when he had put half a dozen blocks behind him, he slackened his pace, took a quick look into several doorways, chose one that promised seclusion, dove into it, got his breath back, made sure that the precious book was safe, and then indulged himself in a grin that was all relief.
the grin narrowed as he remembered that grandpa was alone in the flat. "oh, but big tom or mrs. kukor'll be home soon," he reflected; and comforted his conscience further by vowing that, given good luck, he would in no time be in a position to return for the purpose of enticing away both cis and the old soldier (men are men, and in the stress of the moment he did not give a thought to that slim, little, dark-haired girl). he could not help but feel hopeful regarding his plans. had not just such adventuring as this accomplished wonderful results for his new friend, aladdin, a boy as poor as himself?
he did not stay long in the doorway. he felt sure that the moment barber returned a search of the neighborhood would be made, during which people would be questioned. discretion urged that more blocks be put between the flat and that small back which so dreaded the strap. so off he went once more—at a lively trot.
though during the last five years he had not once been so far away from the area as this, he was not frightened. a city-bred boy, he felt as much at ease, scuttling along,[69] as a fish in its native waters, or a rabbit in its own warren. he had taken a westward direction because he knew that the other way east river lay close, shutting off flight. now he began to read the street signs. cis had often talked of a great thoroughfare which cut the city into two unequal parts—a one-time road, she said it was, and so long that it ran through other cities. this was the street johnnie wanted—being the one he had heard most about. it was a street called broadway.
as he traveled, he passed other dirty, ragged, little boys. his head was the yellowest of them all, his clothes were the poorest. but he was scarcely noticed. the occasional patrolman did not more than glance at him. and he was fully as indifferent. at his aunt sophie's, a policeman—by name mike callaghan—had been a frequent visitor, when he was wont to lay off not only his cap but his coat as well, and sit around bareheaded in his shirt-sleeves, smoking. this glimpse of an officer of the law, shorn, as it were, of his dignity, had made johnnie realize, even as a babe, that policemen are but mortals after all, as ready to be pleased with a wedge of pie as any youngster, and given to the wearing of ordinary striped percale shirts under their majestic blue. so johnnie was neither in awe of, nor feared, them.
what he did keep a fearsome eye out for was any man who might be an african magician. that he would know such a man he felt sure, having a fair idea from a picture in his book of the robe, headdress, sandals and beard proper to magicians in general. but though he was alert enough as he traveled, the only unusual-looking person he met up with was a man with a peg leg and a tray of shoelaces.
that peg leg frightened him. for a moment he was inclined to take to his heels, certain that this was the same wooden-legged man who gave cis fruit. then the tray[70] reassured him. shoelaces were one thing; fruit was another. and even if this one-legged man were full brother to the one-legged man of the fruitstand (johnnie took for granted a whole one-legged family), he himself would be far away before any member of that family could get in touch with barber.
it was while he was boldly inspecting the shoe-lace man's peg leg that he discovered he was in broadway, this by reading the name of the street on the front of a passing car. "gee!" he exclaimed, taking a good look up and down the thoroughfare.
now he began really to enjoy himself. he pattered leisurely along, stopping at this window and that, or leaned against a convenient water plug to watch the traffic stream by.
he was resting, and gazing about him, when the wagon driver came up. the driver was a colored youth in a khaki shirt and an overseas cap, and his wagon was a horseless affair, huge and covered. the colored man, halting his truck to let a cross current of vehicles pass, dazzled johnnie with a good-natured smile.
johnnie grinned back. "you goin' up broadway?" he asked, with a jerk of his head toward the north.
"all the way up t' haa'lem," answered the black man, cordially. "climb aboa'd!"
there was a loop of chain hanging down from the end-board of the truck. johnnie guided a foot through it stirrup-wise and reared himself into an empty wagonbed. then as the wheels began to turn, he faced round, knelt comfortably, and let broadway swiftly drop behind.
he could not see all the new and engrossing sights that offered themselves in the wake of the truck and to both sides. his ears were packed with strange noises. yet entertained as he was, from time to time he took note of[71] the cross streets—eighth, then tenth, next, busy fourteenth.
from time to time the colored man took note of him. "you-all thay yit?" he would sing out over a shoulder; or, "have ah done los' you, kid?" upon being reassured, he would return to his problem of nosing a way along with other vehicles, large and small, and johnnie would once more be left to his fascinating survey.
at twentieth, he very nearly fell out on that shining head, this at catching sight of a mounted patrolman. no figure in his beloved book seemed more splendid to him than this one, so noble and martial and proud. here was a guardian of the peace who was obviously no common mortal. then and there, as the mounted dropped gradually into the background, johnnie determined that should he ever be rich enough, or if hard work and study could accomplish it, he would be a mounted policeman.
at twenty-third street, broadway suddenly took a sharp turn—toward the right. also, it got wider, and noticeably cleaner. more: suddenly confronted with the gigantic, three-cornered building standing there, a structure with something of the height and beauty of his own dream edifices, he realized that he was now entering the true new york. this was more like it! here was space and wealth and grandeur. oh, how different was this famous street from either of those which gave to the building in the area!
then he discovered that he was not traveling a street at all! he was skimming along an avenue. and it was none other than fifth avenue, for the signs at corners plainly said so. fifth avenue! the wonderful, stylish boulevard which cis mentioned almost reverently. and he was in it!
the next moment he was truly in it. for at sight of a window which the truck was passing, and without even[72] stopping to call to the driver, johnnie dropped himself over the end-board to the smooth concrete. the window was no larger than many a one he had glimpsed during the long drive northward. what drew him toward it, as if it were a powerful magnet, was the fact that it was full of books.
"my!" he whispered as he gained the sidewalk in front of the window. there were books standing on end in curving rows. there were others in great piles. a few lay flat. it had never occurred to him, shut up so long in a flat without any book save the telephone directory, that there could be so many books in the whole of new york. and all were so new! and had such fresh, untorn covers!
he had stood before the window quite some time, his eyes going from book to book thoughtfully, while one hand tugged at his hair, and the other, thrust into his shirt front, caressed his own dear volume, when he became conscious of the near presence of two people, a man and a woman. the woman was the nearer of the two. on glancing up at her, he found her looking down. that embarrassed him, and he stopped pulling at his hair.
she smiled. "do you like books, little boy?" she asked.
he nodded. "more'n anything!" he declared fervently.
a pause; then, "would you like to have a book?" she asked next.
at that, pride and covetousness struggled for first place in him. pride won. he straddled both feet a bit wider and thrust a thumb into his belt. "i've got a book," he answered.
so far as he was concerned, he thought his remark commonplace, ordinary—certainly not at all amusing. but there was never any telling how this thing or that would strike a grown-up. the man's mouth popped open and he exploded a loud laugh, followed by a second and louder.[73]
"sh! sh!" admonished the woman, glancing at johnnie.
"it's old, but it's always good," protested the man, half apologetically.
along with his boasting, johnnie had drawn aladdin forward to the opening in his shirt. evidently the man had caught a glimpse of that torn cover. now the boy hastily poked the book to a place under one arm. "it is old," he conceded. "but that don't hurt it—i don't mind."
"of course, you don't!" chimed in the woman, heartily. "a book's a book as long as it holds together. besides some books are more valuable as they get older."
"sure!" agreed johnnie.
she left them and went inside. and johnnie found himself being stared at by the man.
the man was a millionaire. johnnie noted this with a start. he had a way of recognizing millionaires. when he lived with his aunt sophie, his uncle albert was the chauffeur of one. on the two occasions when that wealthy gentleman showed himself at his red-brick garage in fifty-fifth street, he wore a plush hat, dark blue in color, and an overcoat with a fur collar. this short, stout stranger before the window wore the same.
but he was as friendly as possible, for he continued the conversation. "nice looking lot of books," he observed. "don't you think so?"
johnnie nodded again. "what kind of a place would y' call this?" he inquired.
"a store," informed the other. now he stared harder than ever, so that johnnie grew uneasy under the scrutiny, and began to consider rounding the nearest corner to get away. "never seen a bookstore before, eh?"
johnnie shook his head. "don't have 'em where i live," he explained.
"no? and where do you live?"[74]
johnnie felt more uneasy than ever. he determined to be vague. "me? oh, just over that way," he answered, with a swing of the arm that took in a full quarter of the horizon—including all territory from beekman place to the aquarium.
the woman rejoined them. in one hand she carried a book. it was a blue book, not quite so large as the story of aladdin, but in every way handsomer. she held it out to johnnie. "here's another book for you," she said. "you'll love it. all boys do. it's called robinson crusoe."
afterwards he liked to remember that he had said "thank you" when she placed the book in his hands. he was too overcome to look up at her, however, or smile, or exclaim over the gift. he stood there, thrilled and gaping, and holding his breath, while the ends of his red fingers went white with holding the new book so tight, and his pale face turned red with emotions of several kinds, all of them pleasant. at last, when he raised his eyes from the book to her face, that face was gone. the millionaire was gone, too.
johnnie opened the book. it did not open easily, being so new. but how good it smelled! and, oh, what a lot of it there was, even though it was smaller than the other! for the letters were tiny, and set close together on every page. twenty to thirty pages johnnie turned at a time, and found that there were six hundred in all. also, there was one picture—of a man wearing a curious, peaked cap, funny shoes that tied, and knee trousers that seemed to be made of skins.
it was while he was turning the pages for a second time that he chanced upon the dollar bill. it was between two pages toward the back of the book, and he thought for a moment that it was not there, really, but that he was just thinking so. but it was there, and looked as crisply[75] new as the book. he ran to the corner and stared in every direction, searching for the millionaire and the woman.
then he felt sure that she had not known the money was in the book. instead, it belonged to the store, and had somehow got tucked between the leaves by mistake. a revolving door gave to the bookshop. he entered one section of it and half circled his way in.
never in his boldest imaginings had he thought of such a place as he saw now. it was lofty and long, with glistening counters of glass to one side. but elsewhere there were just books! books! books!—great partitions of them, walls solidly faced with them, the floor piled with them man-high. he forgot why he had come in, forgot his big clothes, his bare feet, his girl's hair, the new blue book, and the dollar.
"yes? well? what d' you want?"
it was a man speaking, and rather sharply. he was a red-headed man, and he wore spectacles. he came to stand in front of johnnie, as if to keep the latter from going farther into the shop.
johnnie held up the new book. "a lady bought me this," he explained; "and when i opened it i found all this money." now he held out the dollar.
there were many people in the store. some of them had on their hats, others were bareheaded, as if they belonged there. a number quietly gathered about johnnie and the red-haired man, looking and listening. johnnie gave each a swift examination. they were all so well-dressed, so different from the tenants in the area building.
"the lady slipped the dollar into the book for you," declared the red-headed man. "wasn't that mighty nice of her?"
johnnie silently agreed. a dozen pairs of eyes were watching him, and so many strange people were embarrassing.[76] he began slowly to back toward the revolving door.
"what're you going to buy with your dollar, little boy?" asked a man in the group—a tall man whose smile disclosed a large, gold tooth.
the question halted johnnie. such a wonderful idea occurred to him. the dollar was his own, to do with as he liked. and what he wanted most——
"i'm goin' to buy some more books with it," he answered. and turned aside to one of the great piles.
there was more laughter at that, and a burst of low conversation. johnnie paid no attention to it, but appealed to the red-headed man. "what's the best book y' got?" he inquired, with quite the air of a seasoned shopper.
again there was laughter. but it seemed to be not only kind but complimentary—as if once more he had said something clever or amusing. however, johnnie kept his attention on the red-headed man.
"well, i'm afraid no two people would ever agree as to which is our best book," said the latter. "but if you'll tell me what you like, i'll do my best to find something that'll suit you."
johnnie, glancing about, reflected that, without question, cis's speller had come from this very room! the arithmetic, too!
"got any spellers to-day?" he inquired casually—just to show them all that he knew a thing or two about books.
"in several languages," returned the man, quite calmly.
"i like aladdin better," announced johnnie. then trying not to sound too proud, "i got it here with me right now." whereupon he reached into the baggy shirt and drew forth mrs. kukor's gift.
"bless his heart!" cried a woman. "he does love them!"
to johnnie this seemed a foolish remark. love them?[77] who did not? "if you got another as good as this one," he went on, "i'd like t' buy it."
the red-headed man took aladdin. then he shook his head. the group was moving away now, and he and johnnie were to themselves. "i'm afraid this book would be hard to equal," he said earnestly. "they aren't writing any more just like it—which is a pity. but you stay here and i'll see what i can find." he gave aladdin back, and hurried off.
there was a chair behind johnnie. he sat down, his two precious books and the dollar on his knees. then once more he looked up and around, marveling.
he was aware that several of those who had been in the group were now talking together at a little distance. they seemed a trifle excited. the red-headed man joined them for a moment, listened to what they had to say, and took some money from each of them (johnnie concluded that all were bookbuyers like himself) before hurrying on between two high walls of books. in anticipation of more literary possessions, johnnie now slipped his two volumes inside the shirt, one to the right, one to the left, so that they would not meet and mar each other.
when the red-headed man came back, he brought three books, all new and handsome. "i think you'll like these," he declared. "see—this one's called the legends of king arthur and his knights, and this one is the last of the mohicans, and here's treasure island."
"much obliged," said johnnie, heartily. his eyes shone as he gathered the books to him. his one thought now was to get away and read, read, read. quickly he proffered the dollar bill.
"oh, you keep the money," said the red-headed man "you'll need it for something else. take the books—compliments of the house!"
"no!" johnnie was aghast. he was used to paying[78] for what he got—his food, his bed, his rent. "oh, gee! i want to pay, mister. i want 'em to be all mine.—but is there any change comin' back t' me?"
once more he heard laughter—from behind the pile of books nearest him; then that woman's voice again: "oh, the darling! the darling!" even as she spoke, she moved into sight.
johnnie had heard ladies speak about him in just that way before. he knew that if they came near to him it was to lay hands on his yellow mop. he wanted none of that sort of thing here, in this glorious house full of books, before all these men.
"your books came out just a dollar even," replied the red-headed man.
"thank y', mister!" johnnie, his new purchases clasped tight, sidled quickly toward the street.
"sha'n't i wrap 'em up for you?" called the other.
johnnie was already revolving in his quarter-section of the remarkable door. he shook his head. going sidewise, he could see that quite a few of those inside were still watching him. he flashed at them one of his radiant smiles. then the door disgorged him upon a step, the great avenue received him, and he trotted off, dropping his books into his shirt, one by one, as he went, precisely as aladdin had stuffed his clothes with amethysts, sapphires and rubies.
before he reached the next block he was fairly belted with books; he was armored with them, and looked as if he were wearing a life preserver under his folds and pleats.
the sun was still high, the air warm enough for him—if not for a fur-collared millionaire. and johnnie did not feel too hungry. his one wish was to absorb those five books. he began to keep an eye out for a vacant building.
"my goodness!" he exclaimed. "think of me runnin' into the place where all the books come from!"
