“Miss Mason, give these boys application blanks to fill. Show them where to sit to write,” he directed. “When you have filled them, boys, bring them to me.”
“We’re goin’ to get a job, all right,” whispered Teddy, as, with their application blanks in their hands, they followed their attractive guide to a long table where another boy sat, laboriously filling in the spaces on the big white card. Teddy’s thin little face was aglow with triumph as he slipped into a chair beside the first-comer and began a curious inspection of his own application blank.
“Don’t be too sure,” murmured Harry. “We may fill out these blanks and then Mr. Keene may tell us that he will send for us if he needs us.”
“Looks like a bill-of-fare, doesn’t it?” grinned Teddy, as he opened the blank, which was folded twice like a programme, and had printed matter on all four sides. “Let me see. What’ll I have to eat. Oh, excuse me! I mean, What’s your full name?” Teddy’s voice rose a little higher with each word.
“Sh-h-h,” warned Harry. “Be more quiet, Teddy. You don’t want to be told to keep still, even before you’re hired, do you?”
There was nothing goody-goody or priggish in Harry’s tone, so Teddy did not resent his new friend’s warning. While Harry, unconsciously drawn toward the mischief-loving, black-eyed youngster, spoke as he might have to a brother, if he had had one.
“All right. I’ll be good.” Teddy seized a fresh hold on his application card and glowered at it with a purposely threatening scowl that made Harry smile in spite of himself. Then the little boy laid it down, and seizing a pen from the rack in front of him, dipped it energetically into the ink, spattered a few drops on the table and settled himself to his task. There were a great many questions to answer, such as, “Have you ever before been employed?” “Are you the sole support of your family?” “How many persons are dependent upon your earnings?” “Will you cheerfully obey the rules of this establishment?” and “Would you consider it your duty to report any disobedience of the rules of the store on the part of your fellow employees?”
“I’m not goin’ to say, ‘yes’ to this,” whispered Teddy, pointing with his index finger to the objectionable rule. “Catch me reporting anybody. I’m no telltale. That’s a nice idea—running to the superintendent’s office with every little thing.” Teddy sat back in his chair, disgust written on every feature.
“I don’t think it means every little thing, Ted.” Harry soberly scanned the paragraph. “I think it means the big things like stealing, or damaging store property or something like that. Wouldn’t you report another fellow if you saw him taking what didn’t belong to him?”
“No; I’d make him put it back,” declared Ted stoutly.