"I cannot
throw upon Paul the entire burden of supporting the family."
But it was not easy to decide what to do. There are so few paths
open to a woman like Mrs. Hoffman. She was not strong enough to
take in washing, nor, if she had been, would Paul, who was proud
for his mother, though not for himself, have consented to her
doing it. She determined to think it over during the evening,
and make another attempt to get work of some kind the next day.
"I won't tell Paul till to-morrow night," she decided. "Perhaps
by that time I shall have found something to do.
All that day, the first full day in his new business, Paul sold
eighteen ties. He was not as successful proportionately as the
previous afternoon. Still his share of the profits amounted to a
dollar and twelve cents, and he felt quite satisfied. His sales
had been fifty per cent. more than George Barry's average sales,
and that was doing remarkably well, considering that the business
was a new one to him.
The next morning about ten o'clock, as he stood behind his stand,
he saw a stout gentleman approaching from the direction of the
Astor House. He remembered him as the one with whom he had
accidentally come in collision when he was in pursuit of Mike
Donovan.
Pages:
58
59
60
61
62
63
64
65
66
67
68
69
70
71
72
73
74
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82