Page:While the Billy Boils, 1913.djvu/314

 'I understand. He's s'posed to be dead?'

'Yes.'

'Well, that's red-hot! So's my old man, and I hope he don't resurrect again.'

'You see, I married my second for the sake of my children.'

'That's a great mistake,' reflected Bill. 'My mother married my step-father for the sake of me, and she's never been done telling me about it.'

'Indeed! Did your mother get married again?'

'Yes. And he left me with a batch of step-sisters and step-brothers to look after, as well as mother; as if things wasn't bad enough before. We didn't want no help to be pinched, and poor, and half-starved. I don't see where my sake comes in at all.'

'And how's your mother now?'

'Oh, she's all right, thank you! She's got a hard time of it, but she's pretty well used to it.'

'And are you still working at Grinder Brothers'?'

'No. I got tired of slavin' there for next to nothing. I got sick of my step-father waitin* outside for me on pay-day, with a dirty, drunken spieler pal of his waitin' round the corner for him. There wasn't nothin' in it. It got to be too rough altogether.…Blast Grinders!'

'And what are you doing now?'

'Sellin' papers. I'm always tryin' to get a start in somethin' else, but I ain't got no luck. I always come back to sellin' papers.'

Then, after a thought, he added reflectively: 'Blast papers!'

His present ambition was to drive a cart.