"I hope so," said Ben.
With the papers under his arm, Ben made his way westward to the Cortlandt Street ferry, which was a favorite place of resort with him.
He did not have long to wait for his first customer. As he was walking down Cortlandt Street, he met a gentleman, whose attention seemed attracted by the papers he carried.
"What papers have you got there, my lad?" he inquired.
"'Harper's Weekly,' 'Frank Leslie,' 'Ledger,' 'Weekly,'" repeated Ben, glibly, adding the names of the other papers in his parcel.
"Give me the two picture papers," said the gentleman. "Twenty cents, I suppose."
"Yes," said Ben, "and as much more as you want to pay. I don't set no limit to the generosity of my customers."
"You're sharp," said the gentleman, laughing. "That's worth something. Here's twenty-five cents. You may keep the change."
"I'll do it cheerfully," said Ben. "Thank you, sir. I hope you'll buy all your papers of me."
"I won't promise always to pay you more than the regular price, but you may leave 'Harper's' and 'Leslie' at my office every week. Here is my card."