Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1906-06-06
HOW JOHNNY
GOT A JOB
Copyright, BY Joseph b. BoWlos.)
BY H. BARRETT SMITH

Copyright, BY Joseph B. Bowles)
1t was the day before Christmas.
The hour was early, the store doors
scarcely open, but crowds had already
begun to pour into the shopping dis
trict. In big show window, now
fairy grotto all frost and silver and
green, Santa Claus greeted the early
Corners. He knew his business, too
this Santa Claus. He was not in the
show window for his health. He
looked trifle weary-he had been
working overtime-but he nodded and
smiled and smirked and winked at the
boys and girls outside the window.
Johnny stood near the foot of the
elevated station, not far from Santa
Claus. There was cutting wind, a
lowering sky, and Johnny's jacket was
ragged, so were the knee pants" tina:
reached to his ankles; but Johnny
shutfled his feet and whistled Sunny
Africa" to keep warm. The passer-by
who happened to catch Johnny's eye
turned to look at him again. True,
Johnny had wonderful pair of orbs;
big, brown, wide open and touching
they were dumbly eloquent; but
Johnny's appeal was entirely unc0l.-
scious, nor was it his desire to at
tract attention. He whistled, jiggeG
and looked innocent-there was a
game of craps under the elevated
stairs, and Johnny was "layin' fer the
cop"
Johnny felt he should not linger al
the corner this morning, but If his
''fren'" should win out" the order
would be coffee and rolls for two
Johnny had to live. So he waited for
his breakfast, while his breakfas,
waited on luck-not an unusual stu
alton for Johnny.
Come crap-come seven," a throw
of the dice, a cry of victory, an oath
of defeat, and Johnny's whistle and jls
came to dead stop together. Johnny's
''fren' went broke.
Johnnys eyes grew wide and sol.
emn. He looked at his .fren'" NJ
man could tell what Johnny was think.
ing. Johnny said:
Yer chump!"
It's tough said his "fren'."
dis bein' a sport on couple o
cents!" said Johnny, in fine disdair
II tolt cher not t. do it on an empty
stomick. If yer got t gamble We.
Oughtn't never t do it If yer ain'1
first got yer roll-an' cup o. coffee or
the side"
At this the curbstone winner AM
loser joined forces and sent up howl
of derision, hurting at Johnny thu
choicest bits of their picturesque vo.
cabulary.
'G'wan, youse!" retorted Johnny
Then, adhering to his policy of "havin
yer say an quittin'," he suddenly re.
membered- always remem
bered in the nick of time-that he had
urgent business with Santa Claus.
Now the big show window and the
grotto therein had no attraction for
Johnny-Johnny had an artistic tem-
permanent, an Imagination. The dis.
guise OF this Santa Claus was "toc
thin He was not the Kris Kringle
of Johnny's dream. Johnny thought
there must be something queer" with
the crowd that allowed itself to b<
taken in by dat wise old guy"
Johnny expected no Christmas gift;
but his spirit was not disconsolate
neither was there rebellion in his
heart. Johnny's crying want came
from his stomach; he had to live
so he turned his attention to the crowd
going into the store. For a few mo-
ments he was lost in a moving mass
then he emerged on the inside of the
great swinging doors. How dead
easy" Johnny thought The warm
air took him in it's fond embrace-how
nice it was. But suddenly he squirmed
and almost doubled himself. He fel,
a hand grab his jacket at the back Of
his neck.
What are you doing here?'
Johnny shot look over his shout
der and thought he saw a giant stand.
ing over him. 1t was only a floor
walker.
lin lookin' fer job. Don't che,
want no more cash boys?"
The spoken word would have failed
but Johnny's eyes got in their flint
work.
How old are you, anyhow"
Johnny looked small for ten. HI
might be year or two older; but
Johnny had to live, and with as much
gertrude as if he had his birth Ger.
tificate to back him up, he answered:
Fourteen"
The giant looked quizzically at thu
midget.
Well" he said, this Is the last do,
of the rush, but they are taking every.
body on. You might go up and sec
the superintendent. His Office is al
the head Of the stairs there"
Johnny made for the stairs. Seem.
1ngly he lost no time as he zigzagged
through the crowd of shoppers, but
in that short passage johnny saw
''heaped counters of riches;;" he saw
''pocketbooks in every hand" and on,
of the pocketbooks flowed streams OF
money" When Johnny reached the
top OF the stairs, he paused and looked
back, then darted across the hall. Not
five minutes later an e,nploye whis.
pered to the house detectives:
There's trouble up there, a woman
had her pocket picked"