"So off he started again in search of profitable employment. He had not gone far when he came to a crockery shop, and on stopping to look in the large shop window at the beautiful dishes and graceful soup tureens that were to be seen there, he saw a sign on which was written in great golden letters 'BOY WANTED.' Now Tom could not read, but something told him that that sign was a good omen for him, so he went into the shop and asked if they had any work that a boy of his size could do.
"'Yes,' said the owner of the shop. 'We want an errand-boy. Are you an errand-boy?'
"Tom answered bravely that he thought he was, and the man said he would give him a trial anyhow, and sent him off on a sample errand, telling him that if he did that one properly, he would pay him fifty cents a day for as many days as he kept him, giving him a half holiday on all circus-days. Tom was delighted, and started off gleefully to perform the sample errand, which was to take a basketful of china plates to the house of a rich merchant who lived four miles back in the country. Bravely the little fellow plodded along until he came to the gate-way of the rich man's place, when so overcome was he with happiness at getting something to do that he could not wait to get the gate open, but leaped like a deer clear over the topmost pickets. But, alas! his very happiness was his ruin, for as he landed on the other side the china plates flew out of the basket in every direction, and falling on the hard gravel path were broken every one."
"Dear me!" cried Jimmieboy, sympathetically. "Poor little Tom."
"Whereat the cow
Remarked, 'Pray how—
If what you say is true—
How should the child,
However mild,
Become so wildly blue?'"
snored the corporal.
"What's the matter with you?" asked Jimmieboy, very much surprised at the rhyme, which, so far as he could see, had nothing to do with the fairy story.
"What's the matter with me?" returned the corporal. "Nothing. Why?"
"There wasn't anything about a cow in the fairy story you were telling about Tom," said Jimmieboy.
"Was I telling that story about Tom?" asked the sleeping soldier.