"You mean ten per cent, on all the work that I get through you?" Theo
replied.
"Oh no--on _all_ the work of this sort that you do. That's no
more'n fair since you'll owe your start to me."
"Not much! I owe my start to myself, an' I'll make no such bargain as
that," answered Theo, decidedly. "I'm willin' to give you ten per
cent. on all that I get through you, but not a cent more. You see I'm
bound to put this thing through whether you help me or not," he added,
quietly.
The janitor saw that he had been too grasping and hastened to modify
his demands lest he lose his commissions altogether.
"Well, well," he said, soothingly, "we won't quarrel over a little
difference like that. Let it be as you say, ten per cent. on all the
jobs I get for ye, an' there's the janitor of the Laramie Building on
the steps this minute. Come along with me an' I'll give ye a start
over there--or, first--ain't there a little matter to attend to," he
added, with an insinuating smile. "You'll settle your bills fast as
they come due, of course, an' you've got a snug little sum out of my
building here."
"Yes, but no thanks to you for that," replied Theo, but as the man's
face darkened again, he added, "but never mind, I'll give you the
commission on this work since it's in your building," and he handed
eighteen cents to the janitor, who slipped it into his pocket with an
abstracted air as if unconscious of what he was doing.
Pages:
171
172
173
174
175
176
177
178
179
180
181
182
183
184
185
186
187
188
189
190
191
192
193
194
195