“There are two things,” he said, “I want to earn money and buy some land in the country, and I want to know about laws.”
“Do you mean you want to be a lawyer?”
“Yes.”
“What makes you think you’d be a success as a lawyer?”
“Oh, I might not be a success, but I need to know law, I want to try to stop some things that ought not to be.”
“H’m!” grunted Endicott disapprovingly. “Don’t try the reform game, it doesn’t pay. However, if you feel that way you’ll probably be all right to start. That’ll work itself off and be a good foundation. There’s no reason why you shouldn’t be a lawyer if you choose, but you can’t study law selling calico. You might get there some day, if you stick to your ambition, but you’d be pretty old before you were ready to practice if you started at the calico counter and worked your way up through everything you came to. Well, I can get you into a law office right away. How soon can you honorably get away from where you are? Two weeks? Well, just wait a minute.”
Endicott called up a number on the telephone by his side, and there followed a conversation, brief, pointed, but in terms that Michael could barely follow. He gathered that a lawyer named Holt, a friend of Mr. Endicott’s, was being asked to take him into his office to read law.
“It’s all right, son,” said Endicott as he hung up the receiver and whirled around from the ’phone. “You’re to present yourself at the office as soon as you are free. This is the address”—hurriedly scribbling something on a card and handing it to him.
“Oh, thank you!” said Michael, “but I didn’t mean to have you take any more trouble for me. I can’t be dependent on you any longer. You have done so much for me—”
“Bosh!” said Endicott, “I’m not taking any trouble. And you’re not dependent on me. Be as independent as you like. You’re not quite twenty-one yet, are you? Well, I told you you were my boy until you were of age, and I suppose there’s nothing to hinder me doing as I will with my own. It’s paid well all I’ve done for you so far, and I feel the investment was a good one. You’ll get a small salary for some office work while you’re studying, so after you are twenty-one you can set up for yourself if you like. Till then I claim the privilege of giving you a few orders. Now that’s settled. Where are you stopping? I don’t intend to lose sight of you again.”