THE NEWSBOY.
“Cast thy bread upon the waters, and thou shalt find it after many days.”
Many years ago there lived in Boston a carpenter whose name was John Lowe. He was very far from being a rich man, and, though he received fair wages for his labor, he had a wife and four children to support.
One Saturday evening, as he was going down to the market, a little boy of about ten years of age stepped up to him, and asked if he would set him up in the newspaper business.
The newsboys, in the large cities of the United States, make from four to six cents a dozen on the papers they sell; but they have to be active, and I am sure they earn their money. It requires a little capital to start with; and to obtain this, the boy had accosted John Lowe.
“How much do you want, my boy?” asked he.
“Fifty cents, sir, if you please,” replied the boy, whose name was Henry Small. “But I will pay it to you again, just as soon as ever I can.”
The carpenter hesitated; but the boy looked honest, and told him a pitiful story of misfortune and want at home; and he finally gave him the money.