Link Boys: More Important than They Seem

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A link boy was usually a young boy that guided people home during the night with a torch. They did this before there was street lighting because at night the streets can become a dangerous place. They didn’t make much and often times had to beg to even get a penny. They had to buy their own torches which were usually made of the dried pith of a rush plant dipped in grease or sometimes fat. People believed that the link boys would try to lure the people they led into dark corners where they would be attacked by theives and this would usually end in dire consequences. In 1840, they were reffered to by a journalist as “useful nuisances on dark nights, once indispensable appendages to aristocracy.”

I chose this job because I’d rather do this that any other job on the list! It seems like the easiest yes, but it also had it’s downsides. As a link boy you had the dangerous job of leading people home in the dark. Anyone could’ve been hiding in the shadows of a building and looking to kidnap one of the little boys. They were usually poor so if one of them went missing they weren’t missed by really one. To the people that they led home, the boys were just another poor person trying to make a few cents to live off of. They could’ve easily been killed or kidnapped and used for something illegal and no one would care.

These young men couldn’t defend themselves against anything out there in the dark. They were poor so they were most likely skinny, small, and didn’t have anything to defend themselves with. There were pros and cons to having to do this job or even if someone chose to do this job. Anything that happened out there in the dark, couldn’t anything be done about it after it already happened. They were open to any and all treatme...

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...en you talk to them on the walk home. This job also takes place at night. This job is easy enough for me. The fire is cheap to keep burning. All that is required is legs and eyes basically. You also have to make sure you are street smart for the night chaos. I think this would be an easy way to make some money for the time.

If link boys are common in your specific area, however, it will be harder to earn money. A person may pick a favorite link boy. They will hopefully always request and meet with this one because they trust them. This is good for both the host of money and the link boy. This is helpful because the link boy is guaranteed money each night. And the citizen is guaranteed a way home. They will also become friends, most likely. The money will be steady to the boy. The link boys are always everywhere on the streets looking for a good, paying customer.

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