“Ronald isn’t the first boy who has handcuffed himself,” said Mr. Preston, looking up from one of several letters which he had been opening and reading during the preceding conversation. “Here’s a boy, now, who has put himself into worse handcuffs than Ronald’s, and, what is more, he doesn’t know it; but any body else can see it plainly enough.”
“Who is he, father?—what has he done?” inquired Ralph.
“He is a boy who wants a situation in my store,” replied Mr. Preston. “I put an advertisement in the papers for a boy, and these letters are all answers to it. Here is the advertisement; you may read it aloud, Ralph, and then those who wish may examine this reply to it.”
Ralph then read as follows:
“Wanted, in a W. I. Goods Store, an active, intelligent boy, about fourteen years old, who writes a fair hand, is quick at figures, and whose parents reside in the city. Address, in handwriting of applicant, ‘W. I. G.,’ at this office.”
The letter to which Mr. Preston alluded was then handed around, and read by all present, eliciting many amusing comments. The handwriting was cramped, awkward, and in some parts scarcely legible; the spelling was quite original; the sentences were run into each other with an utter contempt for marks of punctuation; capital letters were withheld and dispensed according to a system not laid down in any of the books; and the general structure of the composition indicated an entire ignorance of all rules and laws of established usage. It read as follows:
“Fall river, sep 14
“Honered sir—i see by the Boston dayly papers printed in Boston that you want a boy if you do i think i might answer perhaps i am fifteen old smart and strong have a good education have ciphered through adams arithmetic once and took a meddle at the last righting school——Perhaps you wont Think so by my righting as i have got a very bad pen i have had some experience in my unkles grocery and should staid there if was not so verry dull i think i should like Boston a great deal Better.
“As for sallary i think 50 ayear besides my board and cloathes about right the first year i can come as soon as you want please write to obedient Servant
John Morrow.”