Teddy reached the desk without further mishap. When he returned to his department, he heard Mr. Duffield calling, “Boy, boy,” and from that moment on his work began in earnest. Being as quick-witted as he was mischievous, it did not take Teddy long to get his bearings. By the time the morning was over he had explored every corner of the department, and knew the location of the wrapping and exchange desks, the buyer’s office and the names of several sales persons. At half-past twelve he was told that he might go to lunch. The red-haired salesman, whose name was Samuel Hickson, showed him the way to the men’s time desk and by following three boys who were bound for the lunch room he brought up safely in the big room where the men and boys of Martin Brothers’ store could obtain a substantial meal for ten cents.
Teddy’s first move was to look for Harry Harding. Despite the fact that he was hungry, he wandered up and down among the small tables set for from four to eight persons, his sharp, black eyes darting alertly about the room in search of Harry. After ten of his precious forty-five minutes had passed, he gave up his quest and walked over to where the eatables were laid out in tempting rows on a long counter. Behind the counter were several women, who served the meats and vegetables. The salads, bread and desserts were put within convenient reach. One chose or ordered what one wished, and placing it upon a tray carried it to a nearby desk, where a cashier inspected it and collected the amount due for the luncheon. Then the purchaser was free to carry it to an unoccupied place at any of the tables and eat it at his leisure.
Teddy spied a sign which read, “Regular dinner, 10 cents,” and decided to invest his dime. He received two slices of bread, a bit of butter, a medium-sized piece of roast beef, a boiled potato and a small wedge of pie. In spite of his disappointment at not seeing Harry, he felt quite jubilant over having been able to get as much as he could eat for ten cents. If he walked home with Harry that night, he would have ten cents left from his quarter. That would take him and Harry to the movie theatre across the street, where “The Outlaw’s Last Stand” was showing, and one could see six reels for five cents.
Rising so early had given Teddy a keen appetite for dinner and it did not take him long to dispose of it. He found he still had twenty minutes to do as he pleased, so he wandered about the lunch room watching wistfully several tables where merry little companies of boys were talking and laughing over their lunch.
“Wish I knew some of those fellows,” was his thought. His eyes still on a group of four particularly lively boys at a small table, he forgot for a second to steer a safe course among the lads who were passing back and forth with trays.
“Crash!” He came into full collision with a stout boy who was hurrying from the opposite direction with a full tray.
“Now see what you’ve done,” exploded the stout boy angrily. The wreck of a ten-cent dinner lay scattered over the floor. Only one dish had been broken. The plate on which reposed the piece of beef. The other dishes were still whole.
“I—I—didn’t mean to,” faltered Teddy.
“You big elephant. You did it on purpose,” scolded the fat boy.
“Huh!” snorted Teddy, his own temper rising. “I guess you look more like an elephant than I do.”