Being always
wide-awake and ready for business, he earned enough to have
supported him comfortably and respectably. There were not a few
young clerks who employed Dick from time to time in his professional
capacity, who scarcely earned as much as he, greatly as their style
and dress exceeded his. But Dick was careless of his earnings. Where
they went he could hardly have told himself. However much he managed
to earn during the day, all was generally spent before morning. He
was fond of going to the Old Bowery Theatre, and to Tony Pastor's,
and if he had any money left afterwards, he would invite some of
his friends in somewhere to have an oyster-stew; so it seldom
happened that he commenced the day with a penny.
Then I am sorry to add that Dick had formed the habit of smoking.
This cost him considerable, for Dick was rather fastidious about his
cigars, and wouldn't smoke the cheapest. Besides, having a liberal
nature, he was generally ready to treat his companions. But of
course the expense was the smallest objection. No boy of fourteen
can smoke without being affected injuriously. Men are frequently
injured by smoking, and boys always. But large numbers of the
newsboys and boot-blacks form the habit. Exposed to the cold and wet
they find that it warms them up, and the self-indulgence grows upon
them. It is not uncommon to see a little boy, too young to be out
of his mother's sight, smoking with all the apparent satisfaction
of a veteran smoker.
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