Ragged Dick, Or, Street Life in New York with the Boot-Blacks

overing that the bill he had offered was

op, you young vagabon

e me back

again? No, sir, I sh

ick. "A gentleman that owes me fo

d the clerk; but he s

d call him,

s late customer standing

e? You were a precious long time about it. I beg

style," said

ere's th

en't g

the bil

t got tha

oung r

I'll tell you all about it. The man what too

, did he? I'll go with you to the store, an

ushed a little, and looked nervous. He fancied that he could browbeat a ragged boot-black, but with a gentleman he saw tha

man, "point out the cl

id Dick, pointin

walked up to

ily, "for a bill which that boy offered you,

the clerk, his cheek flush

quire you to produce it, an

s vest-pocket, and drew

, but it is not the

e one he

man looked

, "is this the bill yo

it is

e clerk, who began to find himself in a t

f all in the store, and the proprietor walked

is, Mr. Hatch?

for a bad bill. I kept the bill, and told him to clear

the

, that's a bad bill," he said.

ne the boy offered,"

me denomination, but

mber what ba

Merchants' Ba

u sure

a

kept it and off

if you want to," sa

ect that your clerk pocketed the good bill, and has substituted the

on the Merchants' Bank,"

ter feel in

d," said the merchant, firmly. "

the clerk; but he looke

be searched," sa

u I haven'

Hatch, or will you allow yourself to b

e clerk put his hand into his vest-pocket, and d

ked the shopkeeper, sho

t

e a mistake," fa

," said the merchant sternly. "You may go up to the desk and ask for wha

e store, after he had finally got the bill changed. "I must

"You're very kind. Don't you

he with a smile. "I

rnum's to-night, and see the bearded lady, the eight-foot giant, the

r as the Astor House. He took his station o

the other, a boy of thirteen or fourteen. They were speaking

some of the sights of New York, but I shall be full of b

s,

'll have to wait to next time. You can go out and walk by

oked dis

was here," he said. "He

does he

up town,

me than stay here, you can, but as I shall be most of the time in mer

at I will go off by myself. I won't go very far, and

here. Very well, Frank, I am s

n walking around, and looking at the shop-w

n enterprising young man, he thought he saw a chance fo

ncle was about leaving, and said, "I know all about th

ittle curiously at the r

a city boy

, "I've lived here ev

bout the public bui

s,

e Centr

know my way

man looked

vel proposal. He isn't exactly the sort of guide I would have picked out for you

," said Frank, who felt a little shy

't washed your face t

hat was the ge

ash-bowls at the hotel

i

el did yo

Box H

Box H

ept in a box on

eyed Dick

ou like it

ept b

it had

wet my best clo

ll the cloth

s,

rds to Frank, who seemed p

e, my lad

the office, to the foot of the staircase. Here a servant of the hotel stopped Dick, but

y paused before a door. This being op

lad," said

d Frank