"Twenty dollars per month is not so very much," said his mother.
"Yes, but I am to get my board, so the money will all be clear profit, outside of the cost of my clothing."
"I suppose you will live on the boat," put in Mr. Thompson. "Most of the crew do."
"I can send the most of the money home each month," continued Randy.
"The boat won't run during the winter," said his mother, who did not much relish having her son leave home.
"Well, it will run until cold weather, anyway, and perhaps after that Mr. Shalley will give me something else to do."
The matter was discussed that evening, and before he retired, Randy penned a letter to the steamboat owner, stating he would come to Nyack two days later.
The prospects ahead filled our hero with pleasure. The new position would enable him to see a little of the world and meet other people, and he was sure steamboat life would suit him thoroughly. He knew there would be plenty of hard work, handling freight and baggage, but this did not daunt him.
"I'll try to do my best," he reasoned. "Then maybe Mr. Shalley will give me something better later on."
Randy did not have many clothes, so there was not a great deal to pack. What he possessed was gone over by his mother, and then packed in a valise. Out of the money on hand he was given the price of his stage and railroad ticket and five dollars for other expenses.