Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1906-08-17
HOW JOHNNY
GOT A JOB
tCopyright, by Joseph B. Bowles.)
By H. BARRETT SMITH

The hour was early, the store doors
Scarcely open, but crowds had already
begun to pour into the shopping dis
trict In a big show window, now
i fairy grotto all frost and silver and
green, Santa Claus greeted the carry
eomers. He knew his business, too,
ehis 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 CT the
elevated station. not far from Santa
Claus. There was a cutting wind, a
lowering sky, and Johnny's jacket Was
ragged, so were the knee pants" thai
reached to his ankles; but Johnny
ohutded his feet and whistled Sunny
Africa" to keep warm. The passer-by
who happened to catch Johnnys 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
scious, nor was it his desire to at
tract attention. He whistled, jiggeC
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 at
the corner this morning, but if his
,L,~ Hxry;,,
would be coffee and rolls for two.
Johnny had to live. So he waited for
his breakfast, while his breakfast
waited on luck-not an unusual stu
alton for Johnny.
Come crap-come seven," a throw
of the dice, cry of victory, an oath
OF defeat, and Johnny's whistle and jig
came to dead stop together. Johnnys
'fren'' went broke.
Johnny's eyes grew wide and SOL
emn. He looked at his "fren'" M
man could tell what Johnny was think
Ing. Johnny said:
Yer chump!"
"Its tough said his 'fren'."
dis bein' a sport on couple O.
cents" said Johnny, in fine disdain
II tolt cher not t. do it on an empty
stomick. II yer got t gamble ye:
oughtn't never t. do it If yer amt
first got yer roll-an' cup o. coffee GA
the side"
At this the curbstone winner and
loser joined forces and sent up howl
of derision, hurting at Johnny the
choicest bits of their picturesque vo-
cabulary
'G'wan, youse!" retorted Johnny.
Then, adhering to his policy of "havin'
yer say an quittin',' ne suddenly re-
membered-Johnny 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 tenn
permanent, an Imagination. The dis
guise of this Santa Claus was too
thin" He was not the Kris Kringle
Of Johnnys dream. Johnny thought
there must be something "Queer" with
the crowd that allowed itself to be
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.
90 he turned his attention to the crowd
going into the store. For few mo-
0ents he was lost in moving mass,
a hn ~ n
great swinging doors. How dead
easy" Johnny thought. The warm
cir took him in its fond embrace-how
nice 1t was. But suddenly no squirmed
and almost doubled himself. He felt
Q hand grab his jacket at the back OF
his neck.
What are you doing here?"
Johnny shot a look over his shout.
der and thought he saw a giant stand
ing over him. It was only a floor
walker.
'I-I'm lookin' fer job. Don't cher
want no more cash boys?"
The spoken word would have failed,
but Johnny's eyes got in their fine
work.
How old are you, anyhow"
Johnny looked small for ten. He
might be year or two older; but
Johnny had to live, and with as much
gertrude as if he had his birth cer-
tificate to back him up, he answered:
Fourteen"
The giant looked quizzically at the
midget
''We1l," he said, this Is the last day
OF the rush, but they are taking every
body on. You might go up, and see
the superintendent. His Office Is at
the head Of the stairs there
Johnny made for the stairs. Seem-
1ngly he lost no time as he zigza9sed
through the crowd Of shoppers, but
In that short passage Johnny saw
"heaped counters OF riches;" he saw
''pocketbools in every hand" and out
OF the pocketbooks flowed streams Of
money" When Johnny reached tho
top of the stairs, he paused and looked
hack then darted ACROSS tho hall Moi