There were a few bad boys in Riverdale, and David had some trouble with them. One day, when he was running across a field with his bundle of papers under his arm, Joe Birch stopped him. He was a bad boy, and did not like David, because the little merchant was a good boy, and would not idle away his time with him.
“How many papers have you sold, David?” asked Joe.
“About twenty,” replied David.
“Give me one—will you?”
“I can’t give them away; I have to pay for them.”
“What if you do?—can’t you give me one?”
“If I have any left, I will give you one,” said David.
Then he tried to get away from the bad boy; but Joe tripped him up, and he fell at full length on the ground. David did not care for the fall, but all the money in his pocket came out, and was scattered about in the grass.
Joe was a good deal larger than David, and our little hero was afraid of him. So he did not dare to say any thing, though he felt very bad indeed. He had a stout heart, but he felt very much like crying. This would do no good; so he began to pick up the cents.
The bad boy said he would help him, and began to look in the grass with David; but he did not give him any of the money he found. The little merchant, after he had looked a long while, found only one half of what he had lost. He felt very bad at the idea of losing ten cents; but he did not say any thing about his loss, and ran on to leave a paper at the house on the other side of the field.