The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1898-04-17
JUVENILE OCCUPATIONS
SOME OF THE WAYS IN WHICH
STREET WAITS EARN LIVING.
The Trades of the Miniature Mer-
chants-The LOdging-House boy
and His characteristics.

ical factory as youngster of nine or ten
years trudged off with an armful of broken
frames and boxes.
mot he. He's in business" answered the
man, looking after the little fellow, with
anamused twinkle in his eye.
I'm business, that child?"
Eyes. He's goin on eleven. He's been in
business two years now. He and two other
chaps, one younger than him. has got
wood yard l turns them over all the
scrapings / can spare, and when there amt
any to give away they come here and work
for me half day or so to pay for load.
You see, the factory uses the thrown-away
frames and broken boxes for frewood; so
It's only in between times, like to-day that
/ can give away any for nothing"
Where is the woodward, and whom do
the boys sell to-" he was asked.
They sell kindling wood to the tenement
house people," was the answer. "They are
the lodgin' house boys. 'Newsboys' Lodg-
Ing House, st is called, but there's a sight
OF them as sleeps there what never sells a
newspaper. These three did errands and
one thing and another that would turn in
a nickel or a dime, until they got money
enough together between them TO set up in
business. They rent cellar round there in
Catherine street somewhere for $150
month, and they keep their wood there, and
ssell it outfbit by bit. think little while
back house agent let them have a cellar
rent free for month or two, but something
happened to him, and they had to move.
Their cellar hasn't got any floor and is dark
as dungeon, but they manage to see in it.
and they tell me that they are doing quite
well with the business. This here boy you
saw collects the wood and carries it to the
woodward, the biggest one tends to the
splitting of it up. and the other fellow sells
it. 1t first, when they begun, they used to
break up the pieces with a stout paving
stone but lately they have a Ratchet and
an ak. The partner who does the selling
peddles the wood round at the tenement
houses at and cents a bundle.
They have the work well divided between
find the free hauls, the whole firm has to
turn in and work to get money to buy more
stock with. They are Industrious little fell
honest. Parents? Well 1 don't know. They
never say anything about them or about
their families any more than colt or kit
ten would that was aStray. | guess they
amt got any what's any account
THEIR QUEER SHIFTS.
1t is interesting to hear of the shifts and
expedients by Itch an untold army of these
luckless little Adventures make their liv-
ing. Bootblacks and newsboys there are
aplenty, but others besides have no sleeping
quarters and no means of support except
what they earn for themselves, day in and
Gay out of the 365 days of the year.
Any morning near one of the lodging
houses where these boys board, group may
be seen with their heads together scanning
eagerly the morning paper, a paper that
mas been bought in partnership, or that has
Deen borrowed from some friend in the
newspaper business. They get up very early
10 look over the advertisements and see
what offers, in their particular line.
Here's a canal-boat in says one chubby
cheeks, pointing to the fine lines of the adj
vertisement.
And here's a fruit-schooner hurrah!"
exclalms another.
You give bach. the paper, JIM" says the
m nTst speaker folding it up Wait
something about a fire up town Let's See
if we can find out anything about it,
But Jim's companions have vanished in
schooner in search of odd jobs. No mer-
chant or stock-broker who scans the morn
ing advertisements as he eats his leisurely
breakfast examines the days bearings more
carefully than Jim, who knows that bread,
and perhaps butter, of a certainty place
to sleep, depends on his chances for a job.
How he has learned to read so glibly is
mystery
The boys who help to clean a canal boat;
brushing out the cabins, scrubbing up the
are paid for their services in potatoes or
in such cargo of provisions as the boat
brought to the city Sometimes they are
given the remnants of coal left over in the
boats bins If they help with the unloading
of fruit schooner they get compensation
in over ripe oranges, under-ripe bananas,
mushy grapes, or sodden apples, with a
handful of good fruit thrown in. All these
find ready sale when peddled about from
house to house in the thick-Settled living
districts, where the inmates are not over
particular. There an apple is an apple, be
1t specked or sound boy with basket
of glowing fruit or low-priced potatoes is a
welcome visitor on those dingy stair land
ings, where the light is really SO dim that
sold at less than market prices are attrac-
tive.
SPOILS FROM FIRE.
The boy who goes to the fire gets paid or
bought off, with the partly damaged sus-
penders, buckles, stockings, cravats and the
like, and these he sells off in small lots.
Occasionally he may hit upon a batch of
goods that can be sold outright in the lodg-
ing house, among his mates. Because, who
minds if the top of a sock is charred or
stained, if the pair can be bought as low as
three cents or four cents? Certain of the
boys devote themselves to searching along
the routes Of the various railways for old
bolts and bits of iron, cast-off horse shoes,
and nails Is, These are sold t., to the regular
lows make bare existence; seldom do they
nave spare penny to buy a cake or piece of
candy.
Il lent $3.50 to a boy last summer to set
up in the lemonade business" said a lodg-
ing-house superintendent
HE got two big tin pals, some glasses a
sQueeZer and the materials with that sum-
In six weeks he paid me my money back
He got some knowledge of the value of
money, and this winter he has very good
place in q restaurant. in the summer he
will take his lemonade stand again. One of
our boys watched his chance and bought a
dollars worth of stockings at q special bar
gain counter on Sixth avenue, and has ped
died them off to good advantage. He is go
ing to make splendid buyer for some firm
one of these days. Another one saved up
money enough to buy push cart, and he
sells odd remnants of muslin, Calico Spools
of thread buttons and such notions down
on the East Side. He is not more than
fourteen.
some boys who are OF quiet, domestic
turn, wait upon sick people in the poor dis
tricts 1t would seem that they would be a
poor sort of dependence. but if a man or
sweep or tidy the room, or even hand cup
of water or give nourishment, the payment
of a dime of a quarter to any boy who is
willing to be useful is not grudged. Quite a
number of boys sell the coal that they pick
ND along the lines of the railroads or on
the dumping grounds. Some of it is half
charred' but it sells readily to the poor at
a low price. The youngest boys who are
looking after themselves in this way are
fourteen or fifteen. They pay us six cents
for breakfast, six for dinner, and six for
their beds. Their washing is done for them,
and those who only have one suit can get
clothing from the management until their
own clothes are ready for them. Those able