“Your father,” he said, “is captain of the local company of state militia?”
“And it is a very honorable and responsible position. As president of the local Armory Board engaged in the erection of the new armory, I have come into frequent contact with him, and I have great respect for his ability, and for his willingness to be guided in this important military undertaking by men of greater business experience than his, and familiar with large affairs. I am sure he will approve of the sentence I am about to impose on you.”
He spoke as though he were a judge sitting in the criminal courts, about to impose sentence on a convicted prisoner.
“Ben,” he continued, turning to his son, “are you ready to share in the punishment I propose to provide for this young man?”
“I’m ready, father.” The boy answered without hesitation, and with apparent frankness.
Mr. Barriscale pressed a button under the edge of his table, and a young woman entered the room with pencil and pad in her hand.
“Miss Lawranson,” he said, “you will please take dictation.”
She seated herself at the opposite side of the table from him, and, after a moment of consideration, he dictated the following letter:
“JAMES MCCRAE, _Superintendent of Construction of the State Armory, Fairweather, Pa._
“You will do me a favor by employing two boys, Halpert McCormack and Benjamin Barriscale, Jr., at such laborious tasks as they are fitted to perform in and about the State Armory. Their hours will be from 7 to 8:45 in the morning, and from 4:15 to 6 in the afternoon, with a full day on Saturdays. You will please keep them at such labor until their combined wages, at the rate of one dollar each per day, and at the rate of two dollars per day for Saturdays, shall amount to the sum of sixty dollars, at which time you will kindly make a report to me, accompanied by the appropriate extracts from your time-sheets, and I will arrange, through the proper channels, for their compensation. They will report to you for service on Monday morning of the coming week.
“Very truly yours, BENJ. BARRISCALE, _President of the local Armory Board_.”
Mr. Barriscale leaned back in his chair with a look of self-satisfaction on his face. He faced each boy in turn, and asked: