He's smart,--and I've heard folks say I take after him.
--Somehow or other I felt as if I had seen this boy before, or known
something about him. Where did he get those expressions "A 1" and
"prime" and so on? They must have come from somebody who has been in the
retail dry-goods business, or something of that nature. I have certain
vague reminiscences that carry me back to the early times of this
boardinghouse.--Johnny.--Landlady knows his father well.
--Boarded with her, no doubt.--There was somebody by the name of John,
I remember perfectly well, lived with her. I remember both my friends
mentioned him, one of them very often. I wonder if this boy isn't a son
of his! I asked the Landlady after breakfast whether this was not, as I
had suspected, the son of that former boarder.
--To be sure he is,--she answered,--and jest such a good-natur'd sort of
creatur' as his father was. I always liked John, as we used to call his
father. He did love fun, but he was a good soul, and stood by me when I
was in trouble, always. He went into business on his own account after a
while, and got merried, and settled down into a family man. They tell me
he is an amazing smart business man,--grown wealthy, and his wife's
father left her money. But I can't help calling him John,--law, we never
thought of calling him anything else, and he always laughs and says,
"That's right.
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