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Ben, the Luggage Boy, Or, Among the Wharves
Ben the Luggage Boy Or Among the Wharves Author:Horatio Alger Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: BEN, THE LUGGAGE BOY; AMONG THE WHARVES. CHAPTER I. IKTRODTJCE8 BEN, THE LUGGAGE BOI. "How much yer made this mornin', Ben?" '' Nary red," answere... more »d Ben, composedly. "Had yer breakfast?" " Only an apple. That's all I've eaten since yester. day. It's most time for the train to be in from Phila delphy. I'm layin' round for a job." The first speaker was a short, freckled-faced boy, whose box strapped to his back identified him at onca as a street boot-black. His hair was red, his fingers defaced by stains of blacking, and his clothing constructed on the most approved system of ventilation. He appeared to be about twelve years old. The bo/ whom he addressed as Ben was taller, and looked older. He was probably not far from sixteen, ills face and hands, though browned by exposure to wind and weather, were several shades cleaner than those of his companion. His face, too, was of a less common type. It was easy to see that, if he had been well dressed, he might readily have been taken for a gentleman's sou. But in his present attire there was little chance of this mistake being made. His pants, marked by a green stripe, small around the waist and very broad at the hips, had evidently once belonged to a Bowery swell; for the Bowery has its swells as well as Broadway, its more aristocratic neighbor. The vest had been discarded as a needless luxury, its place being partially supplied by a shirt of thick red flannel. This was covered by a frock-coat, which might once have belonged to a member of the Fat Men's Association, being aldermanic in its proportions. Now it was fallen from its high estate, its nap and original gloss had long departed, and it was rayed and torn in many places. But among the street-boys dress is not much regarded, and Ben never thought of apolo...« less