As it turned out, he didn’t have much luck finding work. Oh, he was able to earn a few pennies here and there, sweeping out a saloon and emptying the spittoons in the morning or mucking out a stable, but the jobs never lasted longer than a day. There were more men than there were jobs, and no one was willing to keep on someone who looked as young as he did.
Colonel Sebring had seen to it Sharps had some specialized training, and he’d gone to a few detective agencies, but they’d turned him away, not only not believing he could do what he said, but not even willing to give him a chance to demonstrate his skill.
Without much choice, he took care spending his coins, and passed the days helping Pa where he could and working with Salida.
In spite of the poor job situation, he and Pa had a goo
