Scott is. He rings true
every time, but he ain't"--
He left his sentence unfinished, but Nan knew of whom he was thinking.
The next afternoon Theodore walked slowly through the business
streets, with eyes and ears alert, for some opening of which he might
take advantage to increase his income. Past block after block he
wandered till he was tired and discouraged. Finally he sat down on
some high stone steps to rest a bit, and while he sat there a coloured
boy came out of the building. He had a tin box and some rags in his
hands, and he began in an idle fashion to clean the brass railing to
the steps. Theodore fell into conversation with him, carelessly and
indifferently at first, but after a little with a sudden, keen
interest as the boy began to grumble about his work.
"I ain't a-goin' ter clean these yer ol' railin's many more times," he
said. "It's too much work. I c'n git a place easy where the' ain't no
brasses to clean, an' I'm a-goin' ter, too. All the office boys hates
ter clean brasses."
"What do ye clean 'em with?" Theodore inquired.
The boy held out the tin box. "This stuff an' soft rags. Say--you want
ter try it?"
He grinned as he spoke, but to his surprise his offer was
accepted. "Gi' me your rags," cried Theo, and he proceeded to rub and
polish energetically, until one side of the railings glittered like
gold.
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