Wessington Springs herald. (Wessington Springs, Aurora County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1891, 1884-01-04

III
At the very last Tommy took Linkum
behind the shed door for a little private
interview.
What was said there nobody knew,
but when he emerged from the retire
ment the cramp in Linkum's stomach
seemed greatly improved, and he re-
sponded with a faint semblance of one
of his customary grins to the good-byes
showered upon him.
Tommy took his way to his daily
work with a resolve to ask Mr.. Savage,
the lawyer, whose %office-boy he was, to
raise his wages. But when he opened
the office door there was a strange
young man at the desk, and Mr.. Savage
was occupied with several gentlemen.
He turned his head to say carelessly, to
Tommy:
81 shan'n't have any further need of
your services, as;;this young man, who is
to study with me, will attend to your
duties. 1 believe there is a small sum
due you, and if you will call some time
when l am not busy I'll give it to YOU"
Poor Tommy! he left the office with
out a word, his hopes all crushed.
There were very few chances for a boy
like him to get work in the town. He
might have to go away as Linkum had
done, and that would break his mothers
heart.
1t was just possible that there might
be some work that he could do at the
iron-mills; a few odd jobs would be
better than nothing.
MI. Forbes, the Superintendent, was
always busy, and a man of few words.
Tommy dreaded to go to his office, be-
cause he held amortgage on their house,
and he might say something about the
unpaid interest; but as it was the only
chance for work that there seemed to
be. he summoned all his courage, and
knocked at his Office door.
"Want a boy?' said Mr.. Forbes.
"Well, if we do, there are plenty of big
ones in the world, so we needn t take up
with a little chap like YOU" But there
was a pleasant twinkle in his eyes, so
Tommy didn't mind that his words
were not very polite.
you're Tommy Woodford, are you?"
continued MI. Forbes. 'sWell, we do
need an otfce-boy, but 1 was thinking
Of having or older than you, whocould
help the clerk with his accounts some
times. Are you quick at fgures?"
Il am not so veryslow, Sir" he said,
modestly. "You might try me-"
"WelI, that is not q bad suggestion
said Mr.. Fobes, who was looking him
over carefully, all the time. "Youmay
come tomorrow morning and l will try
you.' Tommy flew home as if he had
wings and told the good news.
He found that there was hard work in
the office of the Iron Company, and the
clerk was not so pleasant as Mr.. Forbes;
and when he. found that Tommy was
both quick and exact at figures, he left
work for him to do that did not right
fully belong to his share, and he some
times went away when he ought not to
60 and left Tommy in sole charge of the
office.
But Tommy was determined that moth
ing should daunt him, and he never
complained, and Mr.. Forbes attention
was attracted from what was going on
in the office by disturbances in the mills,
owing to the dissatisfaction of the men
and their threatening to strike for high
er wages. One night, at the end of
Tommy's second week at the mills, the
clerk. who had been absent for half the
afternoon, failed to return at six o'clock,
the usual time for closing the office.
Tommy had no authority to close it and
as Mr.. Forbes had gone to a distant
town to secure a new corps of men in
case there should be a strike, Tommy
had no alternative but to wait until the
clerk returned.
Night closed in before six o'clock
and q storm was threatening. and
Tommy thought of his long, cold walk,
and longed for the home fireside, and
the cakes that Aunt Patra loved to keep
hot for him. Then he remembered that
some of the next days work might be
done while he wa waiting, But lust as
he sat down at the desk and opened the
account-book the door was suddenly
thrown open.
Tommy arose with a sigh of relief, but
when he turned, instead of the clerk
whom he expected to see, two rough
looking men stood before him. One of
them turned the key. Tommy was sure
that they were mill hands, although he
could not see their faces.
Cali we want Of you, youngster, is the
key of the safe," said one of them.
How they knew that he was acquaint-
ed with the whereabouts of the kew of
the safe Tommy wondered, the natural
supposition being that Mr.. Forbes car
ried it about his person, as indeed he ha-
bitually did but from the fact that
some valuable papers which were kept
in the safe were being copied by the
clerk and Tommy, the key was depos-
tied in a little secret drawer in Mr..
Forbes's desk.
"What right have you to ask for the
safe key?" demanded Tommy. He was
conscious of a little inward quuaking, but
his tone was firm.
"We don't mean to waste words with
you," said n of the men. ..We'u
trouble you to tell us where that kew is.
or" and he drew apistolfrom his peck
ct, and laid it down where Tommy
could see it.
Tommy remembered that he was alone
in the building, everybody leaving at
six o'clock, therefore to call for help,
would be useless; but ever while he
thought of it n of the men thrust a gae
into his mouth, while the other tightly
pinioned his arms.
"