e. Say, did
you ever love a girl? It would do you good, if you loved anybody regular
old fashioned the way I do, people could send little children here to
trade, and you wouldn't palm off any wilted vegetables on to them, or
give them short weight--if you was in love, and felt that the one you
loved saw every act of yours, and you could see her eyes every minute,
you would throw away anything that was spoiled, and not try to sell
it, for fear you would offend her. I don't think any man is fit to do
business honestly unless he is in love, or has been in love once. Now I
couldn't do anything wrong if I tried, because I should hear the still
small voice of my girl saying to me 'Hennery, let up on that.' I slipped
up on a banana peel, yesterday, and hurt myself, and I was just going to
say something offul, and I could see my girl's bangs raise right up,
and there was a pained look in her face, and a tear in her eye, and, by
gosh, I just smiled and looked tickled till her hair went down and the
smile came back again to her lips, though it hurt me like blazes where I
struck the sidewalk. Iwas telling Pa about it, and asked him if he ever
felt as though his soul was going right out towards somebody, and he
said he did once on a steamboat excursion; but he eat a lemon and got
over it. Pa thinks it is my liver, and wants me to take pills, but I
tell you, boss, it has struck in me too deep for pills, unless it is
one that weighs about a hundred and forty pounds, and wears a hat with
a feather on. Say, if my girl should walk right into a burning lake
of red-hot lava, and beckon me to follow, I would take a hop, skip and
jump, and--"

"O give us a rest," said the grocery man, a he took a basin of water and
sprinkled the floor preparatory to sweeping out. "You have got the worst
case I ever saw, and you better go out and walk around a block," and the
boy went out, and forgot to hang out any sign.

CHAPTER XV.

HE TURNS SUPE. THE BAD BOY QUITS JERKING SODA--ENTERS THE
DRAMATIC PROFESSION--"WHAT'S A SUPER"--THE PRIVILEGES OP A
SUPE'S FATHER--BEHIND THE SCENES--THE BAD BOY HAS PLAYED
WITH MC'CULLOUGH--"I WAS THE POPULACE"--PLAYS IT ON HIS
SUNDAY SCHOOL TEACHER--"I PRITHEE, AU RESERVOIR, I GO
HENS!"

"You look pretty sleepy," said the grocery man to the bad boy, as he
came in the store yawning, and stretched himself out on the counter
with his head on a piece of brown wrapping paper, in reach of