Teddy and Carrots: Two Merchants of Newpaper Row Part 7

"Well, I didn't mean it jest that way," Teenie replied; "but when you get in here an' have the candle lighted, it allers seems mighty fine. I got mother to let me come down an' stay all night with you."

"There! that's jest what I thought you was up to," Carrots said, in rather a cross tone.

"Why, what's the matter? Don't you want me?" Teenie asked in surprise.

"Of course I'm glad to have you come, Teenie; but I am busy to-night, an' talkin' with you is bound to upset things."

"What are you doin'?"

"You see, I took the job of gettin' that feller from Saranac out er the station-house; an' it's goin' to be a pretty hard one, I'm 'fraid, as things are lookin' now. If I can get him clear of the sc.r.a.pe, you'll see some fun one of these days, 'cause this thing ain't goin' to stop here, I'll tell you that. I only wish I knew what ought ter be done."

"How have you been tryin' to fix it?"

"Well, I've talked with some of the fellers that saw the row, to get 'em to go down to court an' tell how it happened; but they're so terribly 'fraid of Skip they don't dare to say their souls are their own."

"Well, I do," Teenie replied, bravely. "I saw the whole of the sc.r.a.p, 'cause I was there before it began."

"Will you tell that when the chap's brought inter court to-morrow mornin'?"

"'Course I will, if you'll stand by me in case Skip tries to come his funny business; 'cause that's what he says he's goin' to do to anybody who helps the feller from the country."

"I'll stand by you, Teenie, if that's what you want; an' if we do get Teddy clear, there'll be three of us. Skip won't dare to tackle as big a crowd as that."

"No; but you see the feller ain't out, an' I can't figger how it's goin'

to be done."

"We'll tell the judge jest what we saw."

"I don't b'lieve we'll get the chance. They wouldn't let you go anywhere near him, 'less you had a lawyer."

"We've _got_ to fix it somehow."

"Why not get a lawyer?"

"Now you're goin' crazy, Teenie Ma.s.sey. It costs as much as a dollar to get one of them fellows to go to court. They come high!"

"Don't you s'pose you could hire one, an' let him take it out in trade?"

"By jiminy! I never thought of that. I wonder if I couldn't?"

"It wouldn't do any harm to try. I sell papers to a man that would come an' 'tend to the whole business, I guess, if you'd 'gree to black his boots so many times a week."

"I'd 'gree to black him all over, if he'd do what I want. Where does he hang out?"

"I'll show you in the mornin'. Been to supper?"

"Yes; had a little spread up to Delmonico's. It wasn't much, an'

charlotte roosters an' sich things as that ain't fillin', you know."

"I kinder thought you might be hungry, so I got mother to do up a lunch." And Teenie drew from his pocket a small parcel of cold roast meat, adding to it from another pocket five boiled eggs.

"Say, we'll have a reg'lar lay-out, won't we?" Carrots said, as he surveyed the food with the keenest pleasure.

"Now I reckon you can kind er ease up on your business long enough to 'tend to this stuff, can't you?" Teenie answered.

"Well, I should say so! You're a brick, Teenie, an' I wish you'd come every night."

"Business would have to be pretty good if I was goin' to have such a spread as this right along. I've been to supper, so you pitch in."

"S'pose we put it away for a while? It hasn't been so long since I ate that lot o' quails, you know; and I can hold on a spell, an' we'll be hungry before we're ready to go to sleep."

Teenie was satisfied; and he reclined carelessly in one corner of the packing-case home, enjoying himself to the utmost.

Carrots followed his example, and soon the two were busily engaged discussing the probable outcome of Teddy's case, as well as the possibility of engaging a lawyer upon the condition of his being willing to accept the fee "in trade."

Not until a late hour was the lunch disposed of; and then, nestling into the straw, the two were ready for slumber.

Owing to the peculiar location of his home, and the necessity of keeping his whereabouts a profound secret, Carrots was obliged to arise at a very early hour, in order to leave the residence before any of the clerks in the shop should arrive. Therefore it was that the host and his guest were on the street shortly after sunrise.

Of course it would have been folly to look for the attorney in his office at such an hour, and the possibility of doing any business before seven or eight o'clock was so slight that Carrots, with the recklessness of a spendthrift, invited his friend to a breakfast at Mose Pearson's, even though it involved an expenditure of fully one-fifth of his entire wealth.

"We'll kind er need somethin' to brace us up," he said, in explanation of his generous invitation.

As a matter of course, Master Ma.s.sey was not proof against the kind hospitality, and so he very willingly followed his friend to Mr.

Pearson's establishment, which was located in the bas.e.m.e.nt of a dwelling on Baxter Street.

When the boys, leisurely, and with the air of capitalists, sauntered out on the street once more, they looked thoroughly contented with the world in general, and themselves in particular.

"We'd better get up somewhere near the lawyer's office before that Skip Jellison comes 'round," Teenie said.

Carrots recognized the wisdom of this advice at once; and the two, keeping a sharp lookout lest Master Jellison should spring upon them unawares, made their way to Centre Street, where for an hour and a half they waited in the hallway of the building in which the lawyer with whom Teenie was acquainted had an office.

On his arrival it was evident the gentleman did not recognize them as two possible clients, for he pa.s.sed without even a nod to the boy who claimed to be his friend, entered the office, and closed the door behind him.

"Why, he doesn't even know you!" Carrots exclaimed, in a tone of reproach.

"Oh, yes, he does; but you see it's kind er dark in here, an' I s'pose he couldn't see my face very well, or he didn't notice."

"What are you goin' to do 'bout it?"

"Wait till he gets settled, an' then we'll go up an' call on him. You do the talkin', while I stand back an' 'gree to all you say."

Now that they were where the scheme could be carried into execution, Carrots was by no means confident it would be a success, and actually felt rather timid about making the attempt; but, urged on by Teenie, he finally mustered up courage to open the door of the office. He stood on the threshold, gazing first at the attorney and then back at his friend.

"Well, what do you want?" the gentleman asked, looking inquiringly at the boy.

This question appeared to restore to Carrots a certain portion of his self-possession, and he entered the room, standing in the middle of the floor as he beckoned to his friend to follow.

"What do you want?" the lawyer asked again, impatiently.