Joe's Luck Or Always Wide Awake Author:Horatio Alger Jr. Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: It made him angry to see his father's drudge walking on equal terms with his own favorite, and his coarse nature prompted him to insult his enemy. " Miss Raym... more »ond," he said, lifting his hat mockingly, " I congratulate you on the beau you have picked up." Annie Raymond fully appreciated his meanness, and answered calmly: " I accept your congratulations, Mr. Norton." This answer made Oscar angry and led him to go further than he otherwise would. " You must be hard up for an escort, when you accept such a ragamuffin as Joe Mason." Joe flushed with anger. , " Oscar Norton, do you mean to insult Miss Raymond or me," he demanded. " So you are on your high horse!" said Oscar sneer- ingly. " Will you answer my question ? " " Yes, I will. I certainly don't mean to insult Miss Raymond, but I wonder at her taste in choosing my father's hired boy to walk with." " I am not responsible to you for my choice, Oscar Norton," said Annie Raymond, with dignity. " If my escort is poorly dressed, it is not his fault, nor do I think the less of him for it." " If your father would dress me better, I should be very glad of it," said Joe. " If I am a ragamuffin, it is his fault." " I'll report that to him," said Oscar maliciously. " I wish you would. It would save me the trouble of asking him for better clothes." " Suppose we go on," said Annie Raymond. " Certainly," said Joe politely. And they walked on, leaving Oscar discomfited and mortified. " What a fool Annie Raymond makes of herself!" he mS i ' muttered. " I should think she'd be ashamed to go round with Joe Mason." Oscar would have liked to despise Annie Raymond, but it was out of his power. She was undoubtedly the belle of the school, and he would have been proud to receive as much noti...« less