"
"I suppose you are right, sir."
"I am. I don't want to gloss things over for you. It's the worst thing
in the world for a young fellow just starting out to have a rosy view
of the business world, which is composed of steady work and hard knocks,
about equally mixed. You've got too much brains to work altogether
with your hands; and one must find out what he is best suited to. How
would you like to get into the book and stationery line?"
"Very much indeed."
"Do you think you could make anything out of it? Make it _the_ business
of your life, so that you would stand some show of advancement on the
strength of the interest you took in it?"
"I think I could," replied Richard slowly, somehow deeply moved by Mr.
Joyce's earnestness. "I always liked books--not only to read them, but
to handle and to arrange them as well. At home I was the librarian of
our Sunday-school, and I got out the catalogue and all that. Of course
it was not a great work, but I enjoyed it, and often wished I might
have charge of a big library or something like that."
Mr. Joyce eyed the boy thoughtfully.
"Reckon I was right. Thought you'd take to books. Persons with your
kind of a forehead always do. Well, come along. I'll see what I can
do toward getting you a place with a friend of mine.
Pages:
75
76
77
78
79
80
81
82
83
84
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99