And, sez I, "He is handy at anything, and I spoze there are lots of
folks here in Chicago that hire help. I spoze some of 'em have as many
as four or five hired men apiece."

Sez I, "There are them in Jonesville, durin' the summer time, who employ
as high as two men by the day, besides the regular hired man, and I
spoze it is so here."

"Yes," sez he; "Mr. Pullmen has five thousand four hundred and fifty
hired men, and Philip Armoor has seven thousand seven hundred and
seventy-five."

Wall, there wuz no more to be said. Bolster had done what he sot out to
do--he had lowered my pride down lower than the Queen of Sheba's ever
wuz, by fur. I had no sperit left in me. He might have gone on to me by
the hour, and I not sensed it.

But I didn't let on how I felt. I only sez weakly, "Wall, they hain't
a-sufferin' for help, I guess, and I'll write to Philura so."

But Bolster, good-natured agin, sez, "I will look round, and see what I
can do for him." And he snatched out a note-book, and writ his name
down. And I thanked him, and weakly follered my companion from the
room.

And I felt that if the door had been much smaller I could have got out
of it. I felt very diminutive--very--almost tiny. But I got over it
pretty soon. I felt about my usial size as we descended the stairs and
stood on the steps, ready to sally out and take the street cars that wuz