They were not intentionally crooked, but my tool persisted in going on lateral excursions. It would slyly work itself away from the preceding line, as if scorning its company forever; then, to my surprise, it would suddenly fetch up with it again on the most intimate relations. But I soon learned its tricks, and, being determined, I would drive it slowly, very slowly, just where I wanted it to go. I was told that no apprentice ever did so well before. I got proud, and longed for the time when I might have fifty tools to keep in rows, like the other men.
Among the men those whom I can recall are Johnson, with large sleepy eyes and slow of movement, like a cow; Jo, who often money from his father and treated me to pie, and who when he cut off a lady's nose said, presenting his block, "Mr. W., I just grazed that a little;" tall Aleck, who had a big brother in the navy, got shampooed every few days, and swelled over me with odd nautical terms; Hank, known to be a coward, proved so one day, when a fire-cracker was exploded in the stove and he jumped and ran half-way down-stairs; Mr. Mix, the artist, a mild and quiet man, who walked as if on eggs, and carried his head on one side, as though it would be a bold proceeding to hold it straight up; and, to cut the list short, Cal., who was a bright, cheerful little gentleman, as we shall see.
On the first floor was Ryder's hat-store, and above our floor the hatters made and kept stock. Their man Mike flitted up and down between the two stories. I don't know who started it, but one might hear any day, "Mike, Mike, strike a light, in the middle of the night, baby got the colic." This made Mike hate every one on our floor. Near the corner where Cal. sat ran the speaking-tube that called Mike to duty. Through a convenient hole in the tube Cal. soon made the poor man's duties too heavy to be borne. We could hear Mike tearing up and down stairs, grumbling and swearing. At last some one injudiciously called upon Mike to strike a light, etc., when the mystery was stopped, with the hole in the pipe.
I had drawn and engraved a little cut two inches square, but had not taken any proof of it. After an absence of a week I returned to the office one morning, and my brother called me to him. I expected a lecture, as usual, about some trifling matter; but he surprised me by saying, "It's capital!" and he brought out my tiny picture, which in his impatience he had proved for me. He showed me all of its excellent points, none of which I had ever seen for myself, and said, "I haven't a man in the place who could draw and engrave this as well as you have done." He sent proofs of it around to the different engravers, and I soon got sick of the praise, which I thought was too cheap, because I was not conscious of having made any great effort.
I remember one afternoon we young fellows had a game of toss-bag, four of us forming a square and starting four sand-bags on the rounds, making such lively work that in a short time we broke about twenty panes of glass from the four windows in the rear, besides losing a couple of bags that went through the skylight below and set Ryder's book-keeper palpitating.
Hard times came. The firm exploded, and I was landed at a new place in Beekman Street; and although my employer could not give
