Page:Life in the Open Air.djvu/330

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banker, where she will be spoiled all day by the mistress and spoiled from diner to bedtime by the master. No Irish, orange-girls, or rag-babies need apply.”

“It is impossible not to be in good spirits when you are, John,” said the little wife. “How doleful I should be all day, unless you compelled me to begin my morning with a course of laughter!”

“I don’t know any better medicine,” said he. “I take all I can get, and give all I can. Well; you approve of my advertisement?”

“As a description of what we want, it is perfect.”

“I will pop it into the paper to-day, and to-morrow morning there will be a deadlock of dirty children in this street, and a deadlock of dirty parents up and down the cross streets, for half a dozen blocks, — parents and children all waiting to be adopted. By the way, Mary,” Brightly rattled on, “ you must plunge into Zero, and dress and give me my breakfast in a hurry.”

“O John, when will you have made money enough not to be in a hurry any more?”

“When I have hurried through my hurries. But I must be early in Wall Street this morning, for another reason. This talk about advertisements reminds me that I have advertised for an office-boy. I dare say there are a hundred juvenile noses flattening against my windows already. It will be deadlock there, too, by the time I get down. I am afraid poor Broke will be quite bewildered out of his wits, if he arrives first.”