CHAPTER XXXV. 

RALPH A PRISONER. 

At the appointed time, Ralph called again upon Horace Kelsey, and was given instructions in regard to the work he would be called on to do. 

"But you had better not start in until you hear from your mother," said the insurance agent. "She may wish you to pay a visit home before you settle down here." 

Ralph thought this good advice, and he resolved to act upon it. 

"I ought to get a letter by to-morrow noon or night," he said. "And I will wait that long. If I don't get word, I'll take the trip home anyway, seeing as you say you will be kind enough to wait for me." 

Kelsey then asked him what he intended to do while waiting, and learning Ralph had nothing in particular in view, he advised the boy to get a guide-book of the city and walk about, so that he might become familiar with the streets. 

"The work I have for you will take you out more or less," he said. "And it is a great help if you understand how to get around." 

At a nearby bookseller's Ralph purchased a guide-book for twenty-five cents. He studied it off and on the entire afternoon, walking around in the meantime. Before he retired that night at the hotel, he had taken in the city from Fourteenth street down to the Battery. 

"It's awful big and crooked," he thought. "But I guess I'll manage to get around, especially if I keep the guide-book on hand for reference." 
How much did it cost?
At a nearby bookseller's Ralph purchased a guide-book for twenty-five cents.