In this second case he met with the same rebuff; and after attempting four times to make the necessary inquiries, it dawned upon him that he was mistaken for a beggar.
“The people here must be fools if they can’t answer a civil question,” he said to himself. “I’m sure there ain’t anybody up our way who wouldn’t tell a feller where he oughter go.”
“What’s the matter, bub?” and a big, blue-coated policeman halted directly in front of Josiah.
“I wanter find Baker’s Court, an’ nobody’ll tell me the way. They act as if I was beggin’.”
“Baker’s Court, eh? I wonder where that is?” the officer muttered half to himself.
“That’s what I wonder, too. You see, Tom an’ Bob ’greed to meet me at the station, but didn’t come, an’ I thought it wouldn’t be much trouble to find their house.”
“Where do you live?”
“At Berry’s Corner, an’ I’m here to stay a whole week. You see, the Bartlett twins, an’ Tom an’ Bob, an’ Bob’s brother Jimmy, was out to the farm this summer, an’ said when they left if I’d come here they’d give me an awful good time, so”—
The policeman, instead of listening, was referring to a book which he had taken from his pocket; and, finding that no attention was paid to his story, Josiah ceased speaking.
“Baker’s Court runs off West Broadway, and that is a long distance from here. I reckon you’ll have hard work to find it; but after you’ve walked half an hour or so, ask some policeman, and he’ll tell you.”