Ebenezer Graham with some difficulty ascertained from Eben that he hadother bills, amounting in the aggregate to forty-seven dollars. Thisadded to the board bill, made a total of seventy-seven dollars. Mr.Graham's face elongated perceptibly.
"That is bad enough," he said; "but you have lost your income also, andthat makes matters worse. Isn't there a chance of the firm taking youback?"
"No, sir," replied the prodigal. "You see, we had a flare up, and Iexpressed my opinion of them pretty plainly. They wouldn't take me backif I'd come for nothing."
"And they won't give you a recommendation, either?" said Ebenezer, witha half groan.
"No, sir; I should say not."
"So you have ruined your prospects so far as Boston is concerned," saidhis father, bitterly. "May I ask how you expect to get along?"
"I have a plan," said Eben, with cheerful confidence.
"What is it?"
"I would like to go to California. If I can't get any situation in SanFrancisco, I can go to the mines."
"Very fine, upon my word!" said his father, sarcastically. "And how doyou propose to get to California?"
"I can go either by steamer, across the isthmus, or over the UnionPacific road."
"That isn't what I mean. Where are you to get the money to pay your farewith?"
"I suppose you will supply that," said Eben.
"You do? Well, it strikes me you have some assurance," ejaculated Mr.Graham. "You expect me to advance hundreds of dollars, made by workingearly and late, to support a spendthrift son!"
"I'll pay you back as soon as I am able," said Eben, a little abashed.
"No doubt! You'd pay me in the same way you pay your board bills," saidEbenezer, who may be excused for the sneer. "I can invest my money tobetter advantage than upon you."
"Then, if you will not do that," said Eben, sullenly, "I will leave youto suggest a plan."
"There is only one plan I can think of, Eben. Go back to your old placein the store. I will dismiss the Carr boy, and you can attend to thepost office, and do the store work."
"What, go back to tending a country grocery, after being a salesman in acity store!" exclaimed Eben, disdainfully.
"Yes, it seems the only thing you have left. It's your own fault thatyou are not still a salesman in the city."
Eben took the cigar from his mouth, and thought rapidly.
"Well," he said, after a pause, "if I agree to do this, what will youpay me?"
"What will I pay you?"
"Yes, will you pay me ten dollars a week--the same as I got at Hanbury &Deane's?"
"Ten dollars a week!" ejaculated Ebenezer, "I don't get any more thanthat myself."
"I guess there's a little mistake in your calculations, father," saidEben, significantly. "If you don't make at least forty dollars a week,including the post office, then I am mistaken."
"So you are--ridiculously mistaken!" said his father, sharply. "Whatyou presume is entirely out of the question. You forget that you willbe getting your board, and Tom Tripp only received a dollar and a half aweek without board."
"Is that all you pay to Herbert Carr?"
"I pay him a leetle more," admitted Ebenezer.
"What will you give me?"
"I'll give you your board and clothes," said Ebenezer, "and that seemsto be more than you made in Boston."
"Are you in earnest?" asked Eben, in genuine dismay.
"Certainly. It isn't a bad offer, either."
"Do you suppose a young man like me can get along without money?"
"You ought to get along without money for the next two years, after thesums you've wasted in Boston. It will cripple me to pay your bills," andthe storekeeper groaned at the thought of the inroads the payment wouldmake on his bank account.
"You're poorer than I thought, if seventy-five dollars will crippleyou," said Eben, who knew his father's circumstances too well to bemoved by this representation.
"I shall be in the poorhouse before many years if I undertake to pay allyour bills, Eben."
After all, this was not, perhaps, an exaggeration, for a spendthrift soncan get through a great deal of money.
"I can't get along without money, father," said Eben, decidedly. "Howcan I buy cigars, let alone other things?"
"I don't want you to smoke cigars. You'll be a great deal better offwithout them," said his father, sharply.
"I understand; it's necessary to my health," said Eben, rather absurdly.
"You won't smoke at my expense," said Ebenezer, decidedly. "I don'tsmoke myself, and I never knew any good come of it."
"All the same, I must have some money. What will people say about ayoung man of my age not having a cent in his pocket? They think myfather is very mean."
"I'll allow you fifty cents a week," said Mr. Graham, after a pause.
"That won't do! You seem to think I am only six or seven years old!"
Finally, after considerable haggling, Mr. Graham agreed to pay his sona dollar and a half a week, in cash, besides board and clothes. Hereflected that he should be obliged to board and clothe his son at anyrate, and should save a dollar and a half from Herbert's wages.
"Well," he said, "when will you be ready to go to work?"
"I must have a few days to loaf, father. I have been hard at work for along time, and need some rest."
"Then you can begin next Monday morning. I'll get Herbert to show youhow to prepare the mail, so that you won't have any trouble about thepost-office work."
"By the way, father, how do you happen to have the post office? Ithought Mrs. Carr was to carry it on."
"So she did, for a time, but a woman ain't fit for a public position ofthat kind. So I applied for the position, and got it."
"What's Mrs. Carr going to do?"
"She's got her pension," said Ebenezer, shortly.
"Eight dollars a month, isn't it?"
"Yes."
"That ain't much to support a family."
"She'll have to do something else, then, I suppose."
"There isn't much to do in Wayneboro."
"That isn't my lookout. She can take in sewing, or washing," suggestedEbenezer, who did not trouble himself much about the care of hisneighbors. "Besides there's Herbert--he can earn something."
"But I'm to take his place."
"Oh well, I ain't under any obligations to provide them a livin'. I'vegot enough to take care of myself and my family."
"You'd better have let her keep the post office," said Eben. He wasnot less selfish than his father, but then his own interests were notconcerned. He would not have scrupled, in his father's case, to doprecisely the same.
"It's lucky I've got a little extra income," said Ebenezer, bitterly;"now I've got your bills to pay."
"I suppose I shall have to accept your offer, father," said Eben, "forthe present; but I hope you'll think better of my California plan aftera while. Why, there's a fellow I know went out there last year, went upto the mines, and now he's worth five thousand dollars!"
"Then he must be a very different sort of a person from you," retortedhis father, sagaciously. "You would never succeed there, if you can't inBoston."
"I've never had a chance to try," grumbled Eben.
There was sound sense in what his father said. Failure at home is verylikely to be followed by failure away from home. There have been casesthat seemed to disprove my assertion, but in such cases failure has onlybeen changed into success by earnest work. I say to my young readers,therefore, never give up a certainty at home to tempt the chances ofsuccess in a distant State, unless you are prepared for disappointment.
When the engagement had been made with Eben, Mr. Graham called Herbertto his presence.
"Herbert," said he, "I won't need you after Saturday night. My son isgoing into the store, and will do all I require. You can tell him how toprepare the mails, et cetery."
"Very well, sir," answered Herbert. It was not wholly a surprise, butit was a disappointment, for he did not know how he could make threedol
lars a week in any other way, unless he left Wayneboro.
CHAPTER V. EBEN'S SCHEME.
Do and Dare — a Brave Boy's Fight for Fortune Page 4