"
The attendant smiled. "Don't you want to lend us a hand with the
dishes?" he asked.
"Who's sick?" asked the other in his turn.
"Johnny's got a day off."
The boy shook his head. "No; I couldn't. If it was a case of
sickness, of course I'd do it. But I couldn't spare the time; I
couldn't really. Why, I ought to be up on the Common now."
Lemuel had listened with a face of interest.
"Don't you want to make half a dollar, young feller?" asked the
attendant.
"Yes, I do," said Lemuel eagerly.
"Know how to wash dishes?"
"Yes," answered the boy, not ashamed of his knowledge, as the boy of
another civilisation might have been. Nothing more distinctly marks
the rustic New England civilisation than the taming of its men to
the performance of certain domestic offices elsewhere held
dishonourably womanish. The boy learns not only to milk and to keep
the milk cans clean, but to churn, to wash dishes, and to cook.
"Come around here, then," said the attendant, and Lemuel promptly
obeyed.
"Well, now," said his mate, "that's right. I'd do it myself, if I
had the time." He pulled his soft wool hat out of his hip pocket.
"Well, good morning, pards. I don't know as I shall see you again
much before night." Lemuel was lifting a large tray, heavy with
empty broth-bowls. "What _time_ did you say it was, Jimmy?"
"Seven o'clock.
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