. "What do

near as much

u tried. I keep my ey

e lazy, that's wh

felt the justice of it, and preferred to proceed with the

walked up to the desk

Johnny, he went ou

you going

Spruce Street, to see if

rk for him

wants a shine most every

House. I guess I'll fin

dging into an entry way, hid behind th

atter now?" a

d Johnny, his voice

, I'd lik

in the b

ou aint scared

ot me a pl

he

so far

if h

an a

you li

a farm, and I had to get up at five to tak

give you en

es, pl

had a g

es

e stayed. You don't ge

u sleep la

ey in an o

d than that in the c

s as soft a

e of cotton, the recollection

dn't yo

onely," s

barrel that he is lucky enough to find unoccupied when night sets in, gets so attached to his precarious but independent mode of life, that he feels discontented in any other. He

ny's life was in danger. Some months before, he had thrown a flat-iron at his son's head with such terrific force that unless Johnny had dodged he would not have lived long enough to obtain a place in our story. He fled the house, and from that time had not dared to re-enter it. Somebody had given him a brush and box of blacking,

sked Dick, with some cu

ode on t

ur money? I hope yo

't have

d you do

hree o'clock, and

whose ideas on the subject o

he ri

w f

d Johnny, whose conceptions o

What did yo

their seeing me.* That man in the brown coat was the man that

fa

ny Pastor's or the Old Bowery. There wouldn't be no place to spend my evenings. But I say, it's t

goin', or Mr. Taylor'll get so

Nassau Street, while D

adw

bet he won't get five shines to-day. I'm glad I aint like him. I couldn't go to the the

mark was addressed to a young man, dressed in a

lready this morning, but this con

all right, si

head,

est style, which proved very satisfactor

his pocket, "but here's a bill you may run somewhere and g

ar bill, which our hero t

that, sir?" said Dick, w

and, slightly glancing at it, exclaimed angrily, "Be

's th

ed me a count

know it,"

e off, or I'll ha