He was still engrossed in this pleasing occupation, when Sadie’s acquaintance, Sim Jones, approached, and halted suddenly on seeing him.
“There’s that duffer Sadie Mitchell had in tow! I wonder what he’s doin’ here?” Master Jones muttered to himself, and then looked around carefully, with a view of ascertaining whether Josiah had any friends in the immediate vicinity.
There was no one near who seemed to take an interest in the country boy, and Sim concluded it was a convenient season in which to settle his debt with Sadie for not having given him more information regarding her new acquaintance.
Therefore, stepping quickly to Josiah’s side, and assuming such a look as he thought would impress the stranger with an idea of his friendliness, Sim asked:—
“Say, have you found Tom Bartlett yet?”
“No; Sadie’s up-stairs now lookin’ for him. Some feller told her Tom an’ Bob were here.”
Sim gave one quick glance in at the hall, and then said hurriedly:—
“When I saw you on West Broadway I forgot to ask Sadie if you’d been over to the Mayor’s office, so I hustled right ’round to find you, ’cause you see girls don’t pay so much ’tention to sich things as they oughter.”
“What things?” Josiah asked in astonishment.
“What things!” Sim repeated as if in surprise. “Do you mean to tell me you didn’t know you oughter go to the Mayor’s office as soon as you got inter town?”