A messenger boy in those days had many pleasures.  There were wholesale fruit stores, where a pocketful of apples was sometimes to be had for the prompt delivery of a message; bakers’ and confectioners’ shops, where sweet cakes were sometimes given to him.  He met with very kind men, to whom he looked up with respect; they spoke a pleasant word and complimented him on his promptness, perhaps asked him to deliver a message on the way back to the office.  I do not know a situation in which a boy is more apt to attract attention, which is all a really clever boy requires in order to rise.  Wise men are always looking out for clever boys.

One great excitement of this life was the extra charge of ten cents which we were permitted to collect for messages delivered beyond a certain limit.  These “dime messages,” as might be expected, were anxiously watched, and quarrels arose among us as to the right of delivery.  In some cases it was alleged boys had now and then taken a dime message out of turn.  This was the only cause of serious trouble among us.  By way of settlement I proposed that we should “pool” these messages and divide the cash equally at the end of each week.  I was appointed treasurer.  Peace and good-humor reigned ever afterwards.  This pooling of extra earnings not being intended to create artificial prices was really cooeperation.  It was my first essay in financial organization.

The boys considered that they had a perfect right to spend these dividends, and the adjoining confectioner’s shop had running accounts with most of them.  The accounts were sometimes greatly overdrawn.  The treasurer had accordingly to notify the confectioner, which he did in due form, that he would not be responsible for any debts contracted by the too hungry and greedy boys.  Robert Pitcairn was the worst offender of all, apparently having not only one sweet tooth, but all his teeth of that character.  He explained to me confidentially one day, when I scolded him, that he had live things in his stomach that gnawed his insides until fed upon sweets.

CHAPTER IV

COLONEL ANDERSON AND BOOKS

With all their pleasures the messenger boys were hard worked.  Every other evening they were required to be on duty until the office closed, and on these nights it was seldom that I reached home before eleven o’clock.  On the alternating nights we were relieved at six.  This did not leave much time for self-improvement, nor did the wants of the family leave any money to spend on books.  There came, however, like a blessing from above, a means by which the treasures of literature were unfolded to me.