"His errand boy, then?"
"Yes'm."
"It's too bad you had to leave school so young. I suppose you give all you earn to your mother?"
"Yes'm."
"Haven't you any father?"
"No'm."
Jacob thought he had never met such a kind lady. How sympathetic she seemed and was it not gracious of her to inquire about his father and mother? How much more agreeable it was to deal with real ladies and real gentlemen who never, never would call vulgar names. He would have given almost half his week's spending money to oblige this sweet-tongued lady then, and his only regret was that he could think of no better answer to her questions than "Yes'm" and "No'm."
"If you are an errand boy perhaps you could do a little errand for me," said the lady sweetly after a pause.
"Yes'm," answered Jacob, putting a world of eagerness into the word.
"You are sure you can do errands and not make a mistake?"