“Oh, yes; Oscar told me. You’d better stay here.”
“No, sir; I have made up my mind.”
“You’ll come back in a month without a cent.”
“If I do, I’ll go to work again for you.”
Monday morning came. Clad in his Sunday suit of cheap and rough cloth, Joe stood on the platform at the depot. The cars came up, he jumped aboard, and his heart beat with exultation as he reflected that he had taken the first step toward the Land of Gold.
CHAPTER V
AT THE COMMERCIAL HOTEL
Joe had never been in New York and when he arrived the bustle and confusion at first bewildered him.
“Have a hack, young man?” inquired a jehu.
“What’ll you charge?”
“A dollar and a half, and half-a-dollar for your baggage.”