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diff --git a/old/52616-0.txt b/old/52616-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 7d82105..0000000 --- a/old/52616-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,8227 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Adventures of a Telegraph Boy or 'Number 91', by -Horatio Alger, Jr. - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - -Title: Adventures of a Telegraph Boy or 'Number 91' - -Author: Horatio Alger, Jr. - -Release Date: July 22, 2016 [EBook #52616] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ADVENTURES OF A TELEGRAPH BOY *** - - - - -Produced by David Edwards, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Books project.) - - - - - - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Text enclosed by underscores is in italics (_italics_). - -Additional Transcriber’s Notes are at the end. - - * * * * * - -Adventures of a Telegraph Boy - - * * * * * - -[Illustration: “FORTY DOLLARS!” EXCLAIMED OLD JERRY. “I’M IN LUCK FOR -ONCE.”] - - - - -Adventures of a Telegraph Boy OR “Number 91” - - - By Horatio Alger, Jr. - - Author of “Tom Tracy,” “Ned Newton,” “Walter Griffith,” etc. - - [Illustration] - - New York and Boston - H. M. Caldwell Company - Publishers - - * * * * * - - _Copyright, 1889_ - BY FRANK H. LOVELL & CO. - - _Copyright, 1900_ - BY STREET & SMITH - - Adventures of a Telegraph Boy - - * * * * * - -ADVENTURES OF A NEW YORK TELEGRAPH BOY. - - - - -CHAPTER I. PAUL, THE TELEGRAPH BOY. - - -On Broadway, not far from the St. Nicholas Hotel, is an office of the -American District Telegraph. Let us enter. - -A part of the office is railed off, within which the superintendent has -a desk, and receives orders for boys to be sent to different parts of -the city. On benches in the back part of the office are sitting perhaps -a dozen boys varying in age from fifteen to eighteen, clad in the well -known blue uniform prescribed by the company. Each wears a cap on which -may be read the initials of the company, with the boy’s number. - -At the end of the benches sat a stout, well made boy, apparently -sixteen years of age. He had a warm, expressive face, and would -generally be considered good looking. - -On his cap we read this inscription: - - A. D. T. - 91. - -Some of the boys were smaller, two or three larger than Number 91. But -among them all, he was the most attractive in appearance. The boys sat -on the benches in patience waiting for a call from the superintendent. -They were usually selected in turn, but sometimes the fitness of a -particular boy for the errand required was taken into consideration. - -“Number 87!” called the superintendent. - -A small boy of fifteen, but not looking over thirteen, left his seat -and advanced to the desk. - -“No, I don’t think you’ll do,” said the superintendent “There’s a man -at the New England Hotel who wants a boy to go down with him to the -Cortlandt Street Ferry, and carry his valise. A larger boy will be -required.” - -He glanced at the boys in waiting and called: - -“Number 91!” - -The boy of whom we have spoken rose with alacrity, and stepped up to -the desk. He had been sitting on the bench for an hour, and was glad of -an opportunity to go out on an errand. - -The superintendent wrote on a card the name “D. L. Meacham, New England -Hotel,” and handed it to the boy. - -“Go at once to the New England Hotel, and call for that gentleman,” he -said. “If he is not in, wait for him.” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Paul Parton, for this was his name, did not need any further -directions. He was perfectly acquainted with the city, especially in -the lower part, where he had lived for years. He crossed Broadway, and, -taking an easterly course, made his way to the Bowery, on which, at the -corner of Bayard Street, the New England Hotel stands. This is a very -respectable inn, and by its fair accommodations and moderate prices -attracts a large number of patrons. - -Entering, Paul advanced to the desk. - -“Is Mr. D. L. Meacham in?” he asked, referring to the card given him by -the superintendent. - -“Here he is!” replied, not the clerk to whom the question was -addressed, but a tall, elderly man with gray hair, clad in a rusty -suit, evidently a gentleman from the rural districts. - -“Are you the telegraph boy?” he asked. - -“Yes, sir.” - -“I want to go down to the ferry to take the train to Philadelphia.” - -“All right, sir. Is this your valise?” asked Paul, pointing to a shabby -traveling bag that might, from its appearance, have been used by Noah -when he was on board the ark. - -“Yes, that’s mine.” - -“Do you want to start now, Mr. Meacham?” - -“Well, I might as well. I hain’t got nothing to keep me here. How fur -is it?” - -“About a mile. Perhaps a little more.” - -Paul took the valise in his hand, and went out of the hotel, followed -by the old man. - -“Do you know the way all round here, sonny?” he asked. - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Well, it beats me. I get turned round, and don’t know where I am. If -it wasn’t for that, I could have gone to the ferry alone. But land’s -sake! I might wander all round till tomorrow morning without finding -it.” - -“Then I guess it’s better to have a boy with you,” said Paul, -laughingly. - -“You look like a smart boy,” said the old man, attentively examining -Number 91. “Do you like your business?” - -“Pretty well,” answered Paul. - -“Is the pay pretty good?” - -“I get four dollars a week.” - -“That’s more than I got when I was your age, sonny.” - -“It doesn’t go very far in the city, when you have your board and -clothes to pay for,” replied the young telegraph messenger. - -“That’s so. I didn’t think of that. I was reared on a farm, where they -didn’t make much account of the victuals you ate.” - -“We have to make account of it here, sir.” - -“So you don’t have much left out of your four dollars?” - -“No, sir; but I get rather more than four dollars. Sometimes the -gentlemen I am working for give me a little extra for myself.” - -“How much does that come to--in a week?” - -“Well, sometimes I make a dollar or two extra. It depends a good deal -on whether I fall in with liberal gentlemen or not. I don’t mean this -as a hint, sir,” added Paul, smiling. “I am not entitled to anything -extra, but, of course, when it is offered I take it.” - -Paul had a motive in saying this. He abhorred the idea of seeming to -beg for a gratuity. Besides, judging from the appearance and rusty -attire of the old man, he decided that he was poor, and could not -afford to pay anything over the regular charges. - -“I see,” said the old farmer, as Paul supposed him to be, with a -responsive smile. “You’re right there, sonny. If you’re offered a -little extra money, it’s all right to take it.” - -By this time they had reached the City Hall Park, and were crossing it. -Then, as now, the Park swarmed with bootblacks of all sizes, provided -with the implements of their trade. - -Frequently, in the rivalry which results from active competition, the -little fellows are pushed aside, and the bigger and stronger boys take -possession of the customers they have secured. There was a case of this -sort which fell under the attention of Paul and his elderly companion. - -A pale, delicate looking boy of twelve was signaled by a gentleman, a -rod or two from the City Hall. He hastened eagerly to secure a job, but -unhappily the signal had also been seen by a bigger boy, larger, if -anything, than Paul, and he, too, ran to get in ahead of the smaller -boy. Without ceremony, he put out his foot and tripped little Jack, and -with a triumphant laugh sped on to the expectant customer. The little -boy, who had been bruised by the fall, rose crying and disappointed. - -“That’s mean, Tom Rafferty,” he said. “The gentleman called me.” - -Tom only responded by another laugh. With him, might made right, and -the dominating law was the will of the stronger. - -“Oh, you’ll get another soon,” he said. - -He got down on his knees, and placed his box in position. But all was -not to be as smooth sailing as he expected. Paul, with a blaze of -honest indignation, had seen the outrage. He was not surprised, for he -knew both boys. - -“Never mind, Jack,” he said. “I’ll fix it all right. - -“Please mind the valise a minute, sir,” he added, and rather to the -surprise of Mr. Meacham, he left him standing in the park, while he -darted forward, seized Tom Rafferty by the collar, pulled him over -backwards, and called, “Now, Jack!” - -The little boy, emboldened by this unexpected help, ran up, and took -Tom’s place at the foot of the customer. - -“I’m the boy you called, sir,” he said. - -“That’s true, my boy. Go ahead! Only be quick!” said the gentleman. - -Tom Rafferty was furious. - -“Don’t you know any better, you overgrown bully, than to get away -little boys’ jobs?” asked Paul, indignantly. - -“I’ll mash yer!” roared Tom. - -“You mean if you can,” said the undaunted Paul. - -“You think you’re a gentleman, just because you’re a telegraph boy. I -could be a telegraph boy myself if I wanted ter.” - -“Go ahead--I have no objection.” - -“I’ll give that little kid the worst lickin’ he ever had, soon as he -gets through, see ef I don’t.” - -“Do it if you dare!” said Paul, his eyes flashing. “If you do, I’ll -thrash you.” - -“You dassn’t.” - -“Remember what I say, Tom Rafferty. Now, Mr. Meacham, we’ll go on. I -hope you’ll excuse me for keeping you waiting.” - -“Yes, I will, sonny. It did me good to see you pitching into that young -bully. I’d like to have done it myself.” - -“I know both boys, sir. Little Jack is the son of a widow, who sews for -a living, and she can’t make enough to support the family, and he has -to go out and earn what he can by shines. He is small and weak, and the -big boys impose upon him.” - -“I’m glad he has some friends; Number 91, you’re a brave boy.” - -“I don’t know about that, sir. But I can’t stand still and see a little -kid like that imposed upon by a big brute like Tom Rafferty.” - -They crossed Broadway, and presently neared Cortlandt Street. Just at -the corner stood an old man, with bent form and white hair, dressed -with extreme shabbiness. His hand was extended, and he was silently -asking for alms. - -Paul’s cheek flushed, and an expression of mortification swept over his -face. - -“Grandfather!” he said, reproachfully. “Please go home! Don’t beg in -the streets. You make me ashamed!” - - - - -CHAPTER II. THE CORTLANDT STREET FERRY. - - -The old man turned, and, recognizing Paul, looked somewhat ashamed. - -“I--I couldn’t help it,” he whined. “I’m so poor.” - -“There is no need for you to beg. I’ll bring you some money tonight.” - -“Just for a little while. See, a kind gentleman gave me that,” and he -displayed a silver dime. - -Paul looked very much annoyed. - -“If you don’t stop begging, grandfather,” he said, “I won’t come home -at all. I’ll go and sleep at the Newsboys’ Lodge.” - -The old man looked frightened. Paul turned in every week two dollars -and a half of his wages, and old Jerry had no wish to lose so -considerable a sum. - -“I’ll go--I’ll go right away,” he said, hastily. - -“Be sure you do. If you don’t I shall hear of it, and you won’t see me -any more.” - -Just then a policeman of the Broadway squad, whose business it was to -pilot passengers across through the maze of vehicles, took the old man -in tow, and led him carefully across the great thoroughfare. - -Mr. Meacham had watched in attentive silence this interview between -Paul and the old man. - -“So that is your grandfather,” he said. - -“I call him so,” answered Paul, slowly. - -“You call him so!” repeated his companion, puzzled. “Isn’t he really -your grandfather?” - -“No, sir; but as I have lived with him ever since I was very small, I -have got into the habit of calling him so.” - -“When did your father die?” - -“When I was about six years old. He only left a hundred dollars or -so, which Jerry took charge of, and took me to live with him. We were -living in the same tenement house, and that’s how it came about.” - -“Is he so very poor?” - -“I used to think so,” answered Paul, “till one day I found out that he -got a monthly pension from some quarter in the city. I don’t know how -much it is, but I know he has money deposited in the Bowery Savings -Bank.” - -“How did you find that out, Number 91?” - -“I was walking along the Bowery one day on an errand, when, as I was -passing the bank, I saw grandfather going up the steps. That made me -curious, and I beckoned to a friend of mine, Johnny Woods, and asked -him to go in and see what the old man’s business appeared to be. I met -Johnny that evening and he told me that he saw grandfather write out a -deposit check and pay in money. I couldn’t find out how much it was, -but Johnny said there were several bills in the sum.” - -“Then your grandfather, as you call him, is a miser.” - -“Yes, sir, that’s about what it comes to.” - -“In what way does he live?” - -“We have a poor, miserable room in a tenement on Pearl Street that -costs us four dollars a month. Grandfather is always groaning about -having to pay so much.” - -“I suppose he doesn’t live very luxuriously?” - -“Dry bread, and sometimes a little cheese, is what he lives on. -Sometimes Mrs. O’Connor, an Irish washerwoman, living in the room -below, brings up a plate of meat out of charity.” - -Paul uttered the last word bitterly, as if he felt keenly the -mortification of the confession. - -“But how can you look so well and strong on such fare?” asked the -old farmer, gazing not unadmiringly at the red cheeks and healthy -complexion of the young telegraph boy. - -“I don’t take my meals with grandfather. He wanted me to hand in all -my money, and share his meals, but I told him I should die in a week -if I had to live like him, so he agreed to let me pay him two dollars -and a half a week, and use the rest for myself. I generally eat at some -restaurant on the Bowery.” - -“But that must cost you more than a dollar and a half a week.” - -“So it does, sir, but I get a dollar or two extra on fees from parties -that employ me.” - -“Even then, at the prices I paid at the New England Hotel, I shouldn’t -think you could buy three meals a day.” - -“What do you take me for, Mr. Meacham--a Vanderbilt or an Astor?” asked -Paul, smiling. “I might as well go to Delmonico’s or the Fifth Avenue -Hotel as to the New England House.” - -“Where do you eat, then?” - -“Generally at the Jim Fisk restaurant on Chatham Street.” - -“Is that a cheap restaurant?” - -“I can get a good breakfast there for eight cents, and a good dinner -for eleven.” - -Mr. Meacham looked surprised. - -“What on earth can you get for those prices?” he asked. - -“I can get a cup of coffee, eggs, fish balls, or mutton stew, with -bread and butter, for eight cents,” said Paul. “The coffee costs three -cents, the other five. Then, for dinner, all kinds of meat cost eight -cents a plate, and bread and butter thrown in.” - -“That’s cheap enough certainly. Is it good?” - -“It’ll do,” said Paul, briefly. “Last Sunday I got roast turkey. That -cost twelve cents.” - -“Great Scott!” ejaculated the farmer. “I never dreamed of how people -live here in this great city.” - -“You see we can’t all of us eat at Delmonico’s.” - -“Did your grandfather ever eat at your restaurant?” - -“Once I invited him, and told him I would pay the bill. He ate a -square meal, meat, coffee, and pie, costing sixteen cents. He seemed -to relish it very much, but when we were going away he groaned over my -extravagance, and predicted that I would die in the poorhouse. I’ve -never succeeded in getting him there since.” - -“Well, well,” said the farmer, “of all the fools on the footstool, I -believe the biggest is the man who deprives himself of vittles to save -up money for somebody else to spend. I’m too selfish, for my part.” - -“There isn’t a day that grandfather doesn’t groan over my foolish -extravagance,” continued Paul. “Sometimes it makes me laugh, but -oftener it makes me ashamed.” - -“You don’t feel much attachment to him, then?” - -“No, sir; perhaps I ought, as he has been my guardian so long, but you -saw him yourself, sir--a poor, shabby, dirty old man! How can I feel -attached to him?” - -“I confess it must be hard.” - -“You don’t think me much to blame, do you?” - -“I don’t think you to blame at all. Affection must be natural, and -there seems to be no ground for it in this case. But isn’t that the -ferry?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -They crossed the street and entered the ticket office of the Cortlandt -Street Ferry. Paul set down the valise, while Mr. Meacham secured a -ticket. - -“Now, Number 91,” said the old man, “how much do I owe you?” - -Paul stated the sum, and Mr. Meacham put it in his hand. - -“Thank you, sir,” said Paul, touching his cap. - -“Stop a minute; here is something for yourself,” said his companion, -taking out a silver dollar from his purse. - -Paul regarded the old man with undisguised amazement. - -“Are you surprised to get so much?” asked the old man with a smile. - -“Yes, sir; I--” and he hesitated. - -“You thought me a poor man, perhaps a mean man?” - -“No, sir, not that; but I thought you not rich.” - -“Don’t always judge by the clothes a man wears, Number 91. I own a -large farm, and fifty thousand dollars in railroad stocks. That is rich -for the country.” - -“I don’t often get so much as this, sir.” - -“I suppose not. But I have got a good deal of information out of you. I -have heard much that surprised me, that I couldn’t have learned in any -other way. So you are welcome to the dollar, and I think I have got my -money’s worth.” - -“I am very much obliged to you, sir.” - -“That’s all right. Now, Number 91--by the way, what is your real name?” - -“Paul Parton, sir.” - -“Then, Paul, if you ever come my way, I should like to have you spend -a week or a month on my farm, as a visitor. I live in Lancaster, -Pennsylvania, about a couple of miles from the city, and I’ll promise -to give you enough to eat at less than you have to pay at the Jim Fisk -restaurant.” - -Paul thanked him with a smile, and turned to leave the ferry. - -In the waiting room was a tall, bearded man, who looked something -like a miner, as indeed he was, just returned from a long sojourn in -California. - -“Excuse me, boy,” he said, advancing towards our hero. “Do you mind -telling me your name?” - -“My name is Paul Parton,” answered the telegraph boy, with a glance of -surprise. - -“Were you ever in California?” - -“Not that I know of, sir.” - -“It’s strange!” said the miner, reflectively. - -“What is strange, sir?” - -“You are the living image of a man I used to know a dozen or fourteen -years since in California. Were you born in New York?” - -“I think so, sir--I don’t know.” - -“Is your father living?” - -“No, sir; I live with an old man who is not related to me.” - -“Was your father ever in California?” - -“He may have been, sir; but I was so young when he died that I don’t -know much about his history.” - -“What is that number on your cap?” - -“I am Number 91, and work for the District Telegraph Company.” - -“Number 91? Well, my boy, I hope you’ll excuse the liberty I took in -addressing you. The California miners are rather unceremonious. I -suppose you think it strange?” - -“No, sir, not at all,” returned Paul, politely. “I am glad to have made -your acquaintance.” - -As he left the ferry, and lost sight of his questioner, he regretted -that he had not at least inquired his name. - -“He may have known my father,” thought Paul, “and I should be glad to -meet some of his friends. I don’t think old Jerry knows much about him. -I am getting tired of living with the old man, and should like to meet -some relative or friend of whom I need not be ashamed.” - - - - -CHAPTER III. OLD JERRY THE MISER. - - -At six o’clock every other day Paul was let off from the office, other -days he stayed much later. - -On this particular day he was dismissed at six, and bent his steps -homeward. He paused in front of a tall, shabby brick tenement house, -unsightly in its surroundings, and abounding inside in unsavory smells, -and took his way up the creaking staircase to a room on the fourth -floor. He opened the door and entered. - -The room was bare and cheerless in the extreme. The floor was -uncarpeted, and if it had ever been painted it retained no vestiges of -it. Two chairs, one broken, a small table which would have been dear at -fifty cents, a low bedstead in one corner with a dirty covering--there -were no sheets--and a small cot bed which Paul occupied--these were -about all that could claim the name of furniture. There was, however, a -wooden chest, originally a sailor’s, probably, which the telegraph boy -used to hold the few extra clothes he possessed. - -Old Jerry was sitting on one side of the bedstead. - -“Good evening, grandfather,” said Paul, cheerfully. - -“It isn’t a good ev’ning,” answered the old man, querulously. “I--I -haven’t made a cent today.” - -“I thought you got ten cents by begging,” said Paul. - -“I--I forgot that. I might have got more if you hadn’t interfered. You -are very hard on your poor old grandfather, Paul.” - -“I can’t bear to have you beg,” said Paul, his brows contracting. “I -don’t want to have it said that I live with a beggar.” - -“It isn’t my fault that I am very poor, Paul.” - -“Are you so very poor?” asked Paul, pointedly. - -“I--of course I am. What do you mean, Paul?” asked the old man, his -manner indicating alarm. “Don’t you _know_ I am very poor?” - -“I know you say so.” - -“Of course I am. Did any one ever tell you I wasn’t?” - -“This room looks like it at any rate,” answered Paul, looking about -with ill concealed disgust. - -He didn’t choose to say anything of the discovery he had made, through -his friend Johnny Woods, of old Jerry’s deposit in the Bowery Savings -Bank. - -“Yes, yes, and it is more than I can afford. Four dollars a month is an -awful price. I have often thought I must find a cheaper room.” - -“You couldn’t easily find a poorer one,” said Paul, moodily. “Well, -grandfather, have you had your supper?” - -“Yes, I have eaten a piece of bread.” - -“That isn’t enough for you, grandfather. If you will come out with me I -will get you some supper at the Jim Fisk restaurant.” - -“No, no, Paul; I can’t afford it. It is sinful extravagance.” - -“I can get you a cup of tea and some corn beef hash for eight cents. -That isn’t much. Don’t you think you would enjoy a cup of tea?” - -“Yes, Paul, it would do me good, if I could afford it.” - -“But I will pay for it.” - -“Oh, Paul, you will die in the poorhouse if you are so wasteful. The -money that you have spent at that eating house would bring joy to the -heart of your old grandfather.” - -“Look here,” said Paul, who could not bring his mind to calling the old -man grandfather, as he had often done before. “It’s no use talking. -You may starve yourself if you want to, but I don’t mean to. I’m going -out to supper now. If you go with me I’ll pay for your supper, and it -shan’t cost you a cent. I am sure you would like a good cup of tea.” - -For an instant an expression of longing crept over the face of the old -miser, but it was soon succeeded by a look of cunning and greed. - -“It would cost eight cents, wouldn’t it, Paul?” he said. - -“Yes, but that isn’t much. If you’d like a plate of roast beef and a -cup of tea, I’ll buy it for you. They will cost only eleven cents. So -put on your hat, and we will go out together.” - -“Wait a minute, Paul,” said the old man. “Would you mind giving me the -money instead--eleven cents?” - -“No, I don’t mind, but I would rather you would go out with me. How -do you expect to keep soul and body together without anything but dry -bread and cold water?” - -“I’m so poor, Paul; I can’t afford anything better,” whined old Jerry. - -“I see it’s no use talking to you,” said Paul, in a vexed tone. “Well, -if you prefer to have me give you the money, here it is.” - -He took from his pocket a dime and a penny, and passed it over to the -old man. - -Old Jerry chuckled, and a smile crept over his wrinkled features, as he -eagerly clutched the coins. - -“Good boy, Paul!” he said. “That’s right, to be kind to your poor old -grandfather.” - -“Well, I’m going out to supper,” said Paul, abruptly, for it was -painful to him to witness this evidence of the old man’s infatuation. -“I’ll be back soon. - -“That’s a guardian to be proud of,” he said, bitterly, as he made -his way carefully down the rickety staircase. “Who can blame me for -not liking him? I don’t believe I can make up my mind to call him -grandfather again. After all, why should I? He is no relation of mine, -and I am glad of it.” - - - - -CHAPTER IV. A STRANGE COMMISSION. - - -The life of a telegraph boy is full of variety and excitement. He -never knows when he goes to the office in the morning on what errands -he may be sent, or what duties he may be called upon to discharge. He -may be sent to Brooklyn, or Jersey City, with a message--sometimes -even farther away. He may be detained to supply the place of an absent -office boy, or sent up town to go out and walk with a child. In the -evening he may be directed to accompany a lady to the theater as -escort. These are a few of the uses to which telegraph messenger boys -are put. - -Of course Paul had had his share of varied commissions. But the day -after that on which our story opens, a new duty awaited him. - -It was about five o’clock that the superintendent called “Number 91.” - -“Yes, sir,” answered Paul, promptly. - -“You are to go up to No. ----, West Fifty First Street, to spend the -night.” - -Paul looked surprised. - -“To spend the night?” he repeated. - -“Yes, the head of the household has been called away for a day or two, -and there is no man in the house. Mrs. Cunningham is timid, and has -sent for a boy to protect the house against possible burglars.” - -The superintendent smiled, and so did Paul. - -“I guess I can do it,” he said. - -“Very well, you will report at the house about seven o’clock.” - -“Can I go home and tell grandfather? He might be alarmed if I didn’t -come home.” - -“Yes; I will give you an extra half hour for supper.” - -At seven o’clock Paul rang the bell of a handsome brown stone mansion -on West Fifty First Street. - -The door was opened by a servant girl. - -“I was sent for by Mrs. Cunningham,” said Paul. - -“Yes, the missis is expecting you. Come right in!” - -Paul observed, as he followed the girl upstairs into a sitting room on -the second floor, that the house was very handsomely furnished--and -came to the natural conclusion that the occupants were rich. - -“Just take a seat, and I’ll tell the missis,” said the girl. - -Paul sat down in a plush covered arm chair, and looked about him -admiringly. “I wonder how it must seem to live in such a house as -this,” he reflected. And then his thoughts went back to the miserable -tenement house in which he and his grandfather lived, and he felt more -disgusted with it than ever, after the sight of this splendor. - -His reflections were interrupted by the entrance of a pleasant faced -lady. - -“Are you the boy I sent for?” she asked, with a smile. - -“Yes, ma’am,” answered Paul, respectfully, rising as he spoke. - -“I suppose you know why I want you,” proceeded the lady. - -“Yes, ma’am; I was told there were only ladies in the house, and you -wanted a man to sleep here.” - -“I am afraid you can hardly be called a man,” said the lady with -another smile. “Still you are not a woman or girl, and I shall feel -safer for having you here. I am afraid I am a sad coward. What is your -name?” - -“Paul--Paul Parton.” - -“That is a nice name.” - -“My husband has been called to Washington,” she added, after a pause, -“and will be absent possibly ten nights. Knowing my timidity, he -recommended my sending for a messenger boy. I may say, however, that -I have some reason for alarm. Two houses in this block have been -entered at night within a month. Besides, through a thieving servant, -who was probably a confederate of thieves, it has become known that -we keep some valuables in a safe in the library, and this may prove a -temptation.” - -At this moment an extremely pretty girl of fourteen entered the room, -and looked inquiringly at Paul. - -“Jennie,” said Mrs. Cunningham, “this is Paul Parton, who is to protect -and defend us tonight, if necessary.” - -Jennie regarded Paul with a smile. - -“Won’t you be afraid?” she asked. - -“No, miss,” answered Paul, who was instantly impressed in favor of the -pretty girl whose acquaintance he was just making. - -“I’m not easily frightened,” he answered. - -“Then you’re different from mamma and me. We are regular -scarecrows--no, that isn’t the word. I mean we are regular cowards. -Still, with a brave and strong man in the house,” she added, with an -arch smile, “we shall feel safe.” - -“I hope you will be,” said Paul - -“It is still early,” said Mrs. Cunningham. “Have you had your supper, -Paul?” - -“Yes, ma’am.” - -“We shall not retire before ten--Jennie, you can entertain this young -gentleman, if you like.” - -“All right, mamma--if I can--that is, if he isn’t hard to entertain. Do -you play dominoes, Paul?” - -“Yes, miss.” - -“O, don’t call me miss--I don’t mind your calling me Jennie.” - -The two sat down to a game of dominoes, and were soon on the -friendliest possible terms. - -After a while, seeing a piano in the room, Paul asked the young lady if -she played. - -“Yes; would you like to hear me?” - -“If you please.” - -After three or four pieces, she asked--“Don’t you sing?” - -“Not much,” answered Paul, bashfully. - -“Sing me something, won’t you?” - -Paul blushed, and tried to excuse himself. - -“I don’t sing any but common songs,” he said. - -“That’s what I want to hear.” - -After a while Paul mustered courage enough to sing “Baby Mine,” and -another song which he had heard at Harry Miner’s. - -They were not classical, but the young lady seemed to enjoy them -immensely. They were quite unlike what she had been accustomed to hear, -and perhaps for that reason she enjoyed them the more. - -“I think you sing splendidly,” she said. - -Of course Paul blushed, and put in a modest disclaimer. Still he felt -pleased, and decided that Jennie Cunningham was the nicest girl he had -ever met. - -“But what would she say,” he thought, “if she could see the miserable -place I live in?” and the perspiration gathered on his face at the mere -thought. - -At ten o’clock Mrs. Cunningham suggested that it was time to go to bed. - -“Paul, you will sleep in a little bedroom adjoining the library,” she -said. - -“All right, ma’am.” - -“Come with me and I will show you your bedroom.” - -It was a pleasant room, though small, and seemed to Paul the height of -luxury. - -“Shall I leave with you my husband’s revolver?” asked the lady. - -“Yes, ma’am, I would like it.” - -“Do you understand the use of revolvers?” - -“Yes; I have practiced some with them in a shooting gallery.” - -“I hope there will be no occasion to use it. I don’t think there will. -But it is best to be prepared.” - -Paul threw himself on the bed in his uniform in order to be better -prepared to meet any midnight intruder. - -“It won’t do to sleep too sound,” he thought, “or the house might be -robbed without my knowing it.” - -He was soon fast asleep. It might have been because he had the matter -on his mind that about midnight he woke up. A faint light had been left -burning in the chandelier in the library. Was it imagination on Paul’s -part that he thought he heard a noise in the adjoining room? Instantly -he was on the alert. - -“It may be a burglar!” he thought, with a thrill of excitement. - -He got up softly, reached for the revolver, and with a stealthy step -advanced to the door that opened into the library. - -What he saw was certainly startling. - -A man, tall and broad shouldered, was on his knees before the safe, -preparing to open it. - -“What are you doing there?” demanded the telegraph boy, firmly. - -[Illustration: THE INTERRUPTED BURGLAR.--See page 27.] - -The man sprang to his feet, and confronted Paul standing with a -revolver in his hand pointed in his direction. - -“O, it’s a kid!” he said, contemptuously. - -“What are you doing there?” repeated Paul. - -“None of yer business! Go back to bed!” - -“Leave this house or I fire!” - -The man thought of springing upon the boy, but there was something in -his firm tone that made him think it best to parley. A revolver, even -in a boy’s hand, might prove formidable. - -“Go to bed, or I’ll kill you!” said the burglar, with an ugly frown. - -“I will give you two minutes to leave this room and the house!” said -Paul. “If you are here at the end of that time I fire!” - -There was an expression of baffled rage on the face of the low browed -ruffian as he stood bending forward, as if ready to spring upon the -undaunted boy. - - - - -CHAPTER V. AN EXCITING INTERVIEW. - - -For a full minute Paul and the burglar faced each other without either -moving. The telegraph boy of course waited for some aggressive movement -on the part of his opponent. In that case he would not hesitate to -fire. He felt the reluctance natural to any boy of humane instincts -to take human life, and resolved, if possible, only to disable the -ruffian. His heart quickened its pulsations, but in manner he was -cool, cautious and collected. If the burglar had seen any symptoms of -timidity or wavering, he would have sprung upon Paul. As it was, he was -afraid to do so, and was enraged at himself because he felt cowed and -intimidated by a boy. He resolved to inspire fear in Paul if he could. - -“I have a great mind to kill you,” he growled. - -“Two can play at that game,” said Paul, undaunted. - -“Look here! You are making a fool of yourself. You are risking your -life for nothing.” - -“I am only doing my duty,” said Paul, firmly. - -“The kid’s in earnest,” thought the burglar. “I must try him on another -tack. - -“Look here,” he said, changing his tone. “You are a poor boy, ain’t -you?” - -“Yes.” - -“Just you lower that weapon, and don’t interfere with me, and I will -make it worth your while.” - -“What do you mean?” asked Paul, who, however, suspected the burglar’s -meaning. - -“I mean this,” said the intruder, in an insinuating tone. “Let me open -the safe and make off with the contents, and I’ll give you a liberal -share of it.” - -“What do you take me for?” demanded Paul, indignantly. - -“For a boy, of course. What do you care for the people in the house? -They are rich and can afford to lose what will make us rich. Let me -know where you live, and I’ll deal squarely with you. I mean it. All -you’ve got to do is to go back to bed, and they’ll think you slept -through and didn’t see me at all. What do you say?” - -“I say no a thousand times!” answered Paul, boldly. “I may be poor all -my life long, but I won’t be a thief.” - -The burglar’s face expressed the rage he felt. It was very hard for him -to resist the impulse to spring upon Paul, but the resolute mien of the -boy satisfied him that it would be very dangerous. - -“You refuse then?” he said, sullenly. - -“Yes; you insult me by your proposal.” - -“I wish I had brought a pistol; then you wouldn’t have dared speak to -me in that way.” - -Paul was relieved to hear this. He had concluded that the burglar was -unarmed, but didn’t know it positively. Now he could dismiss all fear. - -“Well,” he said, “are you going?” - -The burglar eyed our hero during a minute of indecision, and decided -that his plan was a failure. He certainly could not open the safe -within range of a loaded revolver, and should he attack Paul, would not -only risk his life, but rouse the house, and fall into the hands of -the police, a class of men he made it his business to avoid. It was a -bitter pill to swallow, but he must submit. - -“Will you promise not to shoot if I agree to leave the house?” - -“Yes.” - -“Will you promise not to start the burglar alarm, but allow me to -escape without interference?” - -“Yes, if you will agree never to enter this house again.” - -“All right!” - -“You promise?” - -“Yes, I do.” - -“Then I’ll go. If you break your word, boy, you’ll wish you had never -been born,” he added, fiercely. “I’d hunt you night and day after I got -out of jail, and kill you like a dog.” - -“You need not be afraid. I will keep my word.” There was something in -Paul’s tone and manner that inspired confidence. - -“You ain’t a bad sort!” said the burglar, paying an involuntary tribute -to the boy’s staunch honesty. “You’re a cool kind of kid, any way. What -an honor you’d make to our profession!” - -Paul could not help smiling. - -“I suppose that’s a compliment,” he said. “Thank you. Now I must -trouble you to go.” - -“I’m going! Remember your promise!” - -In an instant the burglar was out of the window, through which he had -made his entrance, and disappeared from sight. Paul did not approach -the window, lest his doing so should excite alarm in the rogue. When a -sufficient time had elapsed he ran to the window, closed it, and once -more breathed freely. The danger was passed, and he began now to feel -the tension to which his nerves had been subjected. - -“Has anything happened, Paul?” asked a voice. Turning, Paul saw Mrs. -Cunningham at the door. She had thrown a wrapper over her, and, -attracted by the sound of voices, had entered the library. - -“Has any burglar been here?” she asked, nervously, observing Paul with -the revolver in his hand. - -“Yes,” answered the telegraph boy; “I have just bidden the gentleman -good night.” - -By this time Jennie, too, made her appearance. “What is it, mamma? What -is it, Paul?” she asked. “Why are you standing there with the revolver -in your hand?” - -Paul told the story as briefly as the circumstances would admit. - -“It was a mercy you were awake!” said Mrs. Cunningham. “Did you hear -the noise of the man’s entrance?” - -“I don’t know how I happened to wake up,” said Paul. “I generally sleep -sound. But I opened my eyes, and immediately heard a noise in this -room.” - -“But did you have time to dress?” asked Jennie. - -“I did not need to do so, for I threw myself on the bed with my clothes -on.” - -“And with your cap on?” inquired Jennie with an arch smile. - -“No, but when I rose from the bed I put it on without thinking. I -don’t know whether I ought to have let the burglar get off free, but I -thought it the easiest way to avoid trouble.” - -“You did right. I approve your conduct,” said Mrs. Cunningham. “You seem -to have acted with remarkable courage and discretion.” - -“I am very glad if you are pleased, madam,” said Paul, gratified at -this cordial indorsement. - -“Weren’t you awfully scared, Paul?” asked Jennie Cunningham. - -“Well, I was a little scared, I admit,” answered Paul, with a smile, -“but I didn’t think it wise to show it before the burglar.” - -“My hand would have trembled so that I couldn’t hold the pistol,” -declared the young lady. - -“Of course; you are a girl, you know.” - -“Don’t you think girls are brave, then?” - -“They are not called upon to be brave in the same way.” - -“A good answer,” said Mrs. Cunningham. “And now, Jennie, we had better -go back to bed. Will you not be afraid to sleep here the rest of the -night after this adventure?” she asked, turning to Paul. - -“No, Mrs. Cunningham. The burglar won’t feel like coming back.” - -“What’s that?” asked Jennie, pointing to some article on the floor. - -“It is the burglar’s jimmy,” said Paul, stooping to pick it up. “He -left in such a hurry that he forgot to take it with him. I will carry -it into my room, and take care of it.” - -Paul bade the two visitors good night and threw himself once more -on the bed. The remainder of the night passed quietly. The midnight -visitor did not reappear. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. PAUL MAKES A STRANGE DISCOVERY. - - -The next morning Mrs. Cunningham insisted on Paul’s taking breakfast -with her before he returned to the telegraph office. Though it was a -new experience to Paul sitting down at a luxuriously furnished table, -in a refined family, he was possessed of a natural good breeding, which -enabled him to appear to advantage. - -He was flattered by the cordial manner in which Mrs. Cunningham and -her daughter treated him, and he was tempted to ask himself whether he -was the same boy that had lived for years in a squalid tenement house, -under the guardianship of a ragged and miserly old man. Being gifted -with a “healthy appetite,” Paul did not fail to appreciate the dainty -rolls, tender meat, and delicious coffee with which he was served. - -“I can’t get such a breakfast as this at the ‘Jim Fisk’ restaurant,” -thought Paul. “Still, that is a good deal better than I could get at -home.” - -“I am not sure whether I shall need you tonight, Paul,” said Mrs. -Cunningham, as they rose from the breakfast table. “It is not certain -whether Mr. Cunningham will be at home or be detained over another -night at Washington.” - -“I shall be glad to come if you need me,” said Paul. - -“I think I will have you come up, at any rate, about seven o’clock,” -said the lady. “I will write a line to the superintendent to that -effect.” - -“Very well, ma’am.” - -When Paul presented himself at the office he was the bearer of a note -to the superintendent. - -That official showed some surprise as he read it. - -“So you drove away a burglar, Number 91?” he said. - -“I believe I frightened him away,” answered Paul. - -“Humph! Was he a little fellow?” - -“No, a large man.” - -“And he was afraid of you?” continued the superintendent, surprised. - -“He was afraid of my revolver,” amended Paul. - -The superintendent asked more questions, being apparently interested in -the matter. - -“The lady wishes you to go up again tonight,” he said. - -“Yes, sir, so she told me, but it is not certain that I shall have to -stay all night.” - -“Of course you are to go.” - -As the telegraph office would receive a good round sum for Paul’s -services, the superintendent was very willing to send him up. - -At noon Paul went home. - -The tenement house seemed still more miserable and squalid, as he -clambered up the rickety staircase. He mentally contrasted it with the -elegant mansion in which he had spent the night, and it disgusted him -still more with the wretched surroundings of the place he called home. - -He was about to open the door of old Jerry’s room, when he was arrested -by the sound of voices. Jerry’s, high pitched and quavering, was -familiar enough to him, but there seemed something familiar, also, in -the voice of the other, and yet he could not identify it with any of -Jerry’s acquaintances. - -There was a round hole in the door, the origin of which was uncertain, -and Paul, knowing that he was at liberty to enter, did not think it -wrong to reconnoiter through it before doing so. - -To his intense surprise, the face of the visitor, visible to him -through the opening, was that of the burglar whom he had confronted the -night before. - -“What can he have to do with Jerry?” Paul asked himself, in -bewilderment. - -Just then the man spoke. - -“The fact is, father, I am hard pressed, and must have some money.” - -Paul’s amazement increased. Was this burglar the son of old Jerry? He -remembered now having heard Jerry refer to a son who had left him many -years ago, and who had never since been heard of. - -“I have no money, James,” whined the old man. “I am poor--very poor.” - -“I’ve heard that talk before,” said the son, contemptuously; “and I -know what it means.” - -“But I am poor,” repeated old Jerry, eagerly. “I don’t get enough to -eat. All I can afford is bread and water.” - -“How much money have you got in the bank?” asked James. - -“Wh--what makes you ask that?” asked the old man, in an agitated voice. - -“Ha! I have hit the nail on the head,” said the visitor with an -unpleasant laugh. - -“You see how poor I am,” said the old man. “Does this poor room look as -if I had money?” - -“No, it doesn’t, but I know you of old, father. I suppose you are the -same old miser you used to be. I shouldn’t wonder if you could raise -thousands of dollars if you chose.” - -“Hear him talk!” ejaculated the old man, raising his feeble arm in -despairing protest. “I--I haven’t got any money except a few cents -that Paul brought me yesterday.” - -“And who is Paul?” asked the son, quickly. - -“He is a boy I took years ago when he was very small. I--I took him out -of charity.” - -“Very likely. That’s so like you,” sneered the son. “I warrant you have -got more out of him than he cost you.” - -This was true enough, as Paul could testify. He was only six when he -came under the old man’s care, but even at that tender age he was -sent out on the street to sell papers and matches, and old Jerry -tried to induce him to beg; but that was something the boy had always -steadfastly refused to do. - -He had an independent, self respecting spirit, which made him ashamed -to beg. He was always willing to work, and to work hard, and he -generally had an opportunity to do so. This will relieve Paul from the -charge of ingratitude, for he had always paid his own way, and really -owed Jerry nothing. - -“He--he has cost me a great deal,” whined Jerry, “but I knew his -father, and I could not turn him out into the streets.” - -“And how old is this boy now?” asked the son. - -“I--I think he is about sixteen.” - -“He ought to be able to earn something. What does he do?” - -“He is a telegraph boy.” - -“Ha!” exclaimed the burglar with a scowl, for the word provoked -disagreeable memories of the previous night. “I hate telegraph boys.” - -“Paul is a good boy--a pretty good boy, but he eats a sight.” - -The son indulged in a short laugh. - -“How does he like your boarding house?” he asked. - -“He doesn’t eat here; he goes to a restaurant. He spends piles of -money!” groaned the old man. - -“Telegraph boys are not generally supposed to revel in riches,” said -the son in a sarcastic tone. “It’s so much out of your pocket, eh?” - -“Yes,” groaned the old man. “If he would give me all his wages I should -be very comfortable.” - -“But he wouldn’t. From what I know of your table, father, I think he -would starve to death in a month. I haven’t forgotten how you starved -me when I was a kid.” - -“You look strong and well now,” said old Jerry. - -“Yes, but no thanks to you! But to business! How much money have you -got?” - -“Very little, James. I have eleven cents that Paul gave me yesterday.” - -“Bah! You are deceiving me. Where is your bank book?” - -“I have none. What makes you ask such questions?” demanded the old man, -querulously. “I wish you would go away.” - -“That is a pretty way to treat a son you haven’t seen for twelve years. -Do you know what I am?” - -“No.” - -“Then I’ll tell you; for years I have been a burglar.” - -Old Jerry looked frightened. - -“You’re not in earnest, James?” - -“Yes, I am. I ain’t proud of the business, but you drove me to it.” - -“No, no,” protested the old man. - -“You made me work hard, and half starved me when I was a boy, you gave -me no chance of education, and all to swell your paltry hoards. If I -have gone to the bad, you are responsible. But let that drop. I’ve been -unfortunate, and I want money.” - -“I told you I had none, James.” - -“And I don’t believe you. Hark you! I will come back tomorrow,” he -said, with a threatening gesture. “In the meanwhile, get fifty dollars -from the bank, and have it ready for me. Do you hear?” - -“You must be mad, James!” said old Jerry, regarding his son with a look -of fear. - -“I shall be, unless you have the money. I will go now, but I shall be -back tomorrow.” - -Paul ran downstairs hastily, as he heard the man’s heavy step -approaching the door. He didn’t care to be recognized by his unpleasant -acquaintance of the night previous. - - - - -CHAPTER VII. PAUL RESOLVES TO MOVE. - - -After Jerry’s unwelcome visitor was well out of the way, Paul returned -to the room. He found old Jerry trembling and very much distressed. The -old man looked up with startled eyes when he opened the door. - -“Oh, it’s you, Paul,” he said, in a tone of relief. - -“Who did you think it was?” asked Paul, wishing to draw out the old man. - -“I--I have had a visit from a bad man, who wanted to rob me.” - -“Who was it?” - -“I’ll tell you, Paul, but it’s a secret, mind. It was my son.” - -“I didn’t know you had a son.” - -“Nor I. I thought he might be dead, for I have not seen him for twenty -years. I am afraid he is very wicked.” - -“How did he find you out?” - -“I don’t know. He--he frightened me very much. He wanted me to give him -money--and I so miserably poor.” - -Paul didn’t answer. - -“You know how poor I am, Paul,” continued the old man appealingly. - -“You always say so, Jerry.” - -The old man did not appear to notice that Paul had ceased to call him -grandfather. - -“And it’s true--of course it’s true. But he wants me to pay him fifty -dollars. He is coming back tomorrow.” - -“But he can’t get it if you haven’t it to give.” - -“I--I don’t know. He was always bad tempered--James was. I am afraid he -might beat me.” - -“What! Beat his father!” exclaimed Paul, indignantly. - -“He might,” said the old man. “He wasn’t a good boy like you. He always -gave me trouble.” - -“Are you really afraid he will come, grand--Jerry?” asked Paul, -earnestly. - -“Yes, he is sure to come--he said so.” - -“Then I think we had better move to another place where he can’t find -us.” - -“Yes--yes--let us go,” said the old man, hurriedly. “But, but,” he -added, with a sudden thought, “we have paid the rent here to the end of -the month. I can’t afford to lose that--I am so poor.” - -“It will only be a dollar and a half; I will pay it,” said Paul. - -“Then I think I shall go. When shall we leave, Paul?” - -“This evening, Jerry, if I can get the time. I may have to stay up town -to guard a house where the gentleman is absent, but it isn’t certain. -If I do, I will be here early in the morning, before I go to work.” - -This assurance seemed to abate the apprehensions of the old man, who, -it was evident, stood in great fear of his son. Paul was obliged to -take a hurried leave of him in order to have time for lunch before -returning to the office. - -“Who would have dreamed,” he said to himself, “that the bold burglar -whom I encountered last night, was the son of old Jerry? One is as -timid as a mouse, the other seems like a daring criminal. I wonder why -Jerry never told me that he had a son.” - -The discovery that Jerry had such a son made Paul still more unwilling -to own a relationship to him. It was bad enough to pass for the -grandson of a squalid miser, but it was worse to be thought the son or -nephew of a burglar. - -The day passed quietly. Paul was not sent out much, on the supposition -that he might have to pass another night at the house of Mr. Cunningham. - -About seven o’clock he rang the bell of the house in Fifty First Street. - -The same servant admitted him. This time she received him with a smile, -knowing that he stood high with her mistress. - -“Come right in,” she said. “The mistress will see you in the sitting -room.” - -“Have you had any more visits from burglars?” asked Paul. - -“No; may be they’re waiting till night.” - -“Has Mr. Cunningham got back?” - -“No, but he’s expected at eight.” - -Paul was glad to hear this, for he preferred not to remain over night, -as he knew that old Jerry would need him. - -When Paul entered the sitting room Mrs. Cunningham received him -cordially. - -“I suppose you have not seen the burglar since,” said Mrs. Cunningham, -innocently. - -She little dreamed what a discovery he had made, and he did not think -it wise to enlighten her. - -“He has not called upon me,” answered Paul, with justifiable evasion. -“I don’t think I want to meet him again.” - -“I hope he will never present himself here,” said the lady. - -“He made me a promise that he would not,” said Paul. - -“I suppose he wouldn’t mind breaking it.” - -“No, but he may conclude that you would be on your guard.” - -“There is something in that,” said Mrs. Cunningham, looking relieved. -“My husband has telegraphed me that he will be here at eight o’clock, -but I don’t want him to run the risk of encountering such a man.” - -“Then you won’t need me to remain here?” - -“No; but I wish you to stay till Mr. Cunningham returns. He will wish -to see you.” - -“Certainly, if you desire it,” said Paul, politely. - -“My daughter will entertain you,” continued the lady. “Here she is.” - -“Good evening, Paul!” said Jennie, cordially extending her hand, as she -entered the room. - -“Good evening!” responded Paul, brightening up. - -“Would you like to play a game of dominoes?” - -“I would be very glad to do so.” - -“Then we’ll play ‘muggins.’ There’s more fun in that than in the -regular game.” - -So the two sat down and were soon deeply immersed in the game. - -“Do you know, Paul,” said Jennie, suddenly, “I feel as if I had known -you for a long time, though it is only about twenty four hours since we -met.” - -“I feel the same,” said Paul. - -“I’m awfully glad they sent you here instead of some other telegraph -boy.” - -“Perhaps you would have liked another one better?” - -“I don’t think I should, but I ought not to say so. It may make you -vain.” - -“Are boys ever vain? I thought it was only girls.” - -“That’s a very impolite speech. I shall have to give you a bad mark!” - -“Then I’ll take it all back!” - -“You’d better,” said Jennie, with playful menace. “I hope you’ll come -up some time when you are not sent for on business!” - -“I would like to very much, if your mother is willing.” - -“Why shouldn’t she be willing?” - -“I am only a poor telegraph boy.” - -“I don’t mind that. I don’t see why a telegraph boy isn’t as good as a -boy in a store. My cousin Mark is in a store.” - -It will be seen that these young people were rapidly coming to a very -good understanding. Paul was not in love, but he certainly did consider -Jennie Cunningham quite the nicest girl he had ever met. - -So the time passed till Mr. Cunningham returned. His wife informed him -briefly of what had occurred. They both entered the room together. He -was a man of middle age, a very pleasant and easy mannered gentleman. - -“Are you the boy who drove away the burglar?” he asked, with a smile. - -“Yes, sir, I believe so,” answered Paul. - -“Then let me add my thanks to those of my wife. You have done us a -great service.” - -“I am very glad to have had the chance,” said Paul. - -“If you will come to my office tomorrow morning,” continued Mr. -Cunningham, “I will thank you in a more effective way. Come at ten -o’clock. As you may find it difficult to leave the office otherwise, -tell the superintendent that I have an errand for you.” - -“Very well, sir.” - -“Here is my business card.” - -Paid took the card and rose to go. - -“Mamma,” said Jennie, “can’t you invite Paul to call and see us -sometimes?” - -“Certainly,” said the lady, smiling. “After what he has done he ought -to have the freedom of the house. We shall be glad to see you as a -visitor, Paul,” she said, kindly. - -Paul left the house in a flutter of pleasant excitement. He was quite -determined to avail himself of an invitation so agreeable. - -He crossed over to Third Avenue, and returned by the elevated railway -to the home of old Jerry. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. PAUL MOVES TO LUDLOW STREET. - - -In the evening Paul found old Jerry anxiously awaiting him. - -“Have you found a new room, Paul?” he asked, eagerly. - -“I haven’t had time,” Paul answered, “but I’ll go at once and see about -it.” - -“James will be here tomorrow,” said the old man, nervously, “and I--I -am afraid of him. He is a bad man. He wants me to give him money. You -know I have no money, Paul?” he concluded with a look of appeal. - -Now Paul knew that old Jerry had money, and he could not truthfully -answer as the old man desired him. - -“You say so, and that is enough,” he said. - -“But it’s true,” urged Jerry, who understood the doubt in Paul’s mind. -“How could I get any money? What you give me is all we have to live on.” - -“That isn’t much, at any rate.” - -“No, Paul, it isn’t much. Couldn’t you give me half a dollar more? Two -dollars and a half are very little for me to live on and pay the rent,” -whined the old man. - -The appeal would have moved Paul if he had not suspected that the old -man had a considerable sum of money laid away. As it was, it only -disgusted him and made him feel angry at Jerry’s attempt to deceive -him. - -“Are you sure you get no money except what I give you?” he asked, -pointedly. - -“What do you mean, Paul?” demanded the old man, looking alarmed. “What -gave you the idea that I had any other money?” - -“At any rate,” said the telegraph boy, “you haven’t any money to throw -away on this son of yours. I have no doubt he’s a bad man, as you say.” - -“He was always bad and troublesome, James was,” said old Jerry. “He was -always wanting money from the time he was a boy.” - -“When he was a boy there was some reason for his asking it, but now he -is a man grown, isn’t he?” - -“Yes, yes.” - -“How old is he?” - -“James must be nigh upon thirty,” answered Jerry, after a little -reflection. “You won’t hire too expensive a room, Paul?” he added. “You -know we are poor, very poor!” - -“Not unless I am willing to pay the extra cost myself.” - -“Don’t do that! Give me the extra money, Paul,” said Jerry, with eager -cupidity. “I--I find it hard to get along with two dollars and a half a -week.” - -“You forget, Jerry,” said Paul, coldly, “that I must have my meals. I -can’t live without eating.” - -“You eat too much, Paul, I’ve long thought so. It’s hurtful to eat too -much. It’s--it’s bad for the health.” - -“I’ll take the risk,” said Paul, with a short laugh. “I am not afraid -of dying of gout, Jerry, with my present bill of fare.” - -“If you wouldn’t mind my going out a few hours every day, and asking -kind gentlemen to help me, Paul, we--we could get along better.” - -“I won’t hear of it, Jerry,” said Paul, sternly. “If I hear of your -going out to beg I will leave you and go off and live by myself. Then -there will be no two dollars and a half coming to you every week.” - -“No, no, don’t leave me, Paul,” said Jerry, thoroughly alarmed by this -threat. “I won’t go out if you don’t want me to, though it’s very, very -foolish to stay in, when there are so many kind gentlemen and ladies -ready to give money to old Jerry.” - -“Besides,” added Paul, “if you go out and stand in the street, your son -will sooner or later find you out, and make trouble for you.” - -“So he will, so he will,” chimed in the miser, with the old look of -alarm on his face. “You are right, Paul, you are right. I must put it -off. I--I wish he would go away somewhere--to--to California, or some -place a great way off.” - -Paul saw that he had produced the effect he intended upon the old man’s -mind, and went out at once to look for a new room. He finally found one -some half mile farther up town, in Ludlow Street--a little below Grand. - -The room was better furnished than the one in which he and Jerry had -lived for some years. There was a cheap carpet on the floor, a bed in -one corner, and a shabby but comfortable lounge, on which Paul himself -proposed to sleep. The rent was two dollars a month more than they -had been accustomed to pay, but Paul concluded to say nothing of this -to the old man, but quietly to pay it out of his own pocket. It would -be but fifty cents a week, and he thought he could make that extra -sum in some way. He was beginning to be more fastidious about his -accommodations, now that he had seen how people lived uptown. - -In fact, Paul was becoming ambitious. It was a very proper ambition, -too. He had lived long enough in a squalid, miserable room, and now he -meant to be better provided for. - -“I am getting older,” he said to himself. “I ought to earn more money. -I am sure I can somehow. I will keep my eyes open and see what I can -find.” - -Paul resolved to buy a bureau, if he could get one cheap, for at -present he had absolutely no place in which to keep his small stock -of clothing. He did not know exactly where the money was coming from, -but he was hopeful, and had faith in himself. He was not waiting for -something to turn up, as many lazy boys do, but he meant himself to -turn up something. - -Having concluded a bargain for the room, paying a dollar down, and -promising to pay a further sum on Saturday night when he received his -weekly pay, he returned to old Jerry. - -“Well, Jerry,” he said cheerfully, “I’ve found a room.” - -“Where is it, Paul?” - -“In Ludlow Street.” - -“Then let us go--at once. James might change his mind, and come round -tonight. I don’t want to see him. He is a bold, bad man.” - -Paul suggested that they had better not leave word with the neighbors -where they were going, as this might furnish a clew to James Barclay, -and put him on his father’s track. - -Old Jerry eagerly assented to this, and the two started for their new -home. They had very little to carry--at any rate, this was the case -with the miser, and Paul’s wardrobe was not too extensive for him to -carry it all with him at once. - -When Jerry saw the room that Paul had engaged he was alarmed. - -“This--this is too fine for us, Paul,” he said. “We can’t afford to pay -for it. How much is the rent?” - -“Six dollars a month,” answered Paul. - -“We shall be ruined!” ejaculated Jerry, turning pale. - -“It is two dollars more than we paid in the old place,” said Paul, “but -it won’t come out of you. I will make a new arrangement with you--I -will pay the entire rent, and give you a dollar and a half a week.” - -“Make it two dollars, Paul,” said Jerry, in a coaxing tone. - -“What are you thinking of? Do you want to starve me?” demanded Paul, -sternly. - -“I--I am so poor, Paul,” whined the miser. - -“So am I,” answered Paul, “but I must keep enough to pay for my meals.” - -Jerry saw that it would be useless to contest the point further, and -settled himself in his new quarters, rather enjoying the improvement, -but groaning inwardly over Paul’s extravagance. Paul threw himself on -the lounge, after taking off his coat and vest, and, covering himself -with a blanket, was soon sound asleep. - -[Illustration: PAUL THREW HIMSELF ON THE LOUNGE, AND SOON WAS FAST -ASLEEP.] - - - - -CHAPTER IX. PAUL BECOMES A CAPITALIST. - - -Paul did not fail to meet the appointment at Mr. Cunningham’s office -the next morning. He had no difficulty in getting away, for it was -understood at the office that he was wanted to run an errand and his -time would be paid for. - -“You seem to be in with the Cunninghams, Number 91,” said the -superintendent. - -“Yes, sir, they are very kind to me,” answered Paul. - -“That is well. We like to have boys on good terms with customers. It -increases the business of the office.” - -Mr. Cunningham was talking with another gentleman when Paul entered his -office. - -“Sit down, Paul,” he said in a friendly tone, indicating a chair. “I -shall soon be at leisure, and then I will attend to you.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said the telegraph boy. - -He had to wait about ten minutes. Then Mr. Cunningham’s visitor left -him, and he turned to Paul. - -“How is business this morning?” he asked, with a smile. - -“This is my first call, sir.” - -“Oh, well, no doubt you will have plenty before the day is over.” - -“Yes, sir, I am engaged for the afternoon.” - -“Indeed! And in what way?” - -“I am to go shopping with a lady.” - -“Can’t she go by herself there?” - -“Yes, sir, I suppose so, but she wants me to carry her bundles.” - -“Retail merchants generally send them home.” - -“Yes, sir, but she once had one miscarry, and now she prefers to take a -boy with her.” - -“How do you like that business?” asked Mr. Cunningham. - -“It is rather tiresome,” answered Paul, “as the lady is hard to suit -and spends a good deal of time in each store. However, there is one -thing that reconciles me to it.” - -“What is that?” - -“She is liberal, and always gives me something for myself.” - -“That is very considerate of her. I was speaking of that to my wife -this morning.” - -“Of what, sir?” inquired Paul. - -“We both decided that you were entitled to a present for your brave -defense of the house.” - -Now I suppose it would have been the proper thing for Paul to protest -against receiving any present, but I am obliged to record the fact that -he had no objection to having his services acknowledged in that way. - -“I only did my duty, sir,” he said, modestly. - -“Very true, but that is no reason why I should not show my appreciation -of the service rendered. I suppose you have no bank account?” - -“I never got along as far as that, sir,” said Paul. - -“Then I won’t give you a check, as it might inconvenience you.” - -Paul was a little surprised, for a bank check sounded large, and the -gratuities he usually received seldom reached as high as fifty cents. - -Mr. Cunningham drew out his pocketbook, and, taking out three bills, -placed them in Paul’s hands. - -Paul’s eyes expanded when he saw that the first bill was a ten. But he -was destined to be still more surprised, for each of the other two was -a twenty. There was fifty dollars in all. - -“Is all this for me?” he asked, almost incredulous. - -“Yes, Paul.” - -“But here are fifty dollars.” - -“I am quite aware of it,” said the merchant, smiling. “That is the -exact sum I intended to give you.” - -“I don’t know how to thank you,” said Paul, warmly. “To me it is a -fortune.” - -“Excuse my giving you advice, but I hope you will spend it wisely.” - -“I will try to do so, sir. I will put all but ten dollars in a savings -bank.” - -“You could not do better. You may in time be able to add to it.” - -“I shall try to, sir, when I earn more money.” - -“How much do you earn now?” - -“With presents, it amounts to six or seven dollars a week--sometimes -less.” - -“You can’t save out of that?” - -“No, sir; I live with an old man, and give him two dollars and a half -a week for rent and other expenses. Hereafter I am to give him three -dollars. I should give more, but I pay for my own meals.” - -“Then you have no parents living?” - -“No, sir; I am alone in the world.” - -“Is the old man any relation to you?” - -“No, sir.” - -“When you need friends to call on you will always be welcome at my -house.” - -“Thank you, sir,” said Paul, gratefully, and he decided to avail -himself of the invitation soon. He was anxious to meet Jennie -Cunningham again. Having no sister, he had enjoyed scarcely any -opportunities of meeting girls, except such as sold matches or -papers in the streets, and these, for the most part, were bold and -unattractive. - -Mr. Cunningham turned to his desk, and Paul saw that his interview was -over. - -He did not like to carry around so much money. He was liable to be -robbed; that he could not afford. So he resolved to go around to the -Bowery Savings Bank and deposit forty dollars, taking out a book. Then -he would feel safe as to that. The ten dollars he had a use for, as he -wished to buy a cheap bureau, or trunk; he had not quite made up his -mind which. - -He took the shortest cut to the Bowery Savings Bank. This is one of the -largest and most important savings banks in the city, and its deposits -exceed twenty millions. It is a blessing to thousands of salaried men -and women, mechanics and others, in providing them a safe place of -deposit for their surplus money. - -Paul entered the bank, and, going up to the proper clerk, subscribed -the books of the bank, giving his age, and other particulars necessary -to identification; and then, rather to the surprise of the bank -officer, wrote out a deposit check for forty dollars. - -“You have just been paid off, I take it,” he said with a smile. - -“Yes, sir,” answered Paul. - -“Two weeks’ pay, I presume?” - -“I earned it in considerably less time than that, sir.” - -“Indeed!” - -“Yes, I earned it all, and ten dollars besides, in one night.” - -“Then your business is better than mine. I should be willing to -exchange.” - -“It isn’t a steady business,” said Paul. - -“What is it?” - -“Defending a house from burglars.” - -“I am not quite sure how I should like that business; there might be -some risk attending it.” - -Paul’s business was completed, and he prepared to go away. The book he -put in his pocket, and took his way back to the office on Broadway. -He began to feel like a young capitalist. Forty dollars may not seem -a very large sum to some of my fortunate readers, but Paul had never -before possessed ten dollars at a time, and to him it seemed a small -fortune. - -He had no idea that his visit to the bank was observed by any one that -knew him, but such was the case. - -Old Jerry, as the reader already knows, was a depositor at the Bowery -Savings Bank, and this very morning, having a small deposit to make, he -was shambling along the Bowery, when he saw Paul descend the steps with -a bank book in his hand. He was intensely surprised. - - - - -CHAPTER X. PAUL LOSES HIS BANK BOOK. - - -Old Jerry felt outraged at Paul’s withholding money from him for -deposit in the savings bank. - -“The--the thieving young rascal!” he muttered to himself, indignantly. -“He is putting my money into the bank, and letting me starve at home, -while he lives on the fat of the land, and lays up money. Me that have -taken care of him ever since he was a little boy, and--and cared for -him like a father.” - -Jerry had a curious idea of the way fathers care for their children, -judging from his words. When Paul was only six years old, he had been -sent into the streets to sell matches and papers, and, being a bright, -winning boy, had earned considerably more, even at that tender age, -than many older boys. - -At times Jerry had induced him to beg, but it was only for a short -time. Paul had a natural pride and independence that made him shrink -from asking alms, as soon as he was old enough to understand the -humiliation of it. So there was never a time when he had not earned his -own living, and more besides. But Jerry chose to forget this, and to -charge Paul with ingratitude, when he discovered that he had a private -fund of his own. - -“I must get hold of that money,” thought Jerry. “I wonder how much Paul -has got.” - -There was no way of finding out, unless he got hold of the book, or -inquired at the bank. He decided to do the latter. Accordingly he went -over to the bank, and entering it walked up to the receiving teller. - -“Was there a boy named Paul Parton here just now?” he asked. - -“Yes; what of it?” - -“Did he put some money into the bank?” - -“Yes.” - -“How much was it?” - -“We don’t give information about our depositors,” said the teller. “Is -he your grandson?” - -“Yes; that is, he lives with me.” - -“You are a depositor also, are you not? I seem to remember your face.” - -“Yes.” - -“What is your name?” - -“Jeremiah Barclay.” - -“I remember now. Why do you want to know about this boy?” - -“He ought to have given me the money, instead of putting it into the -bank.” - -“We have nothing to do with that. He did not steal it from you, I -presume.” - -“No,” answered Jerry, reluctantly. It occurred to him for an instant -to claim that Paul had robbed him, but he was rather afraid that the -telegraph boy would in that case become angry and leave him, and the -sum he had in bank would not pay him for that. - -The miser did not suspect that Paul had over five dollars laid up, -having no knowledge of the handsome gift he had received from Mrs. -Cunningham. But even if it were only five dollars, it was sufficient -to excite Jerry’s cupidity, and he decided that he must manage to get -possession of it. - -“Then you won’t tell me how much money Paul has in the bank?” - -“It is against our rules.” - -Jerry felt that he was dismissed, and stumbled out of the bank, -forgetting, in his thoughts about Paul, the business of his own which -had brought him there. - -But there was other business for Jerry to attend to that morning. We -are about to let the reader into a secret, which he had hitherto kept -from Paul. - -Not far away was a small tenement house which Jerry hired and sublet to -tenants. Every month he called to collect his rents, and the difference -between the rent he paid for the whole building, and the rents he -collected from the tenants, gave him a handsome profit. - -It was not rent day, but there were two of the tenants in arrears. One -was a laborer, temporarily out of work, and the other was a poor widow -who went out scrubbing, but was now taken down with rheumatism, and -therefore not able to work. - -The old man ascended with painful toil to the third floor, and called -on the widow first. - -She turned pale when she saw him enter, for she knew his errand, and -how little chance there was of softening him. - -“I hope you have got the rent for me this morning, Mrs. O’Connor,” said -Jerry, harshly. - -“And where would I get it, Mr. Barclay?” she asked. “It’s very little -work I can do on account of the sharp pains I have.” - -“That’s none of my business,” said Jerry, in a harsh tone. “You will -have to go, then.” - -“And would you put me on the street, me and my poor childer?” said the -poor woman, with a troubled look. “I’m afraid it’s the hard heart you -have, Mr. Barclay.” - -“Don’t talk nonsense, Mrs. O’Connor,” said Jerry, sharply. “I can’t let -you stay here for nothing. I--I’m very poor myself,” he added, with his -customary whine. - -“You poor!” repeated the widow, bitterly. “I’ve heard that you’re -rolling in riches, Mr. Barclay.” - -“Who--who says so?” asked Jerry, alarmed. - -“Everybody says so.” - -“Then you can tell ’em they’re very much mistaken.” - -“What do you do with all the rent you get from this building, then?” - -“I pay it away, that is, almost all of it. I don’t own the building. -I--I hire it, and some months, on account of losses, I don’t make a -cent,” asseverated Jerry. “I--I think I’m a little out take the year -together.” - -“Then why don’t you give it up if you don’t make any money out of it?” - -“That--that is nothing to the purpose. Once more, Mrs. O’Connor, will -you pay me my rent?” - -“How can I when I have no money?” - -“Then you must borrow it. I’ll give you till tomorrow, and not a day -longer. Remember that, Mrs. O’Connor, will you not?” - -Next Jerry visited the other tenant with rather better success, for he -collected one dollar on account. - -He waited eagerly for Paul to come home. He had made up his mind to -explore Paul’s pockets after he was asleep and get possession of his -bank book. With that, as he thought, he would go to the bank and draw -the money that stood in Paul’s name. It would be a theft, but Jerry -did not look at it in that light. He persuaded himself that he had a -perfect right to take the property of the boy who was living under his -guardianship, though, to speak properly, it was rather Paul that took -care of him. - -It was rather late in the evening when Paul got home, for every other -evening he was employed. The old man was awake, but pretended to be -asleep. Paul took off his coat and vest, and threw himself on the -lounge, covering himself up with a quilt. His clothes he put on a chair -alongside. - -It was not long before he was sound asleep, being much fatigued with -the labors of the day. - -Old Jerry got up cautiously from the bed. He, too, was dressed, for -he seldom took the trouble to undress, and cautiously drew near the -lounge. He took up Paul’s coat, and threw his claw-like fingers into -an inside pocket. His eyes sparkled with delight as he drew out the -telegraph boy’s bank book. - -“I’ve got it!” he muttered, gleefully. “Paul isn’t any match for the -old man! I--I wonder how much money he has saved up!” - -Paul slept on, unaware of the cunning old man’s treachery, and of the -danger to which his little treasure was exposed. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. AT THE SAVINGS BANK. - - -Old Jerry laid down Paul’s coat, and opened the bank book, of which he -had just obtained possession. He was eager to ascertain how much Paul -had saved up. - -“Forty dollars!” - -He could hardly believe his eyes. - -How in the world could Paul have managed to save up forty dollars? - -“Forty dollars!” exclaimed old Jerry, gleefully. “I’m in luck for once. -Of course it belongs to me. I am Paul’s guardian, and have a right to -his earnings. He shouldn’t have kept it from me. I--I will go to the -bank and draw it all tomorrow. Then I will put it in in my own name. -That will make it all right.” And old Jerry rubbed his hands joyfully. - -After this theft, for it can be called by no other name, Jerry did not -sleep much. He was too much excited by the unexpected magnitude of his -discovery, and by his delight at adding so much to his own hoards. -Then, again, he was afraid Paul might wake up, and, discovering his -loss, demand from him the restitution of the book. - -Generally Paul rose at six o’clock, as this enabled him to get his -breakfast and get round to the telegraph company at seven. He generally -waked about fifteen minutes before the hour, such was the force of -habit. - -This morning he woke at the usual time, but old Jerry had got up -softly and left the room twenty minutes before. - -Turning over, Paul glanced toward the bed in the corner, and was -surprised to see no signs of the old man. - -“Jerry gone out already!” he said to himself, in amazement “I wonder -what’s come over him. I hope he isn’t sick.” - -Paul didn’t however borrow any trouble, for he concluded that Jerry had -got tired of his bed, and gone out for a morning walk. - -He lay till seven, and then, throwing off the quilt, rose from the -lounge. He was already partly dressed, and only needed to put on his -coat. Then, with a cheerful smile, he felt for his bank book, which he -had placed in the inside pocket of his coat. - -_It was not there!_ - -He started, and turned pale. - -“Where is my bank book?” he asked himself in alarm. - -Then it flashed upon him. - -“Old Jerry has taken it!” he said, sternly, “and has slunk off with it -before I am up. That’s why he got up so early. But I’ll put a spoke in -his wheel. I’ll go to the bank and give notice that my book has been -stolen. He shan’t draw the money on it, if I can prevent it.” - -But Paul was unable to carry out his intention of calling at the -bank at the hour of opening, in order to give notice of his loss. On -reporting for duty at the telegraph office, he was sent over to Jersey -City, where he was detained until eleven o’clock. He felt uneasy, and -thought of asking to have some other boy assigned to the duty, but it -so happened that the superintendent was not in an amiable frame of -mind, and he knew that his request would not be granted. - -Meanwhile, about five minutes after the bank was opened, old Jerry -shambled in, and, sitting down at a table, wrote out an order for forty -dollars in favor of Book No. 251,610 signing it “Paul Parton.” - -This he took to the desk of the cashier. - -“Please give me the money on this,” he said. - -The cashier eyed him sharply. - -“Are you Paul Parton?” he demanded. - -“N-no,” faltered the old man; “I am Paul’s guardian.” - -“Did you put in this money for him?” - -“N-no.” - -“Did he write this order?” - -Old Jerry would have had no scruples about asserting that it was -written by Paul, but he knew that the statement would at once be -recognized as false, as he had himself written it in the presence of -the cashier. - -“N-no,” he admitted, reluctantly; “but it makes no difference; Paul is -busy, and can’t come. He’s a telegraph boy. H-he wanted me to draw it -for him.” - -It will be seen that old Jerry’s conscience was elastic, and that he -had no scruple about lying. - -“That won’t answer,” replied the cashier, eying the old man -suspiciously. “It is not according to our rules.” - -“I--I want to use the money--that is, Paul does,” remonstrated old -Jerry, disappointed. - -“That makes no difference.” - -“I--I’ll get Paul to write an order,” said Jerry, as he left the bank. - -“That old man stole the boy’s book,” thought the cashier. “Now he is -going home to forge an order in the boy’s name.” - -That is exactly what old Jerry meant to do. He thought it best however, -to wait till afternoon. - -Meanwhile, at twelve o’clock, Paul, then for the first time able to get -away, hurried into the bank, breathless. - -“I want to give notice that my bank book has been taken,” he said, -panting. - -“Your name, please?” - -“Paul Parton.” - -“Number of book?” - -“No. 251,610.” - -“Your book was presented two hours since by an old man, who handed in -an order for all the money.” - -The perspiration gathered on Paul’s brow. - -“Did you give it to him?” - -“No; it is not according to our rules to pay, except to the written -order of the depositor.” - -“I am glad of that,” said Paul. “Don’t pay it if he comes again.” - -“We will not,” replied the cashier; and Paul left the building feeling -greatly relieved. - -Old Jerry ought to have known that there was very little chance of a -forged order being honored, for the bank possessed Paul’s autograph -signature on its books, making the fact of the forgery evident at once, -but it sometimes happens that men sharp in some matters are very obtuse -in others. This was the case with old Jerry in the present instance. - -About two o’clock he entered the bank once more. Paul had not come home -at the noon hour--he seldom did, being in the habit of dining at a -restaurant, and the old man thought him still ignorant of the theft. He -was anxious to draw the money before the telegraph boy learned that his -book had been appropriated. - -He had prepared an order, having taken one with him in blank, and made -it out for forty dollars, signing it “Paul Parton.” - -Armed with this, he walked up to the cashier’s window, and without a -word presented it in the book. - -The cashier recognized him instantly. - -“Well,” he said, “what do you want?” - -“The money,” answered the old man, his features working with cupidity. - -“You were here this morning?” - -“Y--yes.” - -“I told you you could not draw out the money on your own order.” - -“This is Paul’s order,” returned Jerry, with unblushing falsehood. - -“Did he write it?” - -“Y--yes.” - -“I thought you said he was occupied by business.” - -“He--he came home at noon, and wrote the order.” - -“That is false!” said the cashier, sternly. “The boy has been here to -report that his book has been stolen, and forbade us to pay out any -money on it.” - -The old man’s face was the picture of dismay. - -“The--there’s some mistake,” he managed to mutter. “It must be some -other boy. Paul asked me to draw the money. Besides, it isn’t his money -at all. It--it rightfully belongs to me.” - -“You can draw no money on the order which you have forged,” said the -cashier, sternly. - -“Then give me back the book,” said Jerry, beginning to get frightened. - -“I shall retain the book for the rightful owner,” said the official. -“And now let me advise you never to come here again on any such errand, -or I shall feel it my duty to hand you over to the police.” - -Without another word old Jerry shambled out of the bank, with a scared -look on his face. This reference to the police startled him. It had not -occurred to him that he was doing anything of which the law could take -cognizance. His exultation of the morning had quite passed away. He had -flattered himself that his hoard would increase by forty dollars. Now -he had found himself foiled in the attempt to convert Paul’s savings to -his own use. - -About six o’clock Paul returned to the humble home. Old Jerry was -resting on the bed in the corner. He looked up nervously as the -telegraph boy entered, and saw at once by the expression on Paul’s face -that he knew all. - -“Jerry,” said Paul, “why did you take my bank book?” - -“I--I’m so poor, Paul,” whined Jerry, “I--I needed the money.” - -“So you turned thief,” returned the boy, indignantly. - -“The money was mine by right--you shouldn’t have kept it from me.” - -“I deny it!” said Paul, with emphasis. “Have you got the book with you?” - -“N--no; they wouldn’t give it back to me,” complained Jerry. - -“And they did right. If you ever play such a trick on me again, robbing -me in my sleep, I’ll leave you. Suppose I should get hold of your bank -book--” - -“I--I haven’t any money in the bank. I’m so poor!” ejaculated the -miser, panic stricken. - -“I have reason to believe you have the bank book in your pocket at this -moment.” - -“You--you wouldn’t rob me, Paul?” implored Jerry. - -“How can I if you have no bank book? But you can rest easy. I am not in -the habit of stealing.” - -He went out to supper, leaving Jerry utterly discomposed. Not only had -his plan failed, but his secret had been discovered. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. JAMES BARCLAY’S DISAPPOINTMENT. - - -Though he is a very unworthy specimen of humanity, the reader may -feel interested to know something more about James Barclay, whose -acquaintance we made while he was attempting to commit a burglary. - -It was mere accident that made him acquainted with the fact that his -father was living in New York. To him it seemed a most fortunate -discovery. Knowing old Jerry’s miserly habits, he had no doubt that the -old man was worth some thousands of dollars, and upon this sum he felt -that he had a right to draw. His father was timid, and he depended upon -terrifying him into complying with his demands. - -The first visit terminated as well as he expected. He didn’t suppose -that Jerry kept much money in his room. Hence his arrangement to come -back the next day. - -As he left the poor tenement house he chuckled to himself, “I’ll scare -the old man into giving me all the money I want. It will be like -drawing a tooth, and I’ve no doubt he’ll make a great fuss, but there’s -no escape for him. He can live on little or nothing and enjoy it. It -won’t do him any real harm to let me have, say half of his miserly -hoard. Egad, James Barclay, you’re in luck at last. I thought when that -telegraph kid foiled me last night that nothing would go well with me, -but things seem turning. If I ever meet that boy again I must give him -a lesson. He’s a bold young rascal, though, and would be a credit to my -line of business.” - -It is doubted whether Paul would have considered this a compliment if -he had heard it. His ambitions did not run in the direction of becoming -a successful burglar. - -It was a question with James Barclay where to spend the intervening -time, as he was not to call on his father till the next day. He was -about at the end of his resources, having less than a dollar in silver -in his possession. He might have tried to hatch up some dishonest -scheme for filling his pockets but for the chance discovery of his -father. That afforded a chance quite as promising, and far less -perilous, and he decided not to make any illegal ventures till he had -made all he could out of old Jerry. - -“I’d rather be honest,” he said to himself in a glow of virtuous -feeling; “but, confound it, a man must live, and as the world owes me a -living, I must get it one way or another.” - -It did not seem to occur to James Barclay that the same chance existed -for him as for the majority of his fellow men--a chance of earning a -living by honest work. Labor and industry he abhorred. They might do -for others, but not for him. - -“Tomorrow I’ll be in funds,” he said to himself complacently. “Now, -what shall I do with myself today? A man can’t do much without money.” - -It occurred to him that an old acquaintance--rather a shady -acquaintance by the way--used to live in Jersey City. He would go over -and see him. It would while away the time in a pleasant manner, and he -might get news of his other companions, for he had been out of the city -himself for several years. In fact, for we need not keep the secret -from the reader, he had been passing three years in seclusion at the -village of Sing Sing on the Hudson. That accounted for his father -having been spared any visits for that length of time. - -James Barclay turned down Cortlandt Street, and made his way to the -ferry at the foot of the street. He invested three cents in a ferry -ticket, and in a few minutes set foot in Jersey City. - -“It’s a long time since I have been here,” he reflected. “Ten to one -Jack isn’t hanging out at the old place. However, I can see.” - -He made his way to the former abode of his old friend, Jack Cratts, who -was much such a character as himself, but, being more prudent, less apt -to get into trouble. - -He only met with disappointment. Another family occupied the room -once tenanted by Jack, and he could obtain no information as to the -whereabouts of his friend. - -James Barclay was disappointed. The time was hanging heavily on his -hands. He made his way slowly toward the ferry, when he encountered -a poorly dressed woman of about thirty, carrying a heavy basket of -clothes. She was evidently a laundress. - -His face lighted up with instant recognition. - -“Is it you, Ellen?” he said. - -The woman turned pale, and nearly dropped the basket she was carrying. - -“James!” she ejaculated, faintly. - -“Yes, Ellen, it is your poor, unfortunate husband. Egad, I’m glad to -see you.” - -It was now over three years since James Barclay and his wife had met. -She had never been very happy with him, after the first few months of -married life, and she did not know now whether to be glad or sorry she -had met him. She had not lost all love for him--wives seldom do under -any provocation--but she knew him too well to believe that he had -changed materially. He was likely still to prove a disturbing element -in her life. Yet she felt a momentary pleasure, lonely as she was, in -meeting the man who, ten years before, had captured her affections. - -“Are you glad to see me, Ellen?” asked Barclay, in an unusually -pleasant tone. - -“Yes,” she answered, slowly. - -“How are the children? I don’t suppose I should know them.” - -“They are well. Jimmy and Mary are going to school. Jimmy sells papers -evenings to help me along.” - -“How old is the young rascal?” - -“Eight years old.” - -“Is he a chip of the old block, eh, Ellen?” - -“I hope not,” said the woman, heartily. Then, with a half frightened -look, she added, “Don’t be offended with me, James, but I don’t want -him to follow in your steps.” - -“No offense, Ellen,” said Barclay, laughingly. “I don’t pretend to be -an angel, and I hope the kid will be more of one than I. And how are -you yourself, old woman?” - -“I’ve had to work very hard, James,” sighed the woman. “It’s been all I -can do to earn a poor living for the children.” - -“I wish I could help you, and perhaps I may. I’m expecting some money -tomorrow, and I’m hanged if I don’t give you ten dollars of it.” - -“It would be a great help to me, James,” said his wife, with a -momentary look of pleasure. - -“Are you going home now?” - -“Yes, James.” - -“I’ll go along, too, and see what sort of a crib you’ve got. Can you -let me have some dinner?” - -“Yes, James, though it’ll be a poor one.” - -“O, I shan’t mind. Here, give me that basket. I’m stronger than you.” - -“Has he really reformed and become better?” thought Ellen, puzzled. She -had never been used to such marks of attention from her husband. But he -was in an amiable frame of mind. He had found a place of refuge till -the next day, and then he would draw fifty dollars from his father--the -first of many forced loans he promised himself. - -He lounged away the rest of the day at his wife’s poor room. When the -children came home from school he received them with boisterous good -nature. They seemed afraid of him, remembering his severity in earlier -days, but this only seemed to amuse him. - -“That’s a pretty way to receive your loving father,” he said, -laughingly. “Come here and sit on my knee, Mary.” - -The little girl obeyed with scared face, because she did not dare to -refuse lest she should anger her father. So the day passed. James -Barclay lay in bed late next morning, but about eleven o’clock started -for New York, to meet the appointment with his father. - -A little before noon he ascended the staircase, and opened the door of -the room which he had visited the day before. - -It was empty! - -His face darkened, and an unpleasant misgiving entered his mind. - -He knocked at the door of the opposite room, which was opened by a -woman. - -“What has become of the old man who occupied the room opposite?” he -asked. - -“He has moved,” answered Mrs. Duane. - -“Moved! When did he move?” - -“This morning, I believe.” - -“Where has he gone to?” - -“He didn’t leave word.” - -“The old fox!” muttered James Barclay. “He has gone to get rid of me. -But I’ll follow him up, and sooner or later I’ll find him.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. JAMES BARCLAY AT HOME. - - -James Barclay’s disappointment was intense when he discovered that his -father had eluded him. He was almost penniless, and had nothing of -sufficient value to pawn. Had he raised the sum which he had expected -from old Jerry, it is doubtful whether he would have returned to his -family in Jersey City. As it was, he had no other resource. - -His wife, who took in washing to do at home, was hard at work ironing -when the door opened and her husband entered. A frown was on his face, -and he was evidently in ill temper. - -A cat, the family pet, being in his way, he kicked her brutally, and -the poor animal, moaning piteously, fled in wild dismay. - -“Get out of the way, you beast!” he said, angrily. - -“Don’t kick poor Topsy!” pleaded his wife. “I am afraid you have hurt -the poor little thing.” - -“Keep her out of my way, then,” growled Barclay. “I hate cats. You must -be a fool to keep one.” - -“The children love poor Topsy, James,” said his wife. - -“I suppose you’d keep a snake for them, if they liked it.” - -“A kitten is very different from a snake.” - -“I shall kill it some time if it gets in my way. Have you got anything -to eat in the house?” - -Mrs. Barclay paused in her work long enough to get some bread and meat -from the pantry, which she set before her husband. - -“Where are the children?” he asked, after a while. - -“They have gone to school.” - -“They ought to be earning something at their age,” growled Barclay. - -“They are very young yet, James. You wouldn’t have me take them from -school?” - -“School won’t do ’em much good.” - -“You wouldn’t have them grow up ignorant, surely?” - -“They have got to earn something. I can’t support them in idleness.” - -As it was some years since he had contributed a cent to their support, -his wife didn’t quite appreciate his complaint, but she knew too much -of her husband’s temper to argue with him. - -“Jimmy sells papers when he gets home from school,” she said. - -“How much does he earn that way?” - -“Sometimes from fifteen to twenty cents.” - -“He’ll need to earn more, I can tell you that. I’m very poor, Ellen, -and cursed unfortunate, too. I haven’t money enough to buy a ten cent -cigar.” - -“I will try to support the children if you will take care of yourself, -James.” - -Any man with a spark of true manhood in him would have been shamed by -such a proposition, but James Barclay was a thoroughly selfish man. It -seemed to him that his wife ought to support him, too. - -“Have you got a dollar about you, Ellen?” he asked. - -“Ye-es,” she answered, hesitatingly, “but I must buy some bread and -groceries this evening, or the children won’t have their supper.” - -“Seems to me you care more about the children than you do about your -husband. A pretty wife you are!” - -“I don’t deserve that, James. Of course you are welcome to your share -of the supper.” - -“Thank you! So you want to treat me as a child.” - -The man was utterly unreasonable, and his wife can hardly be blamed if -there rose in her mind a regret that he had not stayed away longer, and -left her and the children in peace. - -“I thought you expected to have some money today, James,” she said. - -“Yes, but I didn’t get it. Just my cursed luck!” he answered, bitterly. -“My own father turns his back on me, and won’t give me a cent, though -he has money in plenty.” - -“Your father?” said his wife in surprise. “Is he--have you seen him?” - -“Yes, I saw him yesterday, and told him I would call today for fifty -dollars. I went, and found the old scoundrel had disappeared.” - -“Is it right to call your father by such a name? He may not have had -the money.” - -“You don’t know my father. He’s a miser, and always has been. He lives -in a wretched hole, not so good as this place, while he has thousands -of dollars invested, or hidden somewhere. He thinks he’s got rid of me, -but” (here an oath escaped his lips) “he will find he’s mistaken.” - -All this was new to Mrs. Barclay, who had heard very little of her -husband’s family. - -“Perhaps if you find him you could induce him to come and live with -us,” she said. “He might take an interest in the children and do -something for them.” - -“More likely he would want to live off us. However, if I could once get -him here, I’d manage to get my hand into his purse. It’s a good idea.” - -“Does he live alone? He must be an old man.” - -“He’s all bent and shriveled up; he’s got a telegraph boy living with -him, he told me. I hate telegraph boys--I met one the other night--an -impudent young rascal! I’d like to meet him again. I’d wring the kid’s -neck for him.” - -“Where did you meet him, James?” - -James Barclay eyed his wife suspiciously. He did not care to tell her -under what circumstances he met Paul Parton. - -“Never you mind, old woman!” he said. “It’s no concern of yours.” - -“If you don’t want to tell me, I don’t care to know, James,” she -answered, meekly. - -“Well, I don’t want to tell you. But about the old man’s coming here, -it’s a good idea of yours. I will send off the telegraph boy, for he -might be dangerous. Ten to one he’s trying to get the old man to leave -him his property. I wish I knew where he is.” - -“Haven’t you got any clew?” - -“No, he’s hid somewhere. He won’t come out of his hole for fear of -meeting me.” - -“If you could meet this telegraph boy, you might learn through him -where your father is.” - -“Unfortunately, Mrs. B., I don’t know the telegraph boy--never met -him--shouldn’t know him from Adam.” - -“I suppose he has a number.” - -“That’s so, old woman!” exclaimed Barclay, slapping his knee with -emphasis. “I think I know where I can find out his number, and then -it’ll be easy to find him. He can’t hide from me, for he has to be on -duty every day. But I shall want money--just give me that dollar!” - -“I can’t, James; the poor children would have to go without their -supper.” - -“Look here, Mrs. B., I want you to understand that you’ve got to obey -your husband. I’ll give you back the money as soon as I can, but I need -it to track my father. Let me once get hold of him, and it’ll be all -right. I will soon have plenty of money.” - -“But I can’t spare the money, James. The children must have their -supper.” - -“I’m tired of your talk,” he rejoined, roughly. “If you refuse me the -money, I’ll raise it in some other way.” - -He glared round the room, and his eyes rested on a dress that his wife -had just ironed. - -“I can raise something on that,” he said, seizing the dress, and -preparing to carry it away. - -“Stop, James, for pity’s sake!” cried his wife, terrified. “That dress -belongs to one of my customers. It would be stealing to take it!” - -“She’s probably got plenty of others; she can spare it,” he said. - -His wife hastened to him and tried to wrench the dress from his grasp, -but holding it in one hand beyond her reach, he gripped her arm with -the other so hard that she uttered a cry of pain. - -At this moment the door was pushed open, and a new character appeared -upon the scene in the person of a stalwart policeman. - -“What’s all this?” he demanded, in a tone of authority. “Release that -woman, or I’ll take you in.” - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. ON THE TRACK OF NUMBER 91. - - -The policeman’s sudden appearance can be easily explained. He and his -family occupied rooms in the same house with Mrs. Barclay, and he -happened to be passing the door of her apartment when he heard the cry. - -“What’s all this?” he demanded once more. - -“None of your business!” returned Barclay, indignantly. “What call have -you to intrude where you’re not wanted?” - -“I often do that,” said the policeman, grimly. “Mrs. Barclay, who is -this man?” - -“My husband, sir.” - -“There, do you hear that?” demanded Barclay. “I have a right to be -here.” - -“What were you about to do to your wife? What made her cry out?” asked -the policeman, sharply. “I ask you that question, Mrs. Barclay.” - -“My husband was carrying off that dress to pawn it,” replied the wife. -“It does not belong to me, and it would have got me into trouble.” - -“What have you to say to that?” asked the officer, turning to Barclay. - -“My wife would give me no money,” answered Barclay, sullenly, “and I -threatened to pawn her dress.” - -“She says it was not her dress.” - -“I thought it was,” said Barclay. - -“O, James,” began his wife, but a threatening look from her husband -stopped her words. - -“And then you treated her roughly, it seems!” - -“No, I didn’t. I just took her by the arm, to stop her getting the -dress.” - -“Have you any complaint to make, Mrs. Barclay?” asked the officer. - -“Not if he will give me the dress back. It doesn’t belong to me, and I -don’t want to lose it.” - -“Take the dress,” said Barclay, throwing it down. - -“Mind you make no more trouble,” said the policeman in a warning voice, -as he left the room. - -“Where did the cop come from?” asked Barclay. - -“He lives in the house.” - -“Then I wish he’d move out of it. Cops are no company for decent -people.” - -It is small wonder that James Barclay did not enjoy the company of a -class of men who, first and last, had given him considerable trouble. - -His wife did not reply, but picked up the rumpled dress and began to -smooth it. - -“Now, Ellen,” said Barclay, changing his tone out of policy, “I’ll make -a bargain with you. I want to go over to New York, and hunt up that -telegraph boy. Through him I can track my father and get some money. -See, this is all I have in the world,” and he drew out four pennies -from his pocket. - -“But the children, James.” - -“The children can get along on half of it. Give me fifty cents, and I -will give you ten dollars as soon as I make a raise. That’s pretty good -interest, hey, old woman?” - -Mrs. Barclay drew from her pocket two silver quarters and handed them -to her husband. - -“There, take them, James,” she said, “and don’t forget your promise. I -made that money by hard work.” - -“It will be all right, Ellen,” said Barclay, thrusting the money -carelessly into his vest pocket. “You can’t raise a crop without seed, -you know.” - -He put on his hat and left the house whistling. - -Arrived in New York, James Barclay lost no time in returning to his -father’s old lodgings. Mrs. O’Connor, one of the tenants, chanced to be -just coming out of the house with a bundle of clean clothes, which she -was about to carry to a customer. - -“Excuse me, ma’am,” said Barclay, politely, for he could be polite when -he saw fit, “I believe you knew an old man who moved away from here -recently?” - -“Old Jerry? Yes, I knew him well. He lived here ever since I did, and -what took him away so sudden I can’t tell.” - -“I am sorry not to find him, for I know of something to his advantage.” - -“He didn’t leave word where he was going, more’s the pity. I wish he -had, for I’d like to have called to see him and the bye some time.” - -“There was a boy, then, who lived with him? I believe I have heard him -mentioned before.” - -“Yes, sir, and a nice bye he was, and a smart one. He was rale kind to -the old man, Paul was, and I don’t think old Jerry could have got along -without him.” - -“He was employed in a store, wasn’t he?” asked Barclay, assuming less -knowledge than he possessed. - -“No, indade. Paul is a telegraph bye, and has been for ’most two years. -He’s a favorite with the company, I’m thinkin’, as he ought to be, for -he always attinds to his duties, and is up early and late.” - -“So he’s a telegraph boy!” said Barclay, musingly. “I should like to -see him, especially as you speak so well of him. He has a number, -hasn’t he? I notice the boys have a number on their caps.” - -“Yes, sir. Paul is Number 91.” - -“Number 91?” returned Barclay, briskly. “I think I can remember that. -I’m much obliged to you, my good lady.” - -“Shure, and you’re a very polite gintleman,” said Mrs. O’Connor, who -was flattered at being called a lady. - -“Why shouldn’t I be polite to a lady like you?” said Barclay. “Perhaps -you can give me a little more information.” - -“Shure, and I will if I can, sir.” - -“At what office can I find this Paul--Number 91, as you call him? I -should like to speak to him about my aged relative.” - -“I can’t just recollect the number, sir, but the office where Paul goes -is on Broadway, same side as the St. Nicholas Hotel, and not far away -from it.” - -“Thank you very much. You are really the most obliging lady I have met -for a long time.” - -“Shure, sir, you flatter me. You must have kissed the blarney stone, -I’m a thinkin’!” - -“No, ma’am, I haven’t; but I hope I know enough to be polite to a lady. -You don’t seem like a stranger to me, for you are the image of a lady I -used to know on the other side of the water, the Countess of Galway.” - -Mrs. O’Connor smiled and simpered, for she had never before been -compared to a countess. - -“And can I do any more for you, sir?” she said. - -“No, thank you. You have given me all the information I require. Good -day!” - -As Barclay walked away, Mrs. O’Connor followed him with her eyes. - -“He isn’t dressed very nice,” she said to herself, “but in his manners -he’s a perfect gintleman. I’d like to see that Countess of Galway, that -I look so much like.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV. BARCLAY GETS INTO BUSINESS. - - -“You’re getting on finely, old fellow,” said James Barclay to himself, -as he left the tenement house, and steered toward Broadway. “I managed -that old woman skillfully, and got all the information I want. I think, -Jerry Barclay, you won’t long elude me. I shall have no trouble now in -finding the telegraph boy, and then I shall soon be face to face with -the old man.” - -Arrived at Printing House Square, he struck across the City Hall Park, -the other side of which is skirted by Broadway. - -Sitting on one of the benches was a man rather showily dressed, with a -red blotched face, and an indefinable expression that stamped him as -one who lived by his wits, rather than by honest toil. As Barclay’s -glance rested upon him, he uttered an exclamation of surprise. - -“Bill Slocum, is that you?” he said. - -“Jim Barclay, as I’m a sinner,” said the other, rising and extending -a rough hand, on one of whose fingers sparkled a ring, set with what -might have been a diamond, but was probably paste. “And how is the -world using you, old pal?” - -“Rough,” answered Barclay. “The old man’s gone back on me, and my own -wife made a great fuss because I wanted to borrow a dollar. Sometimes I -think I was better off in our old boarding place up the river.” - -Bill Slocum was one of his fellow boarders up at Sing Sing. - -“The world owes you a living, Barclay,” said his friend. - -“So it does, but how’s a chap going to collect his claim? That’s what -I’d like to know.” - -“O, well, there’s ways if you only know how,” said Slocum, rather -enigmatically. - -“How are you makin’ it yourself?” asked Barclay, curiously. - -“I get enough to eat and drink and wear. I ain’t in no anxiety about -livin’.” - -“How do you do it?” - -“Just look at that!” - -Bill Slocum drew from his pocket a roll of bills, and held it up for -his companion to see. It was a thick roll, and amounted to a fair sum, -even if the denominations were small. - -“How’d you get all that?” asked Barclay. - -“There’s more where they come from,” answered Slocum. - -“Are there any for me?” asked Barclay, eagerly. - -“Yes, if I introduce you.” - -“You’ll do it, Slocum, won’t you?” - -“Yes, if you want me to. But, first, a word in your ear.” - -He rose from his seat, and withdrew to a place where he would not be -heard. - -“They’re flimsies,” he said, briefly. - -“Oh!” ejaculated Barclay, looking a trifle disappointed. - -He understood that they were not genuine bills, but counterfeit. - -“Well, and what if they are?” said Slocum, reading his expression. - -“There’s a risk about it.” - -“Nothin’ venture, nothin’ have, as my old grandmother used to say. -Just be foxy, and you won’t get caught. I’m making a good living off of -it, myself.” - -“What commission do you get for passing them?” - -“Fifty cents on a dollar. That’s liberal, isn’t it?” - -“Yes, that is liberal,” Barclay admitted. “Have you made anything -today?” - -“Have I? Well, I reckon I have.” - -“How much?” - -“I’ve passed a ten and a five.” - -“And that gives you seven and a half for your share?” - -“Right you are, Barclay. Your knowledge of arithmetic does credit to -your education. It’s plain your respected parent took great pains with -your trainin’.” - -“My respected parent,” repeated Barclay, frowning, “is about the -meanest old skinflint you’ll find within a hundred miles. I found -him out yesterday, and let him know that I was going to call again -today, to raise a loan, but when I called the old fox was gone bag and -baggage.” - -“A shabby way to treat his offspring. I pity you, Jim. So you are left -to the tender mercies of the world.” - -“I don’t find ’em very tender,” growled Barclay. “Do you see that?” and -he drew from his pocket about forty cents in change. - -“Yes, but it doesn’t dazzle me.” - -“It’s all the money I have in the world.” - -“Then you’d better join me.” - -Barclay hesitated. - -“I don’t quite like it. I don’t care about going up the river again too -soon.” - -“You needn’t, if you are careful. I’ll give you a few points. If one of -your bills is found out, you are at once searched to see if you have -any more.” - -“There’s the danger.” - -“So there is, but you can guard against it. When I am preparing to -offer a bill, I put a number of good bills in my vest pocket, where -they will be certain to be found at once. The other counterfeits I put -in a secret inside pocket where they are not likely to be discovered. -Then when it is found that all the other bills are good, I say that -some rascal must have passed the bad bill on me, taking advantage of my -innocence and ignorance of the world.” - -This seemed to Barclay an excellent joke, and he laughed long and loud. - -“Excuse me, Bill, but you don’t look it.” - -“I can when it’s necessary.” - -After a little more conversation Barclay, who was already half -convinced, yielded to the temptation, and agreed to accompany his -friend to the secret office of the counterfeiters, and enroll himself -as one of their agents. Slocum offered to conduct him within at once. - -The interview proved a satisfactory one, and Barclay was readily -accepted, being vouched for by his friend and companion. It may be said -also that his appearance was in his favor, though it would hardly have -recommended him for any honest business. - -When Barclay came out of the office, and again found himself on -Broadway, his spirits were perceptibly raised. He was no longer -impecunious, but carried with him fifty dollars in counterfeit bills. - -“Well, good by, Jim,” said Slocum. “It is best for us to part, and not -work near each other. Then again, it is best not to recognize each -other when we meet, so that if one gets into a scrape the other need -not be molested.” - -“All right, Slocum. Success to you!” - -James Barclay walked up Broadway, when all at once he uttered a half -exclamation indicative of astonishment. - -He was nearly face to face with a telegraph boy, in whom he recognized -the resolute lad who had foiled him in his attempt at burglary. But -this was not all. On the boy’s cap he recognized, with amazement, the -distinctive inscription: - - A. D. T. - 91. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. AN UNEXPECTED MEETING. - - -“Number 91!” ejaculated James Barclay in surprise. - -The surprise was reflected on Paul’s face when on looking up he -recognized James Barclay. - -“I think we have met before,” said the burglar, grimly. - -“Yes,” answered Paul, smiling. - -“You are the boy that lives with my father?” - -“Yes, if you are the son of Jerry Barclay,” Paul admitted, seeing that -denial was useless. - -“It’s queer how things come about,” said Barclay, reflectively. - -“I think you will have to excuse me,” said Paul, “for I am sent on an -errand, and it won’t do for me to stop.” - -“Where are you bound?” - -“To the Astor House.” - -“Are you going to walk?” - -“Yes.” - -“Then I will go with you, if you don’t mind.” - -Paul was by no means desirous of Barclay’s company, but there seemed no -way to shake him off. The street was free to all. - -“You can come with me if you like,” he said. - -“Then I’ll go. I’ve got something to say to you. But first I’ll say -that I don’t bear any ill will against you for what you did the other -night. You only did your duty.” - -“That’s true. I’m glad you look upon it in that light.” - -“I admire your pluck, blest if I don’t. All the same I was -disappointed.” - -“Don’t you think it would be better to go into some other line of -business, Mr. Barclay?” - -“Yes, I do, but that was all that was open to me at that time. Now, -I’ve got into something different.” - -Paul looked curious, but didn’t ask what that business was. He -concluded that Barclay would tell him if he felt disposed. - -“I’m a confidential agent,” continued Barclay, “and it’s likely to pay -me well. Where has my father moved to?” - -Paul hesitated. - -“I see you don’t want to tell me. My father moved to get out of my way, -I expect.” - -“Yes, he did.” - -“I don’t know as I blame him much, being the kind of man he is. I’m his -son, but money is his god. I asked for money, and he didn’t want to -give it to me.” - -“That’s what he said.” - -“Well, I was in need of money then. Now I’m not. Do you see that?” - -He drew from his vest pocket the roll of counterfeit notes which had -been intrusted to him, and showed it to Paul. - -“That doesn’t look as if I was in want of money, does it?” - -“No, it doesn’t,” Paul admitted. In truth he was surprised at this -unexpected wealth on the part of his companion, and it occurred to him -to wonder whether he had engaged in another burglary in which he had -been more successful. - -“No, I didn’t get it in the way you think,” he said, answering Paul’s -suspicious thought. “I got it in the way of business. Now will you tell -me where my father lives?” - -“I can’t without his permission.” - -“Then tell him that I don’t want any money from him. I am able to pay -my own way now.” - -“He says he is poor.” - -“Do you believe him, 91?” asked Barclay. - -“I think he must have some money,” answered Paul, cautiously. - -“So do I, decidedly. But he can keep it. Tell him that. I only want to -see him about some family matters. It ain’t strange if a son wants to -have a chat with his father after twelve years, is it?” - -“No, I should say not.” - -“Tell the old man that I am willing to give him five dollars as a sign -of good faith. If he will give me five, I’ll hand him ten.” - -“I’ll tell him that,” said Paul, rather surprised, and asking himself -whether James Barclay was in earnest. - -“You couldn’t give me small bills for a ten, could you?” asked Barclay, -meaning to push his business by Paul’s help. - -“No, I couldn’t. I don’t carry any money about with me except a little -silver.” - -“Never mind; I’ll get it somewhere else. Will you let me know tomorrow -what my father says?” - -“Yes.” - -“I’ll call at your office about ten o’clock.” - -“I may be away, but if I am not you can see me.” - -“How long have you been with my father?” - -“Ever since I was five or six years old.” - -“What made him take you? He isn’t so very charitable.” - -“There was some money that went with me, I have heard.” - -“I’ve no doubt of it. The old man is keen to look out for Number One. -He prefers that to looking out for Number Ninety One.” - -Paul laughed at the joke, though he didn’t think it very brilliant. - -“Do you expect he will leave you his money?” questioned Barclay, with a -sharp glance at Paul. - -“No, I have no claims upon him.” - -“That’s true, but you might take advantage of his being weak and old.” - -“What do you take me for?” asked Paul indignantly. - -Barclay laughed. - -“I don’t take you for an angel, and a few thousands might be a -temptation to you as well as the next man.” - -“Do you think your father has as much money as that?” - -“Why shouldn’t he? He has been always scrimping and saving and never -spending.” - -“Well, it’s nothing to me,” said Paul. “If you ask my opinion, I think -he’ll never make a will, and whatever he has will go to his natural -heir. I suppose that’s you.” - -“Yes, it’s me. If I’m dead, I’ve got a wife and two children.” - -They had reached Barclay Street, and the Astor House was close at hand. - -“I must leave you now,” said Paul. “I go into the hotel.” - -“Very well. Don’t forget to tell my father what I told you.” - -“I will do so.” - -That evening Paul, in redemption of his promise, said to the miser: - -“I saw your son, today, Jerry.” - -The old man’s face wore a startled expression. - -“You saw--James?” he faltered. - -“Yes.” - -“Did he know you lived with me?” - -“Yes, but I don’t know how he found out. Perhaps he asked at our former -lodgings.” - -“What--what did he say?” - -“He asked where you had moved.” - -“You didn’t tell him?” said Jerry, in alarm. - -“No, I said I could not without your permission.” - -“Good boy, Paul. Don’t tell him--ever. He--he would come here and ask -for money. It would be very foolish, for I am wretchedly poor. Why -didn’t you tell him that Paul?” - -“I don’t think he would believe me if I did. But you are mistaken, he -says, about his wanting money. He showed me a roll of bills, and said -he had a good position.” - -“He asked me for fifty dollars when he came to see me. He is a bold, -bad man!” - -“Now he says he is willing to give you money. He says if you will give -him five dollars back he will give you a ten dollar bill.” - -“Did he say that?” asked old Jerry, eagerly. - -“He told me to tell you that.” - -Old Jerry’s face wore a look of perplexity. He hated to give up a -chance of five dollars, but at the same time he felt afraid of his son. -He could not believe him to be in earnest, for such liberality was by -no means characteristic of him. - -“Did he--seem to be in earnest?” he asked Paul. - -“Yes, he seemed to be, but you know him better than I do. He said he -wanted to have a chat with you, as he had not seen you for so many -years. What shall I say to him?” - -Old Jerry didn’t immediately reply. Avarice and greed struggled in his -mind with an instinctive fear of his son. - -“I--I’ll think of it,” he answered. “I can’t tell just yet.” - -“Shall I say that to him?” - -“Yes--and--Paul--” - -“Well.” - -“Don’t let him follow you home and find me out. He’ll try to do it. He -is a--a bad man, as he was a bad boy.” - -“I will do as you say, Jerry.” - -Paul was not sorry to carry back this message, for he, too, mistrusted -James Barclay, and felt that his desire to see his father covered some -sinister design. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. A QUEER COMPACT. - - -James Barclay was very much in earnest in wishing to find his father’s -new habitation, for he was convinced that the old man possessed a -moderate fortune, and he felt that, sooner or later, it would come to -him. If in any way he could persuade old Jerry to put it in his hands -now, he would be handsomely provided for. - -He was not to see Paul until the next morning. He secured lodgings at a -low hotel on the Bowery, where twenty five cents per night was charged. -The accommodation corresponded with the price, but Barclay, fresh from -Sing Sing, was not inclined to be fastidious, and congratulated himself -that again he was a free man. - -He was not unmindful of his business, but was on the lookout for a -chance to exchange his counterfeit bills for good ones. - -He strolled into a drinking saloon, and called for a drink. By his side -a man, from the country, apparently, was just paying for a glass of -whisky, and in so doing displayed a wallet filled with bills. Barclay -felt interested in him at once. - -“My friend,” he said, “won’t you drink with me? I hate to drink alone.” - -“You’re very polite, stranger, but I--hic--I guess I’m about full.” - -“O, you can stand another glass, I am sure.” - -“Well, I don’t mind,” hiccoughed the countryman. “You’re -a--gen--gentleman.” - -“So are you,” said Barclay, with a wink at the barkeeper. “What’ll you -have?” - -The countryman expressed a wish for whisky straight, and was served -with a glass. - -Then the two sat down, and engaged in conversation. It was evident from -the thick utterance of the gentleman of the rural districts, that he -was no longer master of himself. - -“By the way,” said Barclay, carelessly, “will you do me a favor?” - -“I can’t lend you any money,” answered the other, with a remnant of -prudence. “I promised my wife I wouldn’t.” - -“O, I don’t want a loan,” said Barclay. “Bless you, I’ve got money -enough. But I see you’ve got a number of bills. Couldn’t you change a -ten for me?” - -The countryman saw no harm in this, and counted out ten dollars in -small bills, for which he accepted a nice crisp ten dollar bill, which -looked handsome, but, as we know, was not worth the paper it was -printed upon. - -“Won’t you take another drink in acknowledgment of the favor?” asked -Barclay. “It has saved my going to the bank.” - -The countryman was already so dizzy, that he had the good sense to -refuse, after trying to balance himself on his feet without success. - -“Then I’ll bid you good day,” said Barclay, who, for obvious reasons, -desired now to terminate the acquaintance. - -“Goo’ day,” said the other, in a husky voice. - -“That was very well done!” soliloquized Barclay, as he counted the good -money and put it by itself in an upper vest pocket. “The fellow’s so -drunk that he’ll never know where he got the bad tenner. That’ll do for -one day’s work.” - -The next morning, a little before the time agreed upon with Paul, he -was crossing the City Hall Park, when he unexpectedly met the telegraph -boy. - -“Good morning, Number 91,” he said. “I was just coming up to the office -to look for you.” - -“Then you are saved the trouble.” - -“Yes; and now what word from my father? Where can I find him?” - -“He does not seem willing to see you,” answered Paul. - -James Barclay frowned angrily. - -“I believe you’re doing this, you young rascal, keeping me and the old -man apart, so you can get hold of his money yourself.” - -“You are welcome to think what you like, Mr. Barclay,” said Paul, with -spirit. “Good morning!” - -“Curse the kid!” muttered Barclay, following the telegraph boy with a -vindictive glance. - -“That’s what I say, too, boss!” - -Barclay turned quickly, and found the speaker to be a bootblack, a boy -about Paul’s size. It was Tom Rafferty, a boy introduced in the first -chapter, with whose attempted imposition upon a smaller boy in the same -line of business Paul had forcibly interfered. - -“So you know the kid?” he said, inquiringly. - -“I’d ought to,” answered Tom. “Shine yer boots, boss?” - -“Yes, I’ll have a shine,” answered Barclay, thinking he might make this -boy of service. - -“So you don’t like Number 91?” - -“No, I don’t,” was the emphatic reply. - -“What’s the matter with him?” - -“He thinks himself above me, jest because he is a telegraph boy, and I -am a bootblack.” - -“Have you known him long?” - -“Ever since he was so high,” said Tom, indicating the height of a boy -of six. - -“Do you know the old man he lives with?” - -“Know old Jerry? Of course I do. Used to live in the same house, when -dad was livin’.” - -“So the boy has always lived with him?” - -“Ever since I knowed him.” - -“Humph! Where do they live now?” - -“Round in Pearl Street.” - -“No, they don’t. They’ve moved.” - -“I didn’t know it. Must ’ave moved lately.” - -“Yes, it was. Now, boy--what’s your name?” - -“Tom Rafferty.” - -“Then, Tom, would you like a job?” - -“Wouldn’t I!” - -“I want to find out where the boy and the old man live. I’ve got some -business with the old man, but he don’t want to see me.” - -“Wouldn’t Paul tell you?” - -“No.” - -“What’s it worth, boss?” asked Tom, with an eye to business. - -“It depends on how soon you can find out. How can you find out?” - -“I’ll foller Paul when he goes home from the office.” - -“That’ll do. Do you think you can find out for me tonight, so as to let -me know tomorrow morning?” - -“I reckon I can, boss.” - -“Meet me here tomorrow morning, and tell me where they live, and I’ll -give you a dollar.” - -Tom had not been expecting more than a quarter, and was very well -pleased with Barclay’s liberality. - -“I’ll do it, boss!” he said, striking the box, to indicate that the -shine was completed. Apart from the money that was promised him, he -was glad to thwart Paul, who didn’t want his customer to ascertain the -address. - -“I’ll meet you here about nine o’clock, and have another shine,” said -Barclay, as he slipped ten cents--double pay--into Tom’s hand. - -“You’ll find me on hand, and right side up with care,” said Tom. -“You’re a gentleman I like to fall in with.” - -James Barclay walked away, well pleased with the arrangement he had -made. - -“There’s more’n one way of finding out what you want to know,” he -soliloquized. “The old man ain’t sharp, or else he thinks I ain’t. -I’ll give him a call when that troublesome telegraph boy is about -his business. Me and the old man will have considerable business to -discuss. He’s going to give me a share of his money, or I’ll shake the -life out of him. It ain’t pleasant to discipline your dad, but when he -don’t treat you like he ought, it’s the only way.” - -Tom Rafferty, towards the close of the afternoon, loitered in the -neighborhood of the telegraph office where Paul was employed. When -Number 91 left the office and betook himself homeward, he did not -notice that he was followed at the distance of a few rods by Tom -Rafferty. - -But such was the case. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. JAMES BARCLAY OBTAINS A CLEW. - - -No commission could have been more congenial to Tom Rafferty than to -track Paul and the miser. He had never liked Paul, whom he charged -with putting on airs, because he was better dressed than himself, but -his aversion had deepened to hatred since the telegraph boy’s forcible -interference in favor of little Jack. He saw a way now to annoy Paul, -for he was satisfied that James Barclay was no friend of Jerry or -Number 91. - -He hovered round the telegraph office till Paul was dismissed, and -then, unobserved by him, sauntered along behind him. At Grand Street, -Paul crossed Broadway and proceeded eastward to where Ludlow Street -opens out of it, and proceeded in a southerly direction for about five -minutes. Had he turned back, he might have suspected Tom’s motive in -following him, but he was absorbed in his own thoughts, and never -looked behind him. At length he entered an open doorway and went -upstairs. Tom carefully noted the number, and then, with a look of -triumph, went back to his usual lounging place at the City Hall Park. - -The next morning, at the hour fixed, James Barclay entered the park and -looked about for Tom. Tom, who was also on the lookout for him, put -himself in his way. - -“Shine yer boots, boss?” he asked, with a grin. - -“Oh, you’re the boy I saw yesterday,” said Barclay, recognizing him. -“Well, what luck have you had?” - -“I follered him, and found out where he lives, boss.” - -“Good!” said Barclay, brightening up. “Where is it?” - -“Where’s the dollar you was to give me?” asked Tom, cautiously. - -“Here it is!” said Barclay, producing a silver dollar. - -“Give it here, boss.” - -“First tell me where my--where the telegraph boy lives.” - -“If I should, you might put it back in your pocket,” said Tom, -cunningly. - -Barclay did not resent this imputation upon his good faith, for his -sense of honor was not very keen, and he would only have regarded such -a trick as smart. In this case, however, he was so anxious to learn -where his father lived that he had no idea of cheating his confidential -messenger. - -“No, boy, I’m on the square,” he answered. “Here, take the money and -tell me the number.” - -Tom took the dollar, chucked it in the air, catching it dexterously -as it came down, and then pocketed it with an air of satisfaction. He -was neither provident nor industrious, and it was rare that he found -himself in possession of so large a sum. - -“No. 105 Ludlow Street,” he said. “That’s the number.” - -“Are you sure of that? Did you see the old man?” demanded Barclay, -eagerly. - -“No, I didn’t see him, but I knowed he was there, for he and Paul live -together,” answered Tom. - -“That’s near Grand Street, isn’t it?” - -“You’ve hit it boss. Shine yer boots?” - -“Go ahead!” - -While this operation was being performed, Tom, whose curiosity was -excited, began to question in his turn. - -“You ain’t no relation to Paul, be you?” he asked. - -“What business is it of yours?” demanded Barclay, frowning. - -“Didn’t know yer wanted to keep it secret,” said Tom, abashed. - -“Have you known the old man long?” - -“I’ve knowed old Jerry ever since I was a small kid.” - -“How does he make his living?” - -“He begs in the streets, when he can get away from Paul. Number 91 is -so proud he won’t let him when he knows it.” - -“I should think he would rather have the old man beg, so he wouldn’t -have to give him so much money.” - -“So should I. I wouldn’t mind. Old Jerry could make enough begging to -support himself, easy.” - -“Evidently you are a different chap from this telegraph boy,” observed -Barclay, not without sarcasm. - -“I hope so,” said Tom Rafferty. “I don’t put on no airs.” - -“And he does?” - -“You’d better believe it. And after all he’s only a telegraph boy. I -could go on the telegraph myself, if I wanted to.” - -“Why don’t you?” - -“I’d rather have my liberty, and be my own boss. I guess I make as much -money, any way.” - -“You could dress better, and be cleaner,” suggested Barclay, surveying -the ragged costume and soiled face and hands of the bootblack. - -“What’s the use of being clean?” asked Tom, with calm philosophy. “You -don’t feel no better. Besides, you’re sure to get dirty again. It’s all -foolishness.” - -“Right you are, my boy,” said Barclay, with a smile. “There isn’t much -of that foolishness about you.” - -Here the boy struck the box smartly with his brush, as a sign that the -job was completed. - -Barclay put down his foot and prepared to go. - -“You haven’t paid, boss,” said the bootblack. - -“I gave you a dollar.” - -“That was for something else. You haven’t paid for the shine.” - -“You ought to throw that in,” said Barclay. - -“Don’t do business that way, boss.” - -“Here’s your money, then,” said Barclay, throwing a nickel on the -ground at his feet. He had intended all the time to give it, but amused -himself by teasing the boy. “Supposing I should want you again, shall I -find you here?” - -“Yes, boss; this is my office,” answered Tom, humorously. “If it’s more -convenient, you kin call at my house on Fifth Avenue.” - -James Barclay left the park in a state of high satisfaction. It was -important to his schemes to find his father, and now there seemed to be -no further difficulty in the way. Then, too, he rather plumed himself -on his success as a detective. Old Jerry, prompted probably by Paul, -had removed his residence with the object of avoiding him and putting -him off the track. But it had all proved useless. Thanks, as he assured -himself, to his remarkable sharpness, he had foiled the old man and -found out what he had attempted to conceal. - -“How glum he will look when he sees me coming into his room!” he -chuckled to himself. “It’ll be worth five dollars to see his scared -face. Serves him right, too, for tryin’ to deceive his own flesh and -blood.” - -It was no little additional satisfaction that Paul, too, against whom -he had a grudge for his interference with his attempt at burglary, -would be disappointed and discomfited. - -Should he go at once to call on his father? By the City Hall clock it -lacked a quarter of ten. There was no hurry, for he had his address, -and could find him any time. He wanted to make another call first, and -decided to do so. What this call was, is not essential to my story. It -is sufficient to say that it occupied him two hours, and that it was a -little past twelve when he reached the new residence of his father in -Ludlow Street. - -There was a woman standing at the door. - -“Is there an old man and a telegraph boy living here?” asked Barclay. - -“Yes,” answered the woman. “Head of the stairs on the third floor.” - -“Thank you, ma’am. I’m much obliged.” - -James Barclay ascended the stairs, smiling to himself all the way. - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. OLD JERRY RECEIVES A VISIT. - - -Though old Jerry was more sensible than some misers in resisting the -temptation of keeping all his money at home, where he might feast his -eyes in the contemplation of it, he had a little hoard of gold pieces -which he secreted in his room, and which from time to time he took out -and counted with gloating eyes. - -This very day he had taken them from their place of concealment, and, -spreading them on the bed, was counting them over with trembling -fingers when his son quietly opened the door, and entered the room. - -The old man looked around, pale and alarmed, and clutched at the gold -in the hope of hiding it before the intruder, whoever it might be, -could catch a glimpse of it. But he was nervous, and had only thrust a -part of the gold hurriedly into his pocket when James entered. - -Over the old man’s face there crept an expression of dire dismay. There -was no one in the world whom he less wished to see than his son. - -The latter’s keen glance detected his father’s employment, and did not -fail to observe the half dozen gold pieces still remaining on the bed -spread, though old Jerry, as quickly as possible, gathered them up, and -thrust them into his pocket. - -“Good morning, dad!” said James, in a jocular tone. “I am afraid you -are not glad to see me.” - -Old Jerry stared at him in mute consternation. - -“Considering that I am your only son, you might give me a better -welcome,” said James, carefully closing the door, and sinking into a -chair. - -“Go away, go away!” said the old man, hoarsely. “You--you are a bold, -bad man, and I don’t want to see you.” - -“Come, dad, that is unkind!” said James Barclay, in a bantering tone. -“You mustn’t forget that I am your son.” - -“I wish I could forget it,” muttered the old man. - -“I am not so bad as you think I am, father. Seeing that we are all that -is left of the family, it’s only right that we should live friendly. -I’m glad to see you are not so poor as you pretend.” - -“You--you are mistaken, James,” whined old Jerry. “I am very poor.” - -“That don’t go down, dad. What were you doing when I came in?” - -Old Jerry looked confused. - -“How many gold pieces have you got there? Let me count them.” - -“Three--or four,” stammered Jerry, unable to deny the statement -entirely. - -“Three or four!” repeated James, mockingly. “Thirty or forty, more -likely.” - -“You--you are quite wrong, James,” said Jerry, in nervous alarm. -“It’s--it’s all I have in the world.” - -“Perhaps it is, and perhaps it isn’t. When I was here before, you -pretended you didn’t have any money at all. What are you going to do -with it?” - -“I am keeping it to--to bury me,” answered Jerry. - -“Then you’d better give it to me. You can’t bury yourself, you know. -I’ll see you buried all right when the time comes.” - -“I couldn’t do it, James. I must keep it as long as I live. When I -die--” - -“It comes to me, I suppose.” - -“Ye--es.” - -“Then I might as well have it now, don’t you think so, dad?” - -“Go away! I don’t feel well. I want to be left alone,” stammered Jerry, -with a terrified look at the stout, broad shouldered visitor, whom he -could hardly believe to be his son, so great was the difference between -the burly strength of the one, and the shrinking weakness of the other. - -“Look here, dad, you ain’t treating me well. You don’t seem to consider -that I am your only son. Are you saving up your money for that young -telegraph brat that lives with you?” - -“Paul is a good boy,” mumbled Jerry. “He doesn’t scare and trouble me -like you, James.” - -“That isn’t answering my question. Are you going to leave him all your -money?” - -“I--I have very little--to leave, James,” returned the old man, lapsing -into his usual whine. “There won’t be anything left when my funeral -expenses are paid.” - -“What there is will go to me, will it?” - -“I--I suppose so,” faltered Jerry. - -“Then I think you’d better make your will and say so. Otherwise that -boy will claim all.” - -“Paul is a good boy. I--I should starve but for what he brings me every -week.” - -“You look half starved as it is. Come, are you willing to make your -will in my favor?” - -“I--I’ll think of it, James.” - -“And give it to me to keep.” - -“It--it won’t do you any good, I--I am so poor.” - -“I’ll take the chance of that. You’ve got more money in your pocket -than would bury you five times over.” - -“No--no,” protested the old man in alarm. “You--you frighten me, -James. I don’t feel well. Won’t you go away?” - -“There is no need to be scared, dad. I don’t want your money.” - -“Is that true, James?” said the old man, in a tone of relief. “I have -so little it wouldn’t do you any good.” - -“Didn’t that boy tell you I wanted to make you a present?” - -“Yes, he said so.” - -“Yet you hid away from me and wouldn’t let me know where you lived.” - -“Did Paul tell you? How did you find me out, James?” - -“No, he didn’t tell me, but I found out all the same. Never mind how! -Only I warn you it won’t do you any good to hide from me in future. I -have ways of finding you out. But let me convince you that I don’t need -your money. Do you see that?” - -As he spoke he drew out a roll of counterfeit bills and exhibited them -to the astonished eyes of old Jerry. - -The old man regarded him with new respect as the possessor of such -unexpected wealth. - -“Are--are they square?” he asked. - -“Of course they are,” answered James. “I intended to give you a present -if you hadn’t treated me so coolly--” - -“I meant no offense, James,” said the old man, eying the money with a -look of greed. - -“Well, if you apologize, it’s all right!” said James, with noble -magnanimity. “You’ll find you haven’t judged me right. I can do more -for you than that telegraph kid. But I want you to trust me, and treat -me kind, do hear?” - -“Yes,” answered Jerry, meekly. - -“To show you that I’m in earnest, I’ll make you a fair offer. Give me -two of those five dollar gold pieces, and I’ll give you these two ten -dollar bills. If that isn’t a handsome offer, I don’t know what is.” - -Jerry was dazzled by this offer. The fact that it was made by such a -scapegrace as he knew his son to be should have put him on his guard, -but cupidity blinded him. - -“Do you mean it, James?” he asked, surveying the bills with avidity. - -“Certainly I do. I make the present just to show you that I don’t bear -no grudge, and want to live friendly.” - -“Let me see the bills, James.” - -“There, take them in your hand if you like.” - -Old Jerry took the bills, and eyed them at first longingly, but as he -marked their new appearance a suspicion entered his mind. If they were -counterfeit his son’s unexpected liberal offer would be accounted for. -James’s character, too, made it very probable that he would engage in -circulating counterfeit bills. - -“I--I would rather keep the gold, James,” he said, handing back the -bills. - -“Then you’re a fool!” said James Barclay roughly. “I see you don’t want -to be friendly. I wanted to be on good terms with you, seein’ you’re my -father, but now I don’t care. Give me that gold!” - -“Go away!” said the old man, in renewed alarm. - -James Barclay’s reply was to rise from his seat, and stride over to -where his father was sitting on the bed. He seized the old man roughly -by the shoulder, and made a motion to search the pocket containing the -gold pieces. - -“Give it up peaceably or I’ll hurt you!” he said. - -Jerry uttered a shrill cry, and tried to make a feeble opposition, but -he was like a child in the hands of the burly ruffian. - -“Stop your whimpering!” said James, fiercely. “That gold I mean to -have, and you’d best give it up.” - -Jerry again uttered a cry, which was heard by Mrs. Hogan, an opposite -neighbor, who, opening the door, saw, unnoticed by either, the uneven -struggle between Jerry and his assailant. - -Mrs. Hogan was a brave woman. She dashed back into her own room, and -returned in an instant with a dipper of hot water. Armed with this she -was prepared for hostilities. - -“Let the old man alone, you thafe of the worruld!” she exclaimed, -indignantly. - -James Barclay turned, and, seeing that it was a woman, replied -scornfully, “Get out of here, woman, or it’ll be the worse for you!” - - - - -CHAPTER XX. JAMES BARCLAY COMES TO GRIEF. - - -“Get out yourself!” retorted Mrs. Hogan, as with undaunted mien she -faced the ruffian. “What are you doin’ to old Jerry?” - -“Mind your business, woman, and leave the room, if you don’t want to -get hurt!” - -James Barclay still retained his grip upon the old man as he spoke. - -He was as bold as his father was timid, and did not mean to be -frightened away by a woman. - -“I’m no more a woman than yourself,” said Mrs. Hogan, angrily, who -preferred to be addressed as a lady. - -“Well, you’re dressed like one, any way,” rejoined Barclay, with a -smile of amusement. “My father and I have a little business together, -and you’re not wanted.” - -“Is he your son, Jerry?” asked Mrs. Hogan, not certain whether the -statement was true. - -“Yes,” answered Jerry, feebly, “but he wants to rob me. Take him away, -Mrs. Hogan.” - -“Ain’t you ashamed of yourself to trate your old father so manely?” -demanded Mrs. Hogan, indignantly. - -“Give me the money, father, and I’ll go,” said Barclay, thinking it -politic to get away as soon as possible. - -“Take him away!” said old Jerry, feebly. - -“I’ll do it!” responded Mrs. Hogan. “I’ll tache him, the murtherin’ -thafe!” - -She suited the action to the word, and dashed the scalding hot water -into the face of James Barclay. - -He uttered a hoarse cry of mingled rage and pain, and, leaving his -father, dashed after his bold assailant. - -He was partially blinded, however, by the pain, and she easily escaped. - -Scarcely knowing where he went, he ran against an athletic, broad -shouldered man, who was bringing up a basket of coal. - -“O, that’s your game, is it?” said the newcomer, fancying the assault -intentional. “I don’t know who you are, but I’ll give ye all ye want. -No man can hit Dennis O’Brien widout gettin’ as good as he gives.” - -In a trice the two men were grappling, and, losing their balance, -tumbled down the stairs, receiving some hard knocks on the way. The -result was that both were arrested by a passing policeman, and locked -up. - -James Barclay, whose burns were severe, was sent to the hospital on the -Island, and it was thirty days before he was free to pursue his plans -again. - -Old Jerry, picking himself up after his narrow escape, carefully -counted his gold pieces, and to his great relief found that none were -missing. - -He breathed a sigh of relief when he learned that his son had been -arrested, and determined to deposit his gold in the savings bank, so as -to guard against future robbery. - -It was about this time that Paul, called up town by some errand, was -crossing Madison Square, when he heard his name called. - -Looking up he recognized, with no little pleasure the smiling face of -Jennie Cunningham. - -She was accompanied by a boy of about Paul’s size, fashionably dressed, -and wearing an expression of high self appreciation on his rather -narrow face. - -“How are you, Paul? It’s an age since I saw you,” said the young -heiress, cordially, offering her hand. - -“I am glad to see you, Miss Jennie,” responded Paul. - -“Why haven’t you been up to see us? I have been expecting you for a -long time.” - -“I wasn’t sure I wouldn’t be intruding.” - -“Then I’ll tell you once for all, you needn’t be a bit afraid. I want -to beat you at dominoes. You beat me last time, didn’t you?” - -“I believe so,” said Paul. - -“Then I want my revenge. When will you come?” - -“Whenever I am invited,” said Paul, smiling. - -“That reminds me--how stupid I was to forget it--that I am to have a -fancy dress party of young people next Wednesday evening. You’ll come, -won’t you?” - -“I am afraid I have no clothes fit to wear at a party.” - -“O, you are to come in costume. Come as a telegraph boy. That will be -the very thing. You’ll act the character naturally, you know, and no -one will know that you are a real telegraph boy.” - -“I should like very much to come, if I can come in my uniform.” - -“That’s just what I want. Mind, then, Wednesday evening, at eight -o’clock. What is the number of your office?” - -“No. ---- Broadway.” - -“I will send you a regular card of invitation. Then you will be treated -just like the rest.” - -She was about to turn away when a thought struck her. - -“O, I forgot to introduce you to my cousin, Mark Sterling. Mark, this -is Paul Parton, the boy who drove off the burglar when papa was gone to -Washington. You’ve heard me speak of him?” - -“O, yes, I’ve heard of him,” said Mark, coldly. “He behaved in a very -creditable way--for a telegraph boy,” he continued, in a patronizing -tone. - -“Or for any other boy!” rejoined Jennie, quickly. “Really, I look upon -Paul quite as a hero.” - -“I am afraid I am not entitled to such high praise,” said Paul, -modestly. - -“You must make allowances for my Cousin Jennie,” said Mark. “She is a -girl, and girls are all apt to gush.” - -“This particular girl isn’t, Mark,” said his cousin, indignantly. “Have -you ever seen the burglar since, Paul?” - -“Yes.” - -“O, tell me where.” - -“On Broadway.” - -“Why didn’t you have him arrested?” - -“There was no policeman at hand. Besides, I told him that night that if -he would go peaceably I would not molest him.” - -“Such a promise doesn’t count,” said Mark, in a tone of authority. “You -should have called a policeman.” - -“My promise always counts!” said Paul, firmly. - -“Even if given to a burglar?” said Mark, with a sneer. - -“Yes, even if given to a burglar.” - -Mark took off his hat mockingly. - -“Really, I wasn’t prepared to find such a lofty sense of honor--in a -telegraph boy!” he said, with a satirical smile. - -“I am afraid you are not very well acquainted with telegraph boys,” -said Paul, good naturedly. - -He quite understood that Mark meant to sneer at him, but being -confident of Jennie Cunningham’s favor, he felt quite indifferent to -the opinion of her cousin. - -“No,” said Mark, significantly; “I have never had the honor of -associating much with that class of--persons.” - -“Come, Mark, don’t make yourself so disagreeable,” said Jennie, -unceremoniously. “Remember that Paul is a particular friend of mine.” - -“Thank you, Miss Jennie,” said Paul, gratefully. - -“I was not aware of that,” said Mark, stiffly. - -“I am afraid I must be going; my time is not my own,” said Paul. “Good -morning, Miss Jennie; good morning, Mr. Sterling.” - -Jennie Cunningham responded cordially, but Mark affected not to hear -the telegraph boy’s farewell. He was not in the best of humor, having -a partiality for his pretty cousin, and being disposed to regard with -jealousy any kindness bestowed by her upon other boys. He was foolish -enough to venture upon a remonstrance, without reflecting that this was -the poorest possible way of recommending himself to the favor of his -companion. - -“Jennie,” he commenced, “I am very much surprised at the notice you -take of that low telegraph boy.” - -“Do you mean Paul Parton?” - -“Yes, if that is the fellow’s name.” - -“Then I wish you to understand that he is not a low boy.” - -“What do you know of him? What do you know of his family?” - -“Nothing, except that he has neither father nor mother living.” - -“Probably they were low persons.” - -“Why probably?” - -“You know well enough that nice boys don’t become telegraph messengers.” - -“Paul is a nice boy,” asserted Jennie, with spirit. - -“You seem to be infatuated with him,” said Mark, shrugging his -shoulders. - -“Because I treat him with common politeness?” - -“Didn’t you invite him to your party next Wednesday?” - -“Suppose I did?” - -“Do you think it suitable to have a boy like that among your guests?” - -“Yes, I do.” - -“I don’t believe your mother will approve of it.” - -“My mother invited Paul to spend the evening whenever he had time.” - -This rather took Mark by surprise. He could not very well say anything -in condemnation of his aunt, though he chose to lecture his cousin. - -“I hope you won’t expect me to take any notice of him,” he said, with -dignity. - -“O, I don’t think he will insist upon it. I will take care that he -feels himself at home.” - -Mark did not venture to say more, but walked beside his cousin in a -disgusted frame of mind. I am afraid he was really jealous of Paul, -whom, against his will, he was forced to admit to be a very good -looking boy. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. THE FANCY DRESS PARTY. - - -Paul might have hesitated about accepting the invitation to attend a -fashionable party if he had not been on such cordial and friendly terms -with his young hostess and her family. He was sure to be kindly treated -by them and by the majority of the guests who very properly follow the -lead of their entertainers. He foresaw that Mark would snub him if he -had an opportunity, but for this he cared little. It was clear that -Mark was foolishly puffed up with an idea of his own consequence, and -had been accustomed to look with scorn upon all who were not on the -same social plane as himself. - -Paul had for some time been thinking of ordering another and newer -uniform, and thought it good policy to do so at once, that he might -have the new suit to wear for the first time at Jennie Cunningham’s -party. It is the custom for boys to obtain them from the company, -paying by installments, or regular weekly deductions from their pay. - -The next morning some surprise was excited at the office by the receipt -of a square envelope, of perfumed French paper, directed to - - PAUL PARTON, A. D. T., No. 91. - -“A love letter, I suppose,” said the chief, with a smile, as he handed -the note to Paul. - -Paul opened it, and, having no reason for secrecy, passed it to the -superintendent. - -“An invitation to a fancy dress party!” said that official, in -surprise. “You seem to be pretty thick with the Cunninghams, Number 91.” - -“They are very polite and kind,” said Paul. - -“I suppose you are trying to ingratiate yourself with the young lady.” - -“I am too young to think of that,” answered the telegraph boy, very -sensibly. - -“Shall you accept the invitation?” - -“Yes, sir.” - -“You must go in fancy dress.” - -“I have already decided to go as a telegraph boy.” - -“Then you knew of this before?” - -“I met Miss Jennie yesterday in Madison Square, and was told she meant -to invite me.” - -“You are a lucky boy.” - -“So I think, sir.” - -From that time Paul was treated with greater consideration in the -office, the chief regarding him as a _protege_ of the Cunninghams. This -was an advantage, for he was now employed on the most agreeable and -desirable commissions that came to the office. - -On Wednesday morning Paul said to old Jerry: “I shall be home late -tonight, Jerry.” - -“Why, Paul? Will you be kept at the office?” - -“No; I am to attend a party.” - -Jerry opened his eyes. - -“A party! Where, Paul?” - -“In Fifty First Street. It is a fancy dress party.” - -“But how came they to invite you?” - -“They employed me on one occasion, and have treated me in a friendly -way since.” - -“I don’t understand it, Paul. Is it a--a rich family?” - -“Yes, Jerry.” - -The old man’s eyes lighted up hopefully. - -“And they are good friends of yours, Paul?” he asked. - -“Yes, grand--yes, Jerry.” - -“Then, Paul, you can do me a great favor. You will, won’t you?” pleaded -the old man, coaxingly. - -“What is it?” inquired Paul, suspiciously. - -“Tell them how poor I am, Paul, and ask them if they won’t help me. -It would be nothing to rich folks to send an old man ten dollars, or -twenty, and would do me a sight of good.” - -“You must be crazy to ask me such a thing,” answered Paul, sternly. -“Have you no shame, or do you think I have none, to beg money of -strangers?” - -“But I am so poor, Paul,” whined the miser. - -“I am tired of hearing of that, Jerry,” said the boy, with an -expression of disgust on his face. “It was bad enough when I believed -you to be really poor, but now that I know you to have plenty of money, -and are very likely rich, it makes me sick to hear you tell such -falsehoods.” - -“Is this the way you talk to a poor old man who has brought you up?” -whined old Jerry. - -Paul was in no wise moved by this appeal. He knew too well the extent -of his obligations to the old miser. - -“I have always paid my way, Jerry,” he said, coldly. “Even when I was -only six years old, I earned all I cost you. If you think I am any -expense to you, I am willing to leave you any time.” - -“No, no, Paul,” said old Jerry in alarm. “I can’t spare you. I am -getting old, and I don’t want to be left alone.” - -“Then don’t ask me to do what I am ashamed of, Jerry.” - -Paul arrived at the party about twenty minutes after eight. He did not -care to be among the first in attendance. He was shown upstairs to the -gentlemen’s reception room, and, having adjusted his toilet, went -downstairs. Jennie and her mother stood at one end of the drawing room. - -Paul made his way towards her, and, following the example of other -guests, shook hands, and offered congratulations, for it was Jennie’s -birthday. - -“I am glad to see you, Paul,” said Jennie, with a smile, and her mother -echoed the welcome. - -Turning away, Paul met the eyes of Mark Sterling, bent upon him with a -satirical look. - -“Good evening,” said Paul, politely. - -“So you’re on hand!” said Mark, not over courteously. - -“As you see,” answered Paul, coolly. “That is a fine costume of yours.” - -Mark sustained the character of a young Highland chieftain, his dress -being quite costly. - -“Yes,” he answered, his vanity gratified, even by a compliment from a -telegraph boy. “You’ve got a new suit, haven’t you?” - -“Yes.” - -“It is a pity you went to such an expense. No one is likely to take -much notice of a telegraph boy.” - -“O, I shall use it on duty,” answered Paul. “You are very considerate -for me.” - -“Paul, let me introduce you to Miss Grace De Vere,” said Mrs. -Cunningham. - -Paul bowed politely to a pretty brunette of fourteen, dressed as a -flower girl. - -“Shall we promenade?” asked Paul, observing that many of the guests -were walking in couples. - -“Yes, if you like. I suppose it is very appropriate for a telegraph boy -and a flower girl to walk together,” said Grace, laughing. “What a very -natural telegraph boy you make! Where did you get the uniform? Did you -borrow it of a real telegraph boy?” - -“No,” answered Paul, “I had it made expressly for me.” - -“I suppose that is better. I hired my suit of a costumer.” - -As Paul and Grace were promenading, they met Mark escorting a -pale, sallow girl with a long nose, but very expensively dressed -as a maid of honor. Mark turned up his nose, but looked rather -envious, nevertheless, for Grace De Vere was not only pretty, but -of high family. He said something to his companion, and both stared -impertinently at Paul. - -“Do you know Mark Sterling?” asked Grace. - -“Only a little.” - -“I don’t like him at all. He is awfully disagreeable. He looks as if he -didn’t like you.” - -“I don’t think he does. Can you tell me the name of the young lady with -him?” - -“It is Irene Braddon. Do you admire her?” - -“I prefer my present partner,” said Paul. - -“Thank you; you are very gallant. Still, it isn’t much of a compliment. -Irene belongs to a rich family, but she is disagreeable, and few like -her.” - -“Is Mark an admirer of hers?” - -“He likes to be seen with her because she is of a rich and prominent -family. But he likes his cousin, Jennie Cunningham, best. He is jealous -of every boy who pays her any attention. But I want to ask you a -question. Why have I never met you before at any parties? I am sure I -should have remembered you.” - -“This is the first party I ever attended.” - -“Indeed! How can that be?” - -“Because I am really what I represent, a telegraph boy.” - -Paul watched the face of his young companion closely, fearing that this -revelation would cut him off from her favor. - -“You don’t mean to say that you are the telegraph boy that frightened -away the burglar?” inquired Grace, eagerly. - -“I believe I am.” - -“Why, you are quite a hero!” exclaimed Grace, enthusiastically. - -“O, no,” answered Paul, modestly. “It didn’t take much courage.” - -Grace asked Paul a great many questions, and did not seem at all -shocked to learn that she was escorted by a common telegraph boy. - -“Come, Grace,” said Jennie, after a while, “we can’t have you two -monopolize each other. My cousin, Mark, solicits the honor of escorting -you. Paul, if you are a very good boy, you may walk with me.” - -“Did you know, Miss Grace,” said Mark, “that you were walking with a -real telegraph boy?” - -“Yes, he told me so.” - -“I am surprised that my Cousin Jennie should have invited him here.” - -“I am not at all. I think him the handsomest boy at the party.” - -“There is no accounting for taste,” rejoined Mark, very much disgusted -at this laudation of a boy he despised. - -“He is so agreeable, too,” added Grace, with malicious pleasure at her -companion’s discomfiture. - -“He has plenty of cheek!” said Mark. “He tries to make himself very -conspicuous. It would be better taste to stand quietly in a corner.” - -Later in the evening, Paul became more conspicuous, and Mark became -still more disgusted with him. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. THE YOUNG MINSTRELS. - - -About half past nine Jennie beckoned Paul to come into the back parlor, -which was comparatively deserted. - -“I am going to ask a favor of you,” she said. - -“I shall be glad to do anything you wish,” said Paul, earnestly. - -“I am preparing a surprise for the company--something not down in the -programme. I ask you to help me because you can sing.” - -Paul blushed. - -“I don’t call it singing,” he said, modestly. - -“I am sure you have a very nice voice, Paul. Now I will tell you what I -want. You and I are to dress as Italian street singers--I have a harp -on which I can play a little. We will come in as soon as we are ready -and surprise the company.” - -“Will it be necessary to sing in Italian?” asked Paul, with a smile. “I -have forgotten all mine.” - -“You know as much as I do. We will sing some of the popular ballads. -Here is a list which I have written down. Do you know them?” - -Paul looked over the list and selected three which he felt able to sing. - -“Very well,” said Jennie, with satisfaction. “You will find your suit -ready in your dressing room. I have spoken to one of the boys--Arthur -Constable--to go up and assist you. Now, will you be ready in fifteen -minutes?” - -“Yes,” answered Paul, confidently. - -“I wonder what Jennie and the telegraph boy are talking about so -earnestly!” thought Mark, with a scowl, for he had just noticed their -conversation. “I never suspected that Jennie had such low tastes.” - -An unpleasant frown gathered on Mark’s face, which he made no attempt -to conceal. He was getting to dislike Paul more and more. - -Next the two whose intimacy had provoked his discontent left the room, -and his anger increased. - -Presently, however, Mr. Cunningham entered the room and said, with a -smile: - -“Young people, I have engaged the services of two Italian minstrels, -who will try to entertain you for a short time.” - -Instantly there was a hush of expectation, for the announcement was -understood literally. - -The door was thrown open, and Paul and Jennie entered. Paul wore a suit -of black velvet, and a hat also of velvet, in which it must be admitted -he looked very handsome. Jennie was attired also in a characteristic -national costume, and carried in her hand a harp. - -As they entered together most of the company agreed that they made a -very attractive picture. - -They advanced, hand in hand, till they reached a position at the head -of the room. Then Jennie struck her harp, and the two began to sing a -favorite melody, their voices according remarkably well. - -There was a sound of applause at the end of the first song. Paul bowed, -and, taking his hat from his head, gravely made the round of the -guests. Pennies were dropped by such as had them. - -When Paul reached Mark he was tempted to pass him by, for he saw the -scornful smile upon his face, but he did not care to make a scene, and -held out his cap to him as well as the rest. - -Mark dropped in a penny. - -“That’s for the monkey,” he said, in a significant tone. “Keep it -yourself.” - -“Thank you,” said Paul, with unruffled good humor, for he felt that he -could afford to be good natured. “Your liberality is unexpected.” - -Mark bit his lips, foolishly taking offense at this good natured retort. - -Another song was vociferously called for and given. Then a third was -demanded, and the two minstrels retired amid a volley of plaudits. - -“That was perfectly charming,” said Grace De Vere, enthusiastically. -“What a nice looking boy that Paul Parton is! He looked perfectly -lovely in his velvet suit.” - -The boy to whom this was addressed was Mark Sterling, and it may well -be believed that it was far from pleasing him. - -“Are you falling in love with him?” he asked, with a sneer. - -“I do believe I am!” answered Grace. “Don’t tell him, though!” - -“I am not likely to. The fellow is conceited enough already.” - -“Now, Mark, you are too bad. To me he seems remarkably modest.” - -“He ought to have more sense than to push himself forward so, being -only a telegraph boy.” - -“I don’t care what he is; he is very nice and very good looking.” - -“I suppose you admire his singing, too?” - -“Yes, he has a sweet voice.” - -“That’s a matter of opinion.” - -“I do believe you’re jealous of him, Mark. You don’t like it because -Jennie didn’t ask you to take the part.” - -This was really true, for Mark fancied himself a singer, though his -voice was thin and shrill. Had he taken Paul’s part the effect would -have been ludicrous, but, of course, he had no idea of this. - -It so happened that he knew the three songs which had been sung, and -he was very much annoyed to have been passed over in what was the -pronounced success of the evening, and to see a mere telegraph boy -selected instead of him. - -“Jealous of a telegraph boy!” repeated Mark, with a scornful -inflection. “I am not sunk quite so low as that.” - -About eleven o’clock the party broke up. Being a juvenile party, it -was not kept up as late as if it had been attended by older persons. -Paul took his leave with the rest, feeling that he had enjoyed himself -uncommonly well. - -“I must thank you for a pleasant evening, Miss Jennie,” he said, as he -said adieu to his youthful hostess. - -“You did your part towards making it so, Paul.” - -“Thank you for the opportunity.” - -“Don’t forget to come soon to see us,” said Jennie, giving her hand to -Paul. - -Paul bowed his thanks, and left the house with three or four others in -his company. Among them was Mark Sterling. - -“Where do you live?” asked Mark, abruptly. - -“Down town,” answered Paul, shortly. He felt reluctant to say that he -lived in Ludlow Street, although he conjectured rightly that Mark would -have no idea where it was situated. - -“I thought, perhaps, you might live on Fifth Avenue.” - -“Not at present; that may come later.” - -Mark laughed disdainfully. - -“When you give a party, I hope you will do us all the honor to send an -invitation.” - -“Would you accept?” - -“Yes, I think I would.” - -“I will bear it in mind. Now, let me bid you all good night.” - -Mark was disappointed to find that not one of his companions would -join in his sarcasms against the telegraph boy. All thought him very -agreeable and very handsome, and Mark was at last obliged to give up -his attack, and lapse into sullenness. - -Paul walked to Sixth Avenue, though that was not the most direct -route homewards, and in place of taking a car, walked slowly down the -avenue. It was a pleasant night, and he felt broad awake, and by no -means fatigued. It seemed to him pleasanter to walk part of the way -at least. As he walked he fell into serious thought. He had left an -elegant house, crowded with a gay and fashionable company, and he -was going--where? To a miserable tenement house, in which he shared -a poor and ill furnished room with a squalid and miserly old man, in -appearance not above a tramp. Certainly the contrast was a startling -one. As he dwelt upon it, Paul felt more and more disgusted with his -home and surroundings. - -“Why can’t I live in a refined house, among refined people?” he asked -himself. “I feel much more at home with them than with old Jerry. Must -I always live a beggar?” - -Paul’s mental answer was an emphatic “No!” He was young and hopeful. -The world was before him. He was poor, but other poor boys had raised -themselves from poverty as great, and he felt that there was an equal -chance for him. - -His reflections were interrupted by the sight of a tall young man, -not far in advance, whose unsteady gait showed that he was under the -influence of liquor. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. THE PICKPOCKET. - - -Such a sight as this is by no means uncommon in a large city, and of -course Paul had witnessed it many times. But for one circumstance, he -would have given the young man a passing glance, and gone on. But he -observed that the young man was followed. The person following was -also a young man, rather flashily attired, and, as Paul thought, of -suspicious appearance. It seemed to him clear that he had designs upon -the first young man, whose condition was likely to make him an easy -prey to an unscrupulous acquaintance. - -“Where have I seen that man before?” thought Paul. - -He was puzzled for a moment, and then he remembered that he had strayed -one day into a court room, and seen him as a prisoner at the bar, -charged with picking a pocket. - -“That’s what he’s after now,” thought Paul. “I will prevent him if I -can.” - -The telegraph boy moderated his pace, so as not to attract the -attention of the man in the rear, but kept a close watch over him. - -Finally the pickpocket came to a sudden resolution, and quickening his -pace came up with the man he was following. - -“Excuse me, my friend,” he said, smoothly, “but I see you are in need -of assistance. Won’t you take my arm? I’ll take you home, if you wish.” - -“You’re very good,” said the stranger. “I’ve been drinking more than is -good for me, I’m afraid.” - -“We all do that sometimes,” said his new acquaintance. “I’ve been there -myself. Where are you staying?” - -“At the Albemarle Hotel. Am I going the right way? I’ve got turned -round, I think.” - -“Yes, you are on the right track. I live close by your hotel myself, so -I can go along with you just as well as not.” - -“Thanks; you are really very kind.” - -“O, don’t mention it.” - -The other made no objection to the pickpocket passing his arm through -his, and the two walked on together. - -“He means to rob him,” thought Paul. “What can I do to prevent it?” - -He didn’t quite like to make an accusation, though he remembered -the thief’s face perfectly, till he had some ground for warning the -intended victim. It might be that the pickpocket was merely taking the -part of the good Samaritan, though it was by no means probable. - -The two men became sociable, and Paul was near enough to hear fragments -of the conversation. He gathered that the stranger was from St. -Louis--that he was visiting New York on a business errand, representing -a firm, of which his father was the head. - -The pickpocket, who had been waiting only till he could gain the -stranger’s confidence, now felt that it was time to be carrying out his -plans. With dexterous fingers he managed to explore the pocket of his -companion, and Paul caught sight, quick as he was, of his appropriation -of his victim’s wallet. - -“I shall have to leave you here,” said he, abruptly, having no further -motive for continuing the companionship. “Good night!” - -“Good night!” said the stranger. “Sorry to lose your company!” - -Paul was excited, as he might well be, for he saw that on him alone -depended the frustration of the thief’s plans. - -“Stop thief!” he exclaimed, in a loud voice. - -The thief looked startled, and turning into Thirty Seventh Street ran -towards Fifth Avenue. - -Paul followed in close pursuit. - -“Drop that wallet, or it will be worse for you!” exclaimed the -undaunted boy. - -Had the night been dark, the thief would have taken the chances, and -retained his booty. But he was sure to attract attention, and might any -minute run into the arms of a policeman. The risk was too great. - -“There, curse you!” he muttered, throwing down the wallet. “Now stop -following me!” - -Paul picked up the pocketbook, and ceased the pursuit. He had -accomplished all he intended, and was willing to let the thief go free, -now that he had restored his plunder. - -He retraced his steps to Sixth Avenue, where he found the stranger -waiting for him. - -“Here is your pocketbook,” he said. “You have had a narrow escape.” - -“By Jove! I should think I had,” answered the young man. “How much -money do you think there is in that wallet?” - -“Is it a large sum?” asked Paul, his curiosity aroused. - -“Fifteen hundred dollars--perhaps a little more. You’re a brave boy. -But for you I should have lost it.” - -“I am very glad to have been of such service,” said Paul. “If the thief -only knew what a purse he had lost he would feel like murdering me.” - -“What made you suspect him? You must have sharp eyes.” - -“I believe I have,” answered Paul, “but I was watching him closely as I -walked behind. I knew him to be a pickpocket.” - -“How was that?” asked the young man. - -“I once saw him in the court room at the Tombs, being tried for theft. -I have not seen him since, but I recognized him at once. I saw him join -you, and I suspected his motive at once.” - -“You saw my condition?” - -“Yes, I saw that you were not yourself.” - -“I had been making a fool of myself by drinking too much. I hope you -don’t drink?” - -“No, sir, never.” - -“You are wise. Will you walk with me to my hotel?” - -“Yes, sir, where are you staying?” - -“At the Albemarle. Do you know where it is?” - -“O, yes,” answered Paul, smiling. He felt that he would hardly have -been fit for a telegraph boy if he had not known the location of a -hotel so well known. - -“I have been spending the evening with a few friends who live in an -apartment house near the park. The punch was remarkably good, and I -drank more than was good for me. I suppose you wonder why I didn’t ride -home, instead of walking?” - -“It would have been safer, at any rate.” - -“I had a headache and thought I might walk it off. At any rate, -I should feel better for being in the open air. But I found some -difficulty in steering straight, as I dare say you noticed.” - -“Yes, sir, I observed it.” - -“Then this fellow came along. He offered to accompany me home, and I -never suspected that he was a thief. I am afraid you will think me -rather green.” - -“O, no; the man’s appearance might easily deceive you.” - -“It did not deceive you.” - -“No, for I had seen him before. But will you pardon me for saying that -you were imprudent in carrying around so large a sum of money at this -late hour?” - -“You are quite right. I was a fool, and I am willing to admit it.” - -It was not long before Paul and his new friend reached the hotel, which -is in the block above the Fifth Avenue. - -“Come upstairs with me,” said the young man. - -“If you wish it,” answered Paul. - -“I do; I have some business with you, but I won’t keep you long.” - -Paul followed his new acquaintance into a handsomely furnished chamber -on the third floor. He involuntarily thought of the poor tenement house -room in which he and old Jerry made their home, and he wondered whether -it would ever be his fortune to be as well lodged as the traveler from -Missouri. - -“Why not?” asked Paul, hopefully. - -“Sit down,” said the stranger, pointing to a chair. “I won’t keep you -long.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. A ROOM AT THE ALBEMARLE HOTEL. - - -The stranger was tall and well formed. He had certainly showed moral -weakness in yielding to the fascinations of drink, but he looked like a -smart man of business. - -“Wait a minute,” he said, “and I will talk to you.” - -He went to a stationary washtub, and bathed his head freely. - -“There,” he said, after he had rubbed his face vigorously with a towel. -“I feel fifty per cent better. There is nothing like cold water after -all.” - -“Inside as well as outside,” added Paul, with a smile. - -“That’s where you are right, my boy. Evidently your head is level. You -say you are a telegraph boy?” - -“Yes sir.” - -“How do you like it?” - -“Fairly well--for the present.” - -“You wouldn’t like to follow it permanently, eh?” - -“No, sir; by the time I got to be fifty or sixty, I might like to -change to something else.” - -“You might be able to retire on a fortune.” - -“It would be a very small one, judging from my weekly pay.” - -“I think myself, unless you are wedded to the business, you might pass -your time more profitably. What do you think you would like?” - -“To enter some business house where I could rise step by step as I -deserved it,” answered Paul, with animation. - -“You have the right idea. Now let me tell you why I inquire. In the -fall my father will establish a branch house here, with myself at the -head of it. I don’t mind telling you that if I had lost the money I -have with me, it is doubtful whether he would have trusted me so far. -Now, thanks to your prompt assistance, I have been spared the natural -result of my folly, and my father will never know the risk I have run. -So you see that you have rendered me an important service.” - -“I am sincerely glad of it, sir.” - -“I mean that you shall be, and on your account. If I establish myself -here, I shall want a young assistant on whose intelligence and fidelity -I can rely. Do you know any such person?” - -“I hope you mean me,” said Paul eagerly. “It is just the opening I have -been looking for, for a long time.” - -“I do mean you. Have you a father or mother?” - -“No, sir; unhappily not.” - -“Have you no one belonging to you, then?” asked the young man with a -look of sympathy. - -“No, sir, I can’t say that I have. I live with an old man who is not -related to me. It is better than being alone.” - -“Doesn’t he rely upon you to contribute to his support?” - -“He does, but he need not. He is a miser and has money deposited in the -Bowery Savings Bank, and elsewhere, I expect. I think he has enough to -carry him through to the end of his life.” - -“If he is a miser you probably don’t live very luxuriously.” - -“We live in a poor room in an east side tenement house, sir,” answered -Paul. - -“You are not contented with that, I take it.” - -“No, sir; when I compare it with the place where I spent this evening, -it makes me mortified and ashamed.” - -“You were at a party, you said?” - -“Yes, sir, in a fine brown stone mansion up town.” - -“Isn’t it a little unusual for a telegraph boy living in a tenement -house to be invited to a fashionable party?” - -“Yes, sir, but these are very kind friends of mine, who overlook my -poor social position, and notice me as much as if I lived in a house as -good as their own.” - -“I think they must be uncommon people, but I approve them for all that. -‘A man’s a man for a’ that,’ as Robert Burns says in his poem. That is, -it makes no difference whether he is rich or poor, whether he lives in -a palace or a hovel, if there is good stuff in him, he deserves honor.” - -“I would like to see the whole poem,” said Paul. “I think Burns is -right.” - -“So do I, but I must not forget that it is late, and I am keeping you -from your bed. I have not told you my name yet.” - -“No, sir.” - -“It is Eliot Wade. The firm name is William O. Wade & Co., of St Louis. -We have a wholesale clothing house, and propose to establish a similar -one in New York. Now, when this arrangement is effected, how can I -communicate with you?” - -“If you will write to Paul Parton, A. D. T., No. ---- Broadway, I shall -receive the letter. If I leave the telegraph service before, I will -tell them where to send any letter which is received.” - -“And in case both fail, you will be sure to learn our place from the -advertising columns of the newspapers. In that case, call and inquire -for me.” - -“Thank you, sir. I will be sure to do so.” - -“You will be likely to find it to your advantage.” - -Paul, concluding that there was nothing more to be said, rose to go. - -“Good night, Mr. Wade,” he said. “I consider myself lucky in having met -you.” - -“I can return the compliment. But I have not yet got through with you.” - -“I beg your pardon,” said Paul, resuming his seat. - -“You don’t suppose I would send you away without an immediate -acknowledgment of the service you have done me tonight?” - -“The future employment which you promised me I consider a very valuable -acknowledgment.” - -“That will, I hope, prove so, but there is nothing like a bird in the -hand.” - -As Eliot Wade spoke, he produced the wallet which had been saved to him -by the intrepidity and presence of mind of Paul, and drew therefrom a -bank note, which he tendered to Number 91. - -“Accept that with my thanks added,” he said. - -Paul looked at the bill and his face expressed the amazement he felt. - -_It was a hundred dollar bill!_ - -“You don’t mean to give me so much as this, Mr. Wade,” he ejaculated. - -“Why not?” asked the young man, with a smile. - -“It is a good deal too much.” - -“On the other hand, it is about fifty dollars too little. Ten per -cent on the sum saved would be one hundred and fifty dollars, and it -is worth that. However, I will reserve that for a future occasion. -Consider me fifty dollars in your debt.” - -“You are very liberal,” said Paul earnestly, “and I heartily thank -you. You can imagine that a hundred dollars is a large sum to a poor -telegraph boy.” - -“Now,” said the young man, smiling, “let me give you a piece of advice, -suggested by my own experience. Don’t drop into any drinking saloon on -your way home, or you may fall into the hands of a sharper, as I did.” - -“I will remember your caution, sir,” said Paul, smiling. - -“It may be safer for you to ride home, as the hour is late.” - -“I will do so, sir. Good night and thank you.” - -“It seems to me that you are born under a lucky star, No. 91,” said -Paul to himself. “In a single evening I have received a sum of money -equal to half a year’s wages. If old Jerry only knew it, I should not -dare to fall asleep in the same room with him.” - -He took the green car whose terminus was the Grand Street Ferry, and in -less than half an hour he reached the door of his humble lodging. - -He went upstairs and entered the bed chamber--which contrasted so -strongly with the handsomely furnished hotel room which he had just -left. He expected to find old Jerry fast asleep, but he was mistaken. -The old man was lying on his poor bed in a cramped position, his eyes -open, moaning piteously. - -“What is the matter, Jerry?” he asked, approaching the bed. - -“I am sick, Paul,” said the old man. “I--I am feeling very miserable! -Do you think I am going to die?” - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. OLD JERRY’S WEALTH. - - -Old Jerry certainly did look weak and miserable. His face seemed -thinner and paler than usual; his thin gray hair looked quite -disordered, and there were dark rings around his eyes. - -“You look sick,” answered Paul, pityingly. - -“Do you think I am going to die?” asked the old man, tremulously. - -“Oh, no, not yet awhile,” answered Paul, in a cheering voice. “But you -must have a doctor.” - -“No, no; I can’t afford it,” said Jerry, in alarm. “Doctors charge so -much. They--they seem to think a man is made of money.” - -“Would you rather die,” Paul exclaimed, impatiently, “than pay for a -doctor’s attendance? What good will your money do you if you die?” - -“You--you might ask the druggist for some medicine to help me. That -would be much cheaper.” - -“That won’t do you; you need a doctor. If you don’t have one, you may -die before morning.” - -Jerry was thoroughly frightened now. He made no further resistance, and -Paul summoned a doctor having an office on Grand Street. - -When he saw Jerry, and felt his pulse, he looked grave. - -“I think he is going to have a low fever,” he said. - -“Is it catching?” asked Mrs. Hogan, nervously, for Paul had waked her -up, and asked her to come in. - -The doctor smiled. - -“O, no,” he said. “Don’t be alarmed. Pardon me for asking,” he said, -turning to Paul, “but does your grandfather--I suppose he is your -grandfather--eat regularly and sufficiently?” - -“I am afraid not, sir.” - -“He has lowered his system, I should judge, by lack of nourishing food, -and at present his vitality is very low.” - -“I can easily believe it, doctor,” said Paul. “I will speak to you on -the subject later. Do you think he is going to have a fever?” - -“Yes, a low fever, as I said--the revenge of outraged nature for a -violation of her rules.” - -“Am I going to die?” asked Jerry, his parchment skin assuming a -greenish hue. “I--I want to live; I am not ready to die.” - -“That depends on whether you follow my rules.” - -“I will if--if you don’t make me spend too much money; I am -poor--miserably poor.” - -“I will see that your rules are followed, doctor,” said Paul, -finding it hard to hide the disgust he felt at this characteristic -manifestation of the old man’s miserly disposition. - -“I see you are a sensible boy,” said the doctor, approvingly. “Perhaps -I had better speak to you privately.” - -“Very well, doctor. As we have no other room, will you step into the -entry?” - -The doctor followed Paul out. - -“Before you give your instructions,” said the telegraph boy, “I want -to say that Jerry--he is not my grandfather--is a miser, and has -deliberately deprived himself of the necessaries of life.” - -“Has he money?” - -“He has enough, I am sure, to pay what is needful, but it will be hard -to get him to spend it.” - -“He must have nourishing food, and stimulating medicines, or he cannot -recover. His life is at stake.” - -“Will he need a nurse?” - -“I suppose you can’t attend to him?” - -“No; I prefer to attend to my regular business, and hire some one.” - -“Then do so, for the old man will require some weeks, at least, to -recover from the low point to which he has brought himself.” - -“I think I can get Mrs. Hogan to take care of him. You may give her -your directions.” - -First, however, Paul made the proposal to the good woman. “I’ll see -that you are paid,” he said. “If I can’t get the money out of Jerry, I -will pay it myself.” - -“But, Paul, dear, I wouldn’t want to take the little you have. You’ve -no more than enough for yourself.” - -“I will show you something, Mrs. Hogan, if you won’t let Jerry know.” - -“Shure I won’t.” - -Paul produced the hundred dollar bill, and filled the soul of Mrs. -Hogan with amazement. - -“Where did you get it?” she asked, in wonder. - -“It was given me by a gentleman whom I saved from being robbed of a -good deal more,” he answered. “You see, Mrs. Hogan, I am not so poor as -you suppose. I will pay you seven dollars a week, if that will satisfy -you, for your care of Jerry, but I will try to get him to repay me the -money, for his life depends on what we are able to do for him.” - -The doctor, upon Mrs. Hogan’s acceptance of the office of nurse, gave -her instructions. To begin with, though late, he directed that some -tea and oatmeal should be prepared and administered to his patient to -reinforce his failing strength. - -It was nearly one o’clock when Paul threw himself down on the lounge -with his clothes on, and fell into a sound sleep. - -Old Jerry did not immediately improve. His strength was so far reduced -that it required time to rebuild his enfeebled constitution. Mrs. Hogan -proved a good nurse. Indeed, in her younger days she had acted in that -capacity, and was not ignorant of the duties. - -When Paul came home the next evening, he found the nurse waiting to -speak to him. - -“The doctor says Jerry must be undressed, and not lay with his clothes -on,” she said, “but old Jerry is so obstinate that he won’t agree to -it.” - -“Jerry, you will feel a great deal better to take off your clothes,” -said Paul, in a tone of expostulation. - -“No, no!” objected Jerry, in a terrified tone. - -“And why not?” asked Mrs. Hogan. “Shure, the doctor knows what’s best -for you.” - -But Jerry obstinately refused. - -“It’s a quare frake the old man has, not to be undressed like a good -Christian,” observed Mrs. Hogan. - -“I think I know his objection,” said Paul. “We won’t trouble him just -now.” - -The next day at noon Paul called at the house, having a few minutes to -spare. Mrs. Hogan met him with a smile of triumph. - -“We’ve took off his clothes,” she said, “and I’ve put a night gown on -him, and he’s lying as peaceful as can be.” - -“Didn’t he refuse?” asked Paul, in surprise. - -“No, and a good reason why. He was out of his head, and so I asked Mr. -McQuade, downstairs, to come up and help me. And niver a word the old -man spoke, but seemed dazed like.” - -“Where are his clothes?” inquired Paul, eagerly. - -“Shure there they are!” said the nurse, pointing to a pile of wretched -garments on a chair near the bedside. - -“I’ll stay here ten minutes, Mrs. Hogan,” said Paul, “and give you a -chance to go to your room.” - -“Thank you, Paul. I’ll go and make a bit of tay for the old man.” - -Paul locked the door after her, and eagerly took up the shabby old suit -which had been worn for years by old Jerry. He instituted a careful -search, and found himself richly rewarded. In one pocket he found a -bank book on the Bowery Savings Bank. His eyes opened with amazement -when he found nearly three thousand dollars set down to the old man’s -credit. There was another book, marked the Union Dime Savings Bank, a -bank in the upper part of the city. On this book deposits were entered -to the amount of eight hundred and ninety dollars. Feeling something -stiff behind the lining of the coat, Paul hastily ripped it open, and -found a certificate of one hundred shares of Erie, then selling at -forty eight dollars per share. This appeared to be all, except a few -dollars in money. - -“It is my duty to take care of them,” reflected Paul. “Mrs. Hogan is no -doubt honest, but others might enter the chamber who would not scruple -to rob the old man. I will take care of them, and deposit them in a -safe place.” - -He made a hasty calculation, and found that the two savings bank -books contained deposits amounting to three thousand eight hundred -dollars. The value of the Erie stock he afterwards ascertained to be -four thousand eight hundred, making in all eight thousand six hundred -dollars. - -“How strange that a man with so much money should be willing to live -so miserably!” he thought. “Probably he has shortened his life by this -means.” - -At this point Mrs. Hogan reentered the room. - -Paul had replaced the clothes on the chair, and she did not observe -that they had been touched. - -“Is there anything you want, Mrs. Hogan?” asked Paul. “If so, I can -leave some money with you.” - -“I might, maybe, need to send Mike out to the druggist.” - -“Here’s a dollar, then.” - -“Shure, Paul, you’re very kind to the old craythur, though he’s no kin -to you.” - -“Oh, I expect to be paid back some time.” - -“I’m sure you will. We’ll try to keep life in the craythur, though it’s -little he enjoys it.” - -“Perhaps he enjoys it as much in his way as you or I.” - -“Shure it’s little I’d enjoy if I lived like him.” - -“I agree with you, Mrs. Hogan. But I must be going.” - -About three o’clock there was a knock at Mrs. Hogan’s door. A woman of -thirty presented herself. - -“Shure, and it’s I that am glad to see you, Mrs. Barclay,” said the -hospitable widow. “I haven’t set eyes on you since you went over to -live in Jersey City.” - -“No, I don’t often get over here. Today I had to bring clothes to a -customer, and thought I’d come and see you.” - -The visitor was Ellen Barclay, whom a strange chance--or was it -Providence?--had brought unwittingly to the poor home of her husband’s -father. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. ELLEN BARCLAY’S DISCOVERY. - - -Mrs. Barclay had only experienced a feeling of relief when her husband -failed to return to her. She had grown accustomed to taking care of -herself and the children without him, and his presence seemed likely -only to impose upon her an additional burden. Though she earned her -living in a humble way, she was fairly educated, and could sew neatly, -but a brief trial with the needle satisfied her that it would be -quite impossible to obtain the comforts of life for three persons in -that way. So she had mastered her pride, and entered the lists as a -laundress. - -“And how are the children, Mrs. Barclay?” asked Mrs. Hogan. - -“They are both well, thank God.” - -“And do you never hear anything of their father?” - -Mrs. Barclay’s face clouded. - -“Yes,” she answered, “he came home a few days since, but only stayed -one day.” - -“Didn’t he bring you any money then?” - -“No; he borrowed some from me.” - -“It’s a shame, so it is, in a great, strapping man like him to leave -you to work for the poor children.” - -Mrs. Hogan had never seen Mr. Barclay, or she would have recognized him -in the man whom she helped drive away from his father’s room, and was -utterly ignorant of the relationship between him and the old man whom -she was nursing. - -“I don’t know but it’s wrong,” said Ellen, “but I believe I should be -happy if I thought he would never come again. He has only brought me -trouble, and I dread his influence upon the children; we are better off -without him. But how are you getting along yourself, Mrs. Hogan?” - -“I’ve no cause to complain,” answered the Irish widow. “I’m well, and -Mike and I pick up a living. Just now I’m taking care of a sick man in -the room across the entry. It’s an ould man--a kind of miser he is, I -surmise--and his name is the same as your own, Mrs. Barclay.” - -The name of Barclay is not an uncommon one, but this statement seemed -to produce a strong impression on Mrs. Hogan’s visitor. - -“An old man named Barclay?” she repeated. - -“Yes.” - -“How old, should you think?” - -“I don’t know, but he’s all dried up, and wrinkled. He may be siventy.” - -“May I see him?” asked the visitor, eagerly. - -“Shure you may go in with me when I give him his medicine.” - -Ellen Barclay followed Mrs. Hogan into the opposite room, and looked -with strange interest at the wan, emaciated old man stretched out on -the bed. - -“I’ve brought your medicine for you, Jerry,” said Mrs. Hogan, -soothingly. - -“Jerry!” exclaimed the younger woman. “Is his name Jerry?” - -“Shure it is; and what thin?” - -“My husband’s father was named Jeremiah. This may be he.” - -“Have you niver seen him?” asked Mrs. Hogan, in surprise. - -“Never; I did not know he was living till my husband’s recent visit. -Then he spoke of his father’s being a miser, and his expecting to get -some money from him.” - -“Well, well; if I ever heard the like! As like as not old Jerry is your -father in law. I’ll soon see.” - -“Jerry, do you want to see your own son?” she asked, bending over, and -addressing her patient. - -An expression of alarm overspread the old man’s face. - -“Don’t let him come in! Keep him away!” he exclaimed. - -“Are you afraid of your own son, thin?” asked the nurse. - -“He is a bad man; he tried to rob me,” said the old man, looking about -him fearfully. - -“I do believe it’s that man I threw the bilin’ water on!” exclaimed -Mrs. Hogan, in surprise. “What’s your husband’s appearance, Mrs. -Barclay?” - -“He is tall and thick set, and his hair is inclined to be red.” - -“Has he a scar on his right cheek?” - -“Yes.” - -“That’s the same man I drove away last week, wid the bilin’ water. He -was trying to hurt old Jerry, wasn’t he, Jerry?” - -“Yes, yes,” muttered the old man. “He’s a bad man, and he wanted to -take away all my money, and I’m so poor.” - -“Is he so poor?” asked Mrs. Barclay. - -“No, it’s only his fancy. He’s what you call a miser; that’s what Paul -says.” - -“Where is Paul? Paul is a good boy!” murmured Jerry, half unconscious, -but his attention arrested by the familiar name. - -“Yes, he is a good boy,” repeated Mrs. Hogan. “It’s he that engaged me -to take care of Jerry, when he was took sick, and he tould me he’d see -that I was paid.” - -“How long has this boy been with him? I remember now Mr. Barclay -mentioned a telegraph boy. He didn’t seem to like him. I should like -to see the boy; perhaps he could tell me something of the old man, and -help me to decide whether he is really my husband’s father. On what day -did James call here?” - -Mrs. Hogan told her. - -“It was the day after he left me. You say he got no money?” - -“No; but he would if I hadn’t come in.” - -“It is strange he has not been here since.” - -“No, it isn’t, Mrs. Barclay; he was took in by a policeman, and I -expect he’s on the Island.” - -Ellen Barclay breathed a sigh of relief. Had her husband been the man -he should have been, such news would have brought sorrow and distress. -Now she regarded it as an augury of peace. While he was in confinement -he would not be able to molest her. - -“When can I see this boy, Paul?” she asked. - -“Paul is generally at home some part of the evening, though he’s liable -to come in at odd times.” - -“I will try to come over tomorrow evening, if you think he will be at -home.” - -“It would be a good thing for you if the ould man has money, as Paul -thinks,” said Mrs. Hogan, in a low voice. - -“Not if my husband were free,” said Ellen Barclay. - -“Thrue for you! He came near murderin’ the ould man. But there’s a dale -of virtue in hot water,” added Mrs. Hogan, with a laugh. “He made a -mistake when he tackled Bridget Hogan, I can tell him that, now.” - -“I shall have to go now, Mrs. Hogan. I left the children alone.” - -“Not without a cup of tay. I’m just goin’ to make some for the ould -man, and you’re welcome to a cup.” - -“Thank you, Mrs. Hogan. I know of old that your tea is good.” - -“It is that same, if I say so myself.” - -“One thing I can’t understand,” said Ellen Barclay, thoughtfully. “You -say the telegraph boy pays you for taking care of this old man?” - -“Yes, he does.” - -“But where does he get the money? Telegraph boys are not usually paid a -big salary.” - -“That’s thrue; but Paul is such a favorite he gets many presents. He’s -an honest boy, and it’s my hope my boy Mike will grow up just loike -him.” - -“I will see him for myself tomorrow evening. If Jerry, as you call -him, is really my father in law, I ought to know it. He seems a very -different man from my husband. I can’t see any resemblance between -them.” - -“That’s not strange, neither. Pat Hogan’s father was a little, dried up -shrimp of a man like ould Jerry here, and Pat was five tin, or tin feet -five, in his stockings I disremember which.” - -“I think it must be five feet ten,” said Ellen Barclay, with a smile. - -“No doubt you’re right, ma’am. But just come round tomorrow evenin’ and -see Paul, and then, maybe, you’ll find out all you want to know.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. JERRY DISCOVERS HIS LOSS. - - -It was not until late in the afternoon that Jerry regained sufficient -command of his faculties to observe that his clothes had been removed. - -He uttered a cry of alarm which brought Mrs. Hogan into the room. - -She found the old man struggling to rise in bed, but without success, -so great was his weakness. - -“Don’t try to get up, Jerry!” she said, soothingly. “Lie still, there’s -a good man!” - -“Bring me my clothes!” gasped Jerry. - -“And what for do you want your clothes?” asked Mrs. Hogan, supposing -that he wished to dress. “Shure the doctor said you must have them -taken off. It would be better for you.” - -“Bring them to me--quick!” gasped the old man once more. - -“Shure, and what will you do with them?” - -“Never mind, woman! Bring them to me, or I’ll have you arrested for -robbing me.” - -“O, that’s it, is it?” retorted the nurse, bridling. “If I couldn’t -find anything to stale better’n them, I’d remain honest to the end of -my life.” - -“If you won’t bring them here, I’ll get up myself.” - -“Take the clothes, thin,” said Mrs. Hogan, lifting them gingerly, as -though afraid of contamination. “Shure, I wouldn’t give two cents for -the lot of ’em.” - -She little knew why Jerry valued them, and what a quantity of wealth -had been concealed in the soiled garments. - -With trembling fingers, and features working with agitation, Jerry took -the clothes, and began to feel for his treasures. Alas for the old man! -His worst fears were realized. The bank books and certificate of stock -had been removed. Not a trace of them was to be found. The poor man, -for he was to be pitied, uttered a sharp cry of anguish. The clothes -dropped from his nerveless hands, and he fell back on the bed as if -stricken with a mortal wound. - -“Help! Help! Police!” he ejaculated. “I’ve been robbed.” - -“Robbed is it?” inquired Mrs. Hogan, puzzled. “And of what have you -been robbed, ould man?” - -“There were two savings bank books in the pockets. You’ve taken them!” - -“Well, well, if I ever heard the loike!” exclaimed Mrs. Hogan, -indignantly. “So you call me a thafe, do you?” - -“Give them back to me!” said the old man, imploringly. “I--I am so -poor. It will kill me if I lose my money.” - -“Two savings bank books, indade!” said Mrs. Hogan. “It’s my belafe -you’re an ould humbug, you that have always called yourself so poor. -And how much money was there in them?” she asked. - -“I--I--no matter. Give me the books, or I’ll send for the police.” - -“Go and welcome, this minute, if you please. You ought to know better -than to call an honest woman a thafe.” - -“Somebody has taken the books,” wailed Jerry. - -“Very likely Paul’s taken care of them for you. He was here alone with -the clothes.” - -“Where is Paul?” demanded Jerry, with peevish eagerness. - -“He’s at his work, but I’m expecting him back every minute. If he has -taken the books, they are all right. Paul’s an honest boy, and a fine -boy.” - -“Do you think he would rob me, Mrs. Hogan?” asked Jerry, piteously. - -“It’s a shame to be askin’ such a question,” said Mrs. Hogan. “Shure -you know Paul wouldn’t demane himself by such an act. But here he is to -answer for himself.” - -She heard Paul’s step on the stairs, as he came up whistling. Directly -afterwards he entered the room. - -“What’s the matter?” he asked, looking from one to the other. - -“The ould man’s in a great taking about bein’ robbed, Paul,” answered -Mrs. Hogan. “He says some savings bank books have been taken from his -clothes.” - -“Where are they, Paul?” wailed the old man. - -“They are safe, Jerry. I took them from your pockets, and the railroad -shares, too, and have left them with a Safe Deposit Company, for safe -keeping.” - -“Are you sure they are safe, Paul?” - -“Yes, much safer than they would be here. Of course Mrs. Hogan is -honest, but other persons might come into the room.” - -“Bring them back to me, Paul. I want to see them.” - -“I can if you insist upon it, Jerry. But you are too sick to look after -them. Besides, suppose your son should come in some day. He could rob -you easily, and you would never see your property again. Shall I show -you the receipt for them?” - -“Yes.” - -Paul drew from his pocket the receipt given him by the Safe Deposit -Company, and displayed it to the old man. - -“Let me keep this?” said Jerry. - -“Yes, if you like.” - -This seemed to satisfy him, and he clutched the paper with a deep sigh -of relief. - -“Shure, and you’ve calmed him down, Paul,” said Mrs. Hogan. “Was it -really true about the books?” - -“It was really true, Mrs. Hogan. He has a good deal of money, though he -doesn’t look it.” - -“Thin it’s a fool he is to live as he does, whin he might live like a -gintleman.” - -“He will never live differently. When he dies it will go to his son, -who will get through with it in short order.” - -Then Mrs. Hogan told Paul about the visit of Ellen Barclay, and her -discovering a relation in old Jerry. - -“I wish she might have some of the money. Shure, she nades it with her -young children.” - -“I would much rather she would have it than his son, who is a ruffian -and a burglar.” - -“And you’ll help her to it, if you can, Paul?” - -“Yes, I will. I don’t want Jerry’s money myself. I am young, and my -prospects are good. All I want is that it should go into the right -hands.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. JERRY FINDS A NEW RELATION. - - -Ellen Barclay came over the next evening according to appointment, and -had an interview with Paul. She had at first been disposed to look upon -him with suspicion, as likely to divert Jerry’s money from his legal -heirs, but the interview dispelled all such ideas. The telegraph boy -was so frank and free spoken, and showed such an interest in helping -her, that she was strongly impressed in his favor. He even told her the -particulars of his first encounter with her husband, and in what manner -he had defeated his plan of gaining possession of Mr. Cunningham’s -money. - -“Yes,” said Ellen, bitterly, “he is a husband to be proud of.” - -“Has he always been as bad?” asked Paul. - -“Yes; I had not been married to him a month before I found out that I -was wedded to a criminal. He treated me brutally, and I only breathed -freely when he was away from home. Within a year from the wedding day, -he was condemned to a year’s imprisonment, and at least half the time -since he has been in confinement.” - -“Leaving you to support yourself, I suppose?” - -“Yes, I have had to support myself and the children. Even when he was a -free man, he did little or nothing for the family.” - -“How did you support yourself?” asked Paul. - -“At first I undertook to maintain myself by the needle, but the -miserable pittance I received showed me that I must try some other -means of support. On inquiry I found that nothing paid as well as fine -laundry work for ladies. It was a trial to my pride, for I was well -brought up and educated, to take in washing for a living, but I would -rather do that than see my children suffer. So I stifled my pride and -became a laundress. I was fortunate in securing customers, and I have -wanted for nothing, neither have my children--nothing at least that -was necessary to comfort. But when my husband came home lately, and -proposed to put upon me the additional burden of his support, I became -discouraged.” - -“I hope better days are in store for you,” said Paul. - -“Not while my husband lives, and can find me out,” said Ellen Barclay, -sadly. - -“Do you wish me to introduce you to your husband’s father?” - -“Do you think it will be best?” - -“We had better try the experiment at any rate. He may die, and if he -does his money ought to go to you.” - -“It would be a great relief to me if my children would be provided for.” - -“Follow me, then.” - -Following Paul, Ellen Barclay went into the chamber occupied by old -Jerry. - -The old man looked up, noticing Paul only. - -“Do you think I will get well, Paul?” he asked. - -“Yes, Jerry, if you receive proper care, and have nourishing food.” - -“But--I am so poor, Paul.” - -“That is a mistake, Jerry, as you and I know.” - -“Don’t let any one know of the few dollars I have, Paul.” - -“I won’t let your son know; he is the only one of whom you need be -afraid. Did you know he was married, and had two children?” - -“I--I think he said something of it.” - -“Would you like to see his wife?” - -“I--I don’t know,” answered the old man, in an uncertain voice. - -“This lady is your son’s wife,” said Paul, beckoning Ellen to come -forward. - -The old man regarded her with an uneasy look. “I hope you are not like -James,” he said; “he is a bold, bad man!” - -“No one knows that better than I, Mr. Barclay. It was a sad day when I -married him.” - -“You have found him out, too?” - -“Yes, to my sorrow.” - -“You won’t try to get my money?” asked Jerry, anxiously. - -“No, but I should like to bring my children here to see their -grandfather.” - -“Are they--like him?” - -“No, thank Heaven!” - -“Then you may bring them.” - -“I will. Can I do anything for you?” - -“No, except to keep James away.” - -“You have made a good impression on him,” said Paul, when they had left -the room together. - -“Thanks to you,” said Ellen, earnestly. “You are a good boy, and an -unselfish one. Hereafter I shall trust you fully.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. A NEW COMMISSION. - - -“If Number 91 is unemployed, send him to No. 75, Windsor Hotel, at -eleven o’clock.” - -This message came to the telegraph office at which Paul was enrolled. - -The superintendent called him to the desk. - -“Here is a call for you, Number 91,” he said. “It comes from a lady, -Mrs. Louisa Holbrook. Do you know her?” - -“No, sir.” - -“Are you familiar with the name?” - -“No, sir; I never heard it before.” - -“She has evidently heard of you. It is now ten o’clock. At half past -ten you may start for the Windsor Hotel. If you arrive there before -eleven, you may wait till the hour, and then report at the room -indicated.” - -“Yes, sir.” - -Paul arrived at the Windsor Hotel at ten minutes before the hour. This -magnificent hostelry is situated on Fifth Avenue, and occupies the -entire block between Forty Sixth and Forty Seventh Streets. It is built -of brick, and has an air of quiet elegance which makes it a favorite -with ladies and others who like to be spared the noise and bustle which -attend other prominent hotels in the city. On the corner just above -stands the luxurious home of Jay Gould, the railroad king. A few blocks -above is the great Catholic Cathedral, destined one day to rank among -the famous churches of the world. Still further up, on the opposite -side, are the stately houses occupied by the Vanderbilt family. These -things, however, did not occur to Paul, for he was too familiar with -the leading buildings on the avenue to give them a special thought, -further than to reflect, “The men who occupy these fine houses were -once poor boys--many of them. I wonder whether it will ever be my -fortune to live as handsomely!” - -It was only a thought, not seriously entertained. Paul wanted to rise, -but an active, healthy boy seldom thinks of luxury, or craves it. That -comes later, after he has attained manhood. - -Paul entered the hotel, and, going up to the office, expressed a wish -to see Mrs. Louisa Holbrook. - -“Were you sent for?” asked the clerk. - -“Yes, sir.” - -“Then you may go up at once. Here”--to a bell boy--“show this boy up to -No. 75, Mrs. Holbrook’s room.” - -Though the room was only on the second floor, Paul followed the bell -boy into the elevator. At the second landing he got out, and followed -the hotel attendant to the door of a room fronting on the avenue. The -bell boy knocked, and a voice said, “Come in!” - -“It is a telegraph boy, ma’am,” said the servant. - -“He may come in, and you can go.” - -Paul entered the room--a large and handsome one--and found himself in -presence of a lady not much over thirty years of age, with a pleasant -face and manner. - -“You are Number 91?” she asked. - -“Yes, ma’am.” - -“I suppose you are surprised that I should have sent specially for -you,” the lady said, with a smile. - -“I wondered how you came to hear of me,” said Paul. - -“That is easily explained. I am a cousin of Mr. Cunningham.” - -Paul’s face brightened. It was pleasant to serve any one connected with -a family from which he had received so much kindness. - -“That explains it,” he said; “all the family have treated me very -kindly.” - -“I assure you that you stand very high in their estimation,” said -Mrs. Holbrook, smiling once more. “My young cousin Jennie was here -yesterday, and on learning the nature of my business urged me to send -for you.” - -“I am very much obliged to Miss Jennie,” said Paul with genuine -pleasure, for though too young to be in love, he liked Jennie -Cunningham better than any girl he had ever seen. - -“It is time I explained the errand on which I propose to employ you,” -said Mrs. Holbrook. “You must know, then, that I have an old aunt -living at the village of Rockville, in Connecticut. She is advanced -in years, and possessed of large wealth. She has a comfortable home, -and prefers to keep house rather than live with any of her relatives. -She does not live alone, however. She employs a housekeeper, a Mrs. -Mercer, whose son, a young man of twenty five, also finds employment -on the place. This woman, I have reason to think, is an artful person, -who, knowing my aunt to be wealthy, has ingratiated herself with her, -and is evidently scheming for her property, or at any rate a handsome -share of it. If it were any person who had a rightful claim, I think -I may say for myself and my cousins that we would not interfere in -the matter, as we are all moderately rich. But we decidedly object to -our aunt’s falling into the hands of an artful adventurer like this -housekeeper. You are wondering, no doubt, how all this concerns you. -I will come to that. Mrs. Cunningham tells me you are a sharp, shrewd -boy, and I propose to send you down as a confidential messenger, to -look about you, judge of the progress the housekeeper has made in her -designs, and, if you see anything wrong, apprise us, or, if there is -any chance, open my aunt’s eyes to the real character of the persons -she has trusted.” - -Paul listened to Mrs. Holbrook’s statement with attention. Some -difficulties, however, presented themselves to his mind. - -“Unless I am in the house,” he said, “I shall find it difficult to -carry out your instructions.” - -“You will be in the house. I shall give you a letter to my aunt, saying -that you are a boy in whom I am interested, and that I am anxious to -have you pass a few weeks in the country. Can you drive a horse?” - -“There is nothing I like better,” answered Paul, promptly. - -“Can you take care of a horse?” - -“Yes, indeed.” - -“How did you acquire this knowledge in the city?” - -“Not far from where I live is a stable, kept by a man whom I know well; -I have been in there a good deal, and helped him when he needed it. -Sometimes I would drive out for him.” - -Mrs. Holbrook nodded approvingly. “I am glad to hear it,” she said. “My -aunt is fond of riding, and has a horse and carriage. She can make you -useful in that way, and also as her secretary if she needs any one to -write for her, or read to her. I suppose you are equal to such duties?” - -“Yes, ma’am. I am not to go as a telegraph boy, I presume?” - -“No; have you another suit?” - -“Yes, but I am afraid it is not good enough.” - -“Then I will fit you out. I may as well write a letter first to my -aunt, and then I will see about proper clothes for you. I think I will -go to Brokaw Brothers. Can you go with me at once?” - -Paul answered in the affirmative. - -“What is your name?” - -“Paul Parton.” - -“A very good name. That will do quite nicely.” - -Mrs. Holbrook sat down at the desk, and wrote the following letter: - - “MY DEAR AUNT: - - “I am taking a liberty in sending you a boy in whom I am interested, - with the request that you will give him a home for a few weeks, if - he should be contented. I know you have a large house and plenty of - room. I think a young companion will help enliven the house. Paul - Parton (that is his name) will be happy to be of service to you in - any way. He understands horses, and will drive you out any time, - harness and unharness, read to you or write for you, should you - require it. I ask you to receive him as a guest, for my sake, but to - make him useful. - - “I hope, my dear aunt, you are in comfortable health, and in a - condition to enjoy life, notwithstanding your advanced years. - - “Your affectionate niece, - “LOUISA HOLBROOK.” - -“There,” said Mrs. Holbrook, after reading the letter to Paul, “I think -this will secure you an entrance into my aunt’s house, and should it -be read by the housekeeper, as is likely to be the case, it will tell -her nothing. Now we will go out and see about getting you a supply of -clothes.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. PAUL’S RECEPTION AT ROCKVILLE. - - -Paul found himself unable to start for Rockville in the afternoon. He -was obliged to make arrangements at home for an indefinite absence, and -procure from the savings bank a supply of money for current expenses, -which he left in the hands of Mrs. Hogan. His outfit was provided -by Mrs. Holbrook, who made it as ample as if Paul were the son of a -well to do family, instead of a telegraph boy, dependent upon his own -exertions for a scanty living in a shabby tenement house. - -When his new patroness parted from him, she put a pocketbook into his -hands. - -“This is not intended for remuneration,” she said, “for I shall pay the -telegraph company their usual charges. But I wish you to have money to -use, as you may require it.” - -“Thank you,” said Paul. “You are very kind.” - -“No, I am only considerate and just.” - -“Have you any special directions to give, Mrs. Holbrook?” - -“None beyond what I have already given. I must trust greatly to -your own good judgment and discretion. I am sure I can do so with -confidence, after the good report Mr. Cunningham has made of you.” - -“Thank you; I will try to deserve your confidence.” - -“You may write to me from time to time, when you have anything to -communicate.” - -Paul promised to do so, and at nine o’clock took a train at the Grand -Central Depot for Rockville. - -Fairly seated in the cars, he opened the pocketbook given him by Mrs. -Holbrook. - -It contained three five dollar bills, and five dollars more in small -notes. - -“Mrs. Holbrook is very liberal,” he reflected, complacently. “It will -be a pleasure to be in her service. I am fortunate in finding such good -friends.” - -Paul was fortunate, but his good fortune was deserved. He always tried -to do his duty, was always courteous and obliging, and not afraid to -work. Such boys generally find friends. If any of my readers think they -are badly treated by their employers, and are poorly provided with -friends, let them consider whether they have taken pains to deserve -them. - -Paul had never traveled, and two hours’ ride on the cars from New York -to Rockville, on a pleasant, sunny morning, interested him very much. - -He knew very little of the country, having spent most of his time -in the lower part of the city. He began to think the world was more -beautiful than he imagined. - -Finally, the cars came to a stop; the conductor called out “Rockville!” -and Paul, with curious anticipation, stepped from the cars upon the -platform. - -There was the usual crowd around the depot. On the platform stood a man -with a whip in his hand, evidently a driver. - -“Carriage for the hotel, or any part of the village!” he called out. - -Paul stepped up to him and inquired: “Can you tell me how far from here -Mrs. Granville lives?” - -“The widder Granville?” queried the driver. - -“I suppose so. She is an old lady.” - -“Just so. Well, she lives about a mile away, on the Plainfield Road.” - -“Can you take me there?” - -“Well, as you ain’t over and above hefty, I guess the horses can manage -it,” added the driver, humorously. “Just hop on. We’ll be starting -directly.” - -Paul got on the front seat with the driver, feeling disposed to a -social chat with that personage. There was but one other passenger, a -lady, who was bound for the hotel. - -“Are you going to visit the widder?” asked the knight of the whip. - -“I am expecting to stay at her house a little while.” - -“I suppose you know her?” - -“No, I have never seen her. I bring a letter from her niece in New -York, Mrs. Louisa Holbrook.” - -“I’ve heard tell of her. She was down here a week last summer. I guess -she and the housekeeper couldn’t hitch hosses.” - -“Mrs. Mercer is the housekeeper, I believe,” said Paul. - -“Folks call her the housekeeper. I call her the boss,” said the driver. -“She’s got the old lady under her thumb, if all accounts are true.” - -“Is she agreeable?” - -Amos, the driver, emitted a short laugh. “Wait till you see her,” he -said, significantly. - -“Do you think Mrs. Granville stands in dread of her?” asked Paul, -rather anxiously. - -He was beginning to think his task might be a hard one. - -“No; the old lady is easy goin’, that is all. If she ever got roused -she’d turn out to have a will of her own, or I’m greatly mistaken. -Bless your soul, Mrs. Mercer wouldn’t dare to go too far, for she wants -the old lady to leave her a good slice of her property. But she gets -round her in an underhand way. For instance, if her son wants to go -off anywhere, and it isn’t convenient for him to drive the old lady -out, Mrs. Mercer persuades her that she isn’t looking well, or that the -wind is cold and raw, and she’d better stay at home. I shouldn’t be -surprised if she’d get the old lady to make a will in her favor.” - -“I wonder what sort of a reception the housekeeper will give me,” said -Paul, thoughtfully. - -“Very likely she will not be over glad to see you, especially when -she knows you’re a friend of Mrs. Holbrook. That lady saw through the -housekeeper’s little schemes, and did what she could to put a spoke in -her wheel--that’s why she hates her.” - -“Well, all I can do is to hope for the best.” - -“Be yer expectin’ to stay long?” asked Amos, curiously. - -“That depends on whether the housekeeper will let me, from what you -tell me.” - -“You’ll find it dreadful dull.” - -“Perhaps so, but I’m going to offer to drive out Mrs. Granville, and -I’m willing to take care of the horse or horses, if she wants me to.” - -“Frost will like that, for he’s lazy, and will be glad to get rid of -the work.” - -“I suppose Frost is the housekeeper’s son.” - -“Yes, that’s the one I mean.” - -“What sort of a fellow is he?” - -“Good enough for those who like him,” answered Amos, dryly. “I don’t.” - -“Does he resemble his mother?” - -“He’s a chip of the old block, but not half so smart. His mother thinks -him an angel, and what she wants the old lady’s property for is not so -much for herself as for her son.” - -“You think I won’t find him a pleasant companion, then?” - -“I know you won’t.” - -“Then I hope I shall like Mrs. Granville.” - -“She’s a good old lady and awful rich. The only weak thing about her is -her trusting the housekeeper.” - -“I should think she would prefer to have some relative with her.” - -“She won’t get any to stay with her till she discharges Mrs. Mercer. -The housekeeper makes herself as disagreeable as possible to any -relation, because she’s afraid they will get an influence over the old -lady’s mind and interfere with her.” - -“Perhaps she may think the same of me.” - -“Like as not. You can tell better in a few days. But there’s the house, -the big white one on a little hill to the left.” - -“It is a very nice one.” - -“Oh, yes, it’s a good house. Why shouldn’t it be? The old lady’s got -plenty of money.” - -“Have you any idea how much?” - -“It’s risin’ a hundred thousand dollars, I heard Squire Taylor say -once. Squire Taylor is her lawyer, and he’s likely to know.” - -“No wonder the housekeeper has designs upon it.” - -“Just so--I shouldn’t mind if the old lady would leave me a slice. You -might put in a good word for me--Amos Drake--when you get acquainted.” - -“I’ll think of it,” answered Paul with a smile. “I owe you something -for all the information you’ve given me.” - -“That’s all right. You seem a good sort of chap, and you’re welcome.” - -Amos drew up in front of the house, and reined in the horses; while -Paul descended from the carriage. - -“How much is the fare?” asked Number 91. - -“Twenty cents.” - -“That’s near enough,” said Paul, handing him a quarter. - -“You’re a gentleman,” said Amos. “Now I’ll have a cigar when I get back -to the hotel.” Paul walked up the path to the front door of the mansion -and rang the bell. - -In about a minute the door opened, and he found himself confronting a -tall, grim looking woman with thin face and figure, and iron gray hair. - -“Who are you, and what is your business?” she demanded in a chilly -tone. Paul had no doubt in his own mind that it was the housekeeper. - -“My name is Paul Parton, from New York, and I have a letter for Mrs. -Granville.” - -“You can give me the letter.” - -“Thank you, but I would prefer to give it to Mrs. Granville----” - -“Humph! Are you one of her relations?” - -“No, but I come from Mrs. Holbrook, her niece.” - -“Oh,” said the housekeeper, grimly. “Well, I don’t think you can see -Mrs. Granville; she’s got a headache, and can’t be disturbed.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. A DEFEAT FOR THE HOUSEKEEPER. - - -The housekeeper held the door half way open, and evidently meant to -prevent Paul from entering. If he had been less determined, or more -easily abashed, he would have given up his purpose. But Number 91 had a -will of his own. - -“I don’t accept a dismissal from you, madam,” he said, eying Mrs. -Mercer with a steady glance. “I demand to see Mrs. Granville.” - -“Hoity toity! Who are you, I’d like to know?” demanded the housekeeper, -amazed and exasperated. - -“A visitor to Mrs. Granville,” answered Paul; “you, I suppose, are a -servant.” - -“Do you dare to call me a servant, you impudent boy?” answered Mrs. -Mercer, raising her voice. - -“What are you, then?” asked Paul, calmly. - -“I am Mrs. Mercer, the housekeeper, I’d have you to know.” - -“So I suppose, and Mrs. Granville is your employer. By what right do -you dare to send away her visitors?” - -Mrs. Mercer was quite unused to being defied so boldly, and she could -hardly express her indignation. - -“Well, I never heard of such impudence!” she ejaculated. - -In her anger she would have closed the door, but just at that moment a -voice was heard from the floor above--the voice of Mrs. Granville, who -had been attracted by the housekeeper’s loud tones. - -“What is all this, Mrs. Mercer?” she asked, in a tone of authority. - -“It’s a boy who wants to force his way in, ma’am,” said Mrs. Mercer, in -a sulky tone. - -“What boy is it?” asked her mistress. - -Paul answered this question himself. - -“I come from New York with a letter from your niece, Mrs. Holbrook,” he -said. - -“Then come in at once,” said the old lady, in an imperative tone. “Why -did you not admit him at once?” - -“I didn’t know,” answered the housekeeper, confused. - -“I beg your pardon,” said Paul, “I told you this, and you said Mrs. -Granville had a headache, and would not see me.” - -“What do you mean by this misrepresentation, Mrs. Mercer?” demanded the -old lady, sternly. - -“I offered to take the letter up to you,” said Mrs. Mercer, a little -alarmed at the evident anger of her mistress. - -“When Mrs. Granville reads the letter she will understand why I -preferred to hand it to her myself.” - -“Why did you say I had a headache? Why do you presume to send away my -visitors, Mrs. Mercer?” demanded the old lady, thoroughly aroused. - -“I meant it for the best,” said the woman, sulkily. - -“Never presume so far again. Now, young man, come up and let me see -you.” - -Paul passed the discomfited housekeeper, and, going upstairs, followed -the old lady into a pleasant sitting room. - -“I am sorry to have been the means of disturbing you,” said Paul, -politely. “Mrs. Holbrook sends you this letter, and wishes me to give -you her love.” - -“You are a nice looking boy,” said the old lady, letting her glance -rest approvingly on Number 91. “I hope Louisa is well.” - -“Very well, thank you.” - -She put on her glasses, and read the letter. - -“So you are Paul Parton,” she said, as she folded up the letter. - -“Yes, madam.” - -“A New York boy?” - -“Yes, madam.” - -“I am afraid you will find it dull here.” - -“O no, Mrs. Granville, I am sure I shall like the country, for a while -at least.” - -“Do you know how to drive?” - -“Oh, yes; I am used to horses.” - -“On the whole, I am glad Louisa sent you down here. Frost Mercer, who -usually drives me, has been getting lazy of late, and makes excuses -when I want to go out.” - -“I won’t do that, Mrs. Granville. I shall be only too glad to go.” - -“You are sure you won’t upset me?” - -“I don’t believe I shall,” answered Paul, smiling. “I don’t care about -being upset myself.” - -“I think, on the whole, I shall like to have a boy about,” said the old -lady, thoughtfully. - -“I am afraid Mrs. Mercer might object to me.” - -“I am the mistress of the house. Mrs. Mercer is only the housekeeper,” -said the old lady, with an unwonted assumption of dignity. “Please ring -the bell, Paul.” - -Paul did so. - -Presently the housekeeper entered in answer to the summons. She looked -askance at Paul. - -“Mrs. Mercer,” said her mistress, “you will prepare a room for this -young gentleman. He will remain here, for the present.” - -Mrs. Mercer looked disagreeably surprised. - -“Perhaps you had better read this letter from my niece, Mrs. Holbrook, -as it will save explanations.” - -The housekeeper read the letter, and her thin lips tightened with -displeasure. - -“There is no need of your getting a boy to drive you around, ma’am,” -she said. “My son is perfectly able to do it.” - -“Your son is very apt to be engaged when I want to drive out,” returned -the old lady, dryly. - -“I will see that it don’t happen again,” said the housekeeper, anxious -to keep Paul out of the house. - -“There is no occasion for that. Mind, I don’t blame your son. Paul here -will have nothing else to do, and can drive me as well as not. Besides, -he will read to me, and spare my eyes.” - -“Frost would be willing to read to you.” - -Mrs. Granville smiled. - -“I don’t think reading aloud is one of your son’s accomplishments,” she -said. “His voice is not exactly musical.” - -This was certainly true, for Frost Mercer had a voice deep and -croaking, like a frog’s. - -“I am sorry you are so prejudiced against my poor boy,” said Mrs. -Mercer, mortified and displeased. - -“You are a foolish woman, Mrs. Mercer. I am only going to make it -easier for Frost, and give this young gentleman something to do. Paul, -you may go with Mrs. Mercer, and take possession of your room. Go where -you please, till half past twelve, our dinner hour. After dinner, I may -take a drive.” - -“You’d better get your life insured, then, ma’am,” muttered Mrs. -Mercer. “Boys ain’t to be trusted with horses.” - -“Is your horse very lively or skittish?” asked Paul. - -“No,” answered Mrs. Granville. “He is very gentle and tractable.” - -“Then I don’t think there is any need of insuring your life, Mrs. -Granville.” - -“_I_ wouldn’t ride out with you,” said the housekeeper, spitefully. - -“Perhaps you will think better of me after a while, Mrs. Mercer,” said -Paul, good naturedly. - -The housekeeper closed her lips firmly and shook her head. - -“I’ve made one enemy, that’s clear,” said Paul to himself--“probably -two, for the housekeeper’s son isn’t likely to be my friend.” - -Mrs. Mercer led the way to a small room on the next floor. - -“You can go in there,” she said, ungraciously. - -“Thank you,” said Paul. - -It occurred to him to wonder why so small a room should be assigned -him, while there seemed to be plenty of larger ones. In the arrangement -of the room, however, there was nothing to be desired. Everything was -neat and comfortable. To Paul, accustomed to a shabby tenement house, -it seemed luxurious, and he was disposed to enjoy it for the time, be -it long or short. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXII. FROST MERCER IS CONTRARY. - - -Mrs. Mercer, the housekeeper, was seriously annoyed by the appearance -of Paul upon the scene. For years she and her son had had charge of -Mrs. Granville’s affairs, and they had taken care to turn the charge to -profitable account. The wages which each received formed only a part -of this advantage. They bought everything for the house, and levied -tribute from every tradesman as a compensation for turning the trade in -his direction. The result was that Mrs. Granville, without being aware -of it, paid a larger price than any one else for what articles she -purchased, the storekeepers and others compensating themselves in this -way for the percentage they had to pay the housekeeper and her son. - -It is for this reason that Mrs. Mercer never cared to have any visitor -in the house. She feared her dishonesty might be found out. She was -especially afraid of any one sent by Mrs. Holbrook, who during her stay -had been bold enough to interfere with the housekeeper. - -When she had ushered Paul into his chamber, she went out to the barn, -where she found her son, not at work, but sitting on an old rocking -chair which he had carried out for his convenience, smoking. - -“Well, mother, what’s up?” he asked, on Mrs. Mercer’s entrance. - -“We have got a visitor,” answered his mother, abruptly. - -“We?” - -“Well, Mrs. Granville.” - -“Who is it--the Holbrook woman?” queried Frost, taking his pipe from -his mouth. - -“No, but it’s some one she sent.” - -“Man, woman, or child?” - -“It’s a boy--about sixteen, he looks.” - -“What on earth should she send a boy for?” asked Frost, in surprise. - -“To make mischief, I reckon.” - -“What can a boy do?” - -“I read the woman’s letter. She sends him to take your place.” - -“What?” exclaimed Frost, in some alarm. - -“Why, she hints that he can drive out the old lady, read to her, and -make himself generally useful.” - -“That will make it lighter for me,” said Frost, who was lazy, “if he -does the driving.” - -“Yes, but don’t you see what a chance he will have to work himself into -the confidence of the old woman?” - -“What sort of a boy does he seem to be?” - -“I’ve only seen him five minutes, but I’ve found out that he is -impudent. When I didn’t want to let him in, he actually defied -me--asked by what right I sent away Mrs. Granville’s visitors.” - -“So he is inclined to make trouble, is he?” - -“Yes.” - -“Suppose I give him a thrashing?” - -“It won’t do, Frost.” - -“You think I am not a match for a boy of sixteen?” - -“No, not that; but we must not be imprudent. Better get rid of him by -underhand means.” - -“Such as what?” - -“I don’t know yet; I will consider. Meantime I thought I would come -out and put you on your guard.” - -“All right, mother. I guess we can checkmate the young meddler. Is he -in the house?” - -“Yes; I’ve put him in the small room.” - -“Next to mine?” - -“Yes.” - -“All right; I’ll look him over at dinner time.” - -In this, however, Frost counted without his host. Mrs. Granville was -accustomed to have her meals brought up to her own room. Today she -expressed the wish that Paul should dine with her. This displeased the -housekeeper. - -“I suppose Frost and I are not good enough company for the young man,” -she said, sulkily. - -“My good Mercer, you are much mistaken,” said Mrs. Granville, -soothingly. “I thought he would be company for me; besides, it will -give me a chance to ask him some questions about Louisa.” - -“Very well, ma’am,” said the housekeeper, but she didn’t look satisfied. - -“What do you think, Frost?” she said, as she went downstairs. “Master -Paul--that’s his name--is to dine with the old woman upstairs. I -suppose he is too good to eat with us.” - -“I don’t know as I care much, mother; I don’t want his company.” - -“Nor I, for the matter of that, but it’s putting this young popinjay -over our heads. They’ll be getting thick together, and the boy will be -pulling our noses out of joint.” - -“If he does, I’ll pull his out of joint,” muttered Frost. - -“Bide your time, Frost. We’ll put our heads together and see if we -can’t send him packing.” - -After dinner Mrs. Granville expressed a desire, as it was a fine day, -to go out for a drive. - -“I shall be very happy to drive you,” said Paul, cheerfully. - -“You are sure you can drive?” asked the old lady, anxiously. - -“I should smile,” Paul was about to reply, when it occurred to him that -this form of expression did not sound exactly proper. “I am used to -driving, ma’am,” he said, instead. - -“Then about two o’clock you may go out to the barn and ask Frost to -harness up.” - -“O, I’ll do that, Mrs. Granville.” - -When he went out to the barn, he found Frost Mercer sitting at his -ease, engaged at his favorite business of smoking a pipe. - -“I suppose you are Frost,” he said, with a smile. - -“I am Mr. Mercer,” answered Frost, in a forbidding tone. - -“I beg your pardon. I will call you Mr. Mercer, if you prefer it. I am -Paul Parton.” - -“I don’t know as that concerns me,” said Frost, staring at Paul in an -unfriendly manner. - -“It is just as well you should know my name, as I am living in the -house,” said Paul, independently. “Mrs. Granville wishes me to drive -her out If you will show me what carriage she uses and so forth, I will -harness up.” - -This was, on the whole, satisfactory to Frost, as he would not have the -trouble of harnessing. - -“There’s the carriage,” he said, “and there’s the harness. You can find -the horses if you use your eyes.” - -“Thank you; you are very obliging,” said Paul, with a little touch of -sarcasm. - -“The old lady doesn’t seem to value her neck,” observed Frost. - -“What makes you think so?” - -“In letting you drive her.” - -“O, that’s it. I think I shall bring her back safe.” - -“I don’t know about that. You’re a city boy, ain’t you?” - -“Yes.” - -“What chance have you had to learn about horses?” - -“I know a little about them.” - -“Well, I wash my hands of it. If the team is upset, Mrs. Granville will -have herself to blame for it.” - -“I don’t think you need to worry,” said Paul. “I’ll promise to bring -her back safe.” - -He set to work to harness the horses. Frost surveyed him with critical -eyes, but he could see no evidence of ignorance on Paul’s part. He did -his work quickly and skillfully, and then, opening wide the barn doors, -led the horses out. Then he jumped into the carriage and was about to -drive to the house. - -“Come back and shut the barn doors!” called out Frost from his rocking -chair. - -Paul turned and looked back. - -“I don’t think it will do you any harm to do that yourself,” he said, -“if you can spare the time from smoking.” - -“Hey, what’s that?” demanded Frost, angrily. - -“I don’t think it will be necessary to repeat it,” said Paul, coolly; -“you heard me.” - -“None of yer sass, boy!” said Frost, wrathfully. - -Paul did not deign to answer him. He saw that Frost did not intend to -be pleased with anything he did, and that there was no use in trying to -conciliate. - -“I hate that boy!” reflected Frost, following Paul with a venomous -expression. “My mother is perfectly right. He’s a dangerous visitor. We -must get rid of him one way or another.” - -Paul drove around to the front of the house and found Mrs. Granville -ready at the door--with the housekeeper at her side. - -“I do hope you won’t meet with an accident,” said Mrs. Mercer with an -air of deep solicitude. “Frost is ready to drive you. It will be safer.” - -“Thank you, my good Mercer, but Paul tells me he understands driving.” - -“I shouldn’t mind if she broke her neck,” muttered the housekeeper, -following the carriage with her eyes, “if I only knew it was all right -now in her will.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIII. A STARTLING DISCOVERY. - - -Paul proved a satisfactory driver, and the old lady’s fears were soon -dissipated. - -“You drive better than Frost Mercer,” she said in a tone of -satisfaction. - -“I am glad to hear you say so, Mrs. Granville,” said Paul, well pleased. - -“Frost nearly upset me one day. I don’t think he is generally -intemperate, but I suspect he had been drinking something that day.” - -“He doesn’t seem to like me,” Paul ventured to say. - -“What makes you think so?” - -Hereupon Paul related his reception when he went to the barn to harness -the horses. - -Mrs. Granville listened thoughtfully. - -“He should not have acted so,” she said; “I presume he didn’t like the -idea of being superseded.” - -“Has he been with you a long time?” - -“He and his mother have been in my service for a long time. I think -Mrs. Mercer is of a jealous disposition. She never wishes me to have -any one here, but she is very faithful and loyal.” - -“I wonder if that is the case,” thought Paul. The housekeeper did not -seem to him like one who would be unselfishly devoted to the service of -any one. - -Several days passed. Every day Mrs. Granville rode out, sometimes -in the forenoon, sometimes in the afternoon, and the effect was -perceptible in her improved health and spirits. - -“It is fortunate for me that you came here,” she said one day. “Before -you came I rode out only once or twice a week. It seems to do me great -good to drive every day.” - -“Why did you not go out every day, Mrs. Granville?” asked Paul. - -“Frost did not seem to like the trouble of going out with me,” she -answered. “He often sent word that he was at work, and could not go -conveniently.” - -Paul wondered whether he was engaged smoking in the barn. In his guess -he came near the truth. - -“Besides,” added the old lady, “I did not like to ride out with him as -well as with you.” - -Paul thanked her for the compliment. - -“I like to talk with you, but Frost was not very social, and we had -very little conversation.” - -One afternoon Mrs. Granville asked Paul to drive round to the grocery -store. She wished to get a supply of a particular kind of cheese which -she had neglected to order through the housekeeper. - -It so happened that there were several customers ahead of her, and she -had to wait her turn. These were being supplied with various articles, -and the old lady could not help overhearing what passed between them -and the storekeeper. One thing in especial attracted her attention--the -prices that were charged. They were in every instance below those -charged on the bills handed in to her by Mrs. Mercer. Mrs. Granville -made careful note of these prices, and on the way home broached the -matter to Paul. - -“What does it mean, Paul, do you think?” she asked. - -Paul’s wits had been sharpened by his city experience, and he rapidly -penetrated the secret. - -“You always buy through Mrs. Mercer, do you not?” he asked. - -“Yes; but what of that?” - -“If I answer it may prejudice you against the housekeeper, and perhaps -unjustly.” - -“Still it is only right that you should tell me.” - -“Can Mrs. Mercer buy wherever she pleases?” - -“Yes; I leave the choice of the place to her.” - -“Is there another grocer in the village?” - -“Yes; there are two.” - -“Then I think she charges this grocer a commission for carrying your -trade to him, and he makes up for it by charging you a higher price.” - -“Is that often done?” asked Mrs. Granville, surprised. - -“Yes, I feel sure of it. I remember one evening in the city listening -to a conversation between two coachmen employed in private families. -They were boasting of the amount of their commissions obtained from -blacksmiths, dealers in hay and oats, and so on.” - -“But that is dishonest,” said the old lady, indignantly. - -“They don’t look upon it in that way,” answered Paul. - -“And do you agree with them?” asked the old lady, half suspiciously. - -“No, I don’t,” answered Paul, promptly. “I think they ought to be -satisfied with their wages.” - -“You are right. As for Mrs. Mercer and Frost, they are paid more than -most employers would pay, for I am rich, and, thank Heaven, not mean.” - -“Don’t condemn them without feeling certain,” said Paul; “I may be -wrong in their case.” - -“I won’t feel satisfied until I have ferreted the matter out,” said -Mrs. Granville. She was very good and liberal, but any attempt at -imposition made her very angry. - -“How will you find out?” - -“You will see.” - -The old lady relapsed into silence, and was evidently busy with her -thoughts. When she reached home, she called Paul’s services into -requisition. - -“Paul,” she said, “open the drawer of my bureau--the upper drawer--and -take out a file of bills you will find in the left hand corner.” - -Paul did so. - -“They are Mr. Talbot’s bills.” - -Mr. Talbot was the grocer whose store she had left. - -“Now we will compare the bills with the prices I heard being charged to -the customers who were being waited on in the store.” - -This she did with Paul’s help. - -The result was that she found herself charged two cents a pound extra -on sugar, five cents on butter, three cents on cheese, five cents -each on tea and coffee, and so on. Besides she found that excessive -quantities of each had been bought, more than three persons could -possibly have consumed. What became of the surplus, unless it was -thrown away, she could not possibly divine. Of course the housekeeper’s -commission increased with increased sales. The real explanation, -however, was that Mrs. Mercer had a widowed sister living in the next -town. She often called on Mrs. Mercer, and never went away without a -liberal supply of groceries, taken from the private stores of Mrs. -Granville. - -This the old lady did not learn till afterwards. - -If Mrs. Mercer had known in what way her mistress and Paul were -engaged, she would have quaked with apprehension, but of this she had -no suspicions. - -The next afternoon Mrs. Granville drove over once more to Mr. Talbot’s -store, and asked for a private interview with him. - -“Certainly, ma’am,” said the unsuspecting grocer, obsequiously. - -“Why is it, Mr. Talbot,” asked the old lady, coming straight to the -point, “that you charge me higher prices than you do to your other -customers?” - -“What makes you think I do?” stammered the grocer. - -“I’ll tell you. Yesterday I was present when some of your customers -were buying butter, sugar, and other articles. I noted the prices, and -then went home and examined my bills. I find you charge me from two to -five cents a pound more than to others. Tell me frankly why this is, -and I may overlook it.” - -“I don’t make any more profit out of you than out of them,” said the -grocer. - -“But how is this--you charge me more?” - -“The extra charge does not go into my pocket.” - -“I suspected as much. Into whose then?” - -“If I must tell you, it is Mrs. Mercer’s. It is the only condition on -which she gives me your trade.” - -“Thank you; it is right that I should know.” - -“Shall you speak to Mrs. Mercer about this when you get home?” asked -Paul, as they were driving homeward. - -“Not immediately. I want to observe her a little more. It is a shock to -find that one to whom I have been kind for so many years has deceived -me so basely.” - -Meanwhile Mrs. Mercer, who was becoming more and more jealous of Paul, -was arranging a scheme to injure him with Mrs. Granville. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXIV. A PLOT AGAINST PAUL. - - -The housekeeper and her son had seen, with increasing alarm, the -growing attachment of Mrs. Granville for Paul. - -“Something’s got to be done, Frost,” she said, decidedly. “That boy is -setting the old woman against us.” - -“That’s so, mother; she never wants me to go with her now. I might as -well be out of the house, so far as any notice of me goes.” - -“She’s mighty cool to me, too, Frost. I suspected how it would be when -that boy came into the house. He’s the artfulest young one I ever knew.” - -“The two of us ought to be a match for him,” grumbled Frost. “I’ll give -him a lickin’ if you say so.” - -“It would do no good. She’d only take his part, and as likely as not -send you packing. No, we must adopt a different course.” - -“What shall it be? You’re smarter than I am, mother. I’ll do whatever -you think best.” - -“I’ve thought of a plan, Frost,” said Mrs. Mercer, and she proceeded to -communicate it to him. - -“That’ll do,” said the son, in a tone of satisfaction. “We’ve got to -give her a bad opinion of her favorite, and then we’ll get rid of him.” - -This conversation took place in Frost’s room one evening. This room -adjoined Paul’s, and it so happened that in the upper part of the room -there was a round hole in the partition, made probably for the entrance -of a funnel, which rendered it easy for conversation to be heard in the -adjoining room. Paul had been spending the evening in Mrs. Mercer’s -room, but was dismissed earlier than usual, and had retired to his own -bed room. So it chanced that he heard the details of the plot against -him. - -It did not surprise him much, for he was quite aware of the -housekeeper’s hostility towards him. He had been on the point of -lighting his lamp, but decided not to do so, and noiselessly prepared -for bed. He felt that forewarned was forearmed, and he determined to -tell Mrs. Granville what he had heard. - -This he did the next morning. The old lady listened attentively. - -“I did not believe Mrs. Mercer capable of such wickedness,” she said. -“After all the kindness I have heaped upon her, too!” - -“I suppose she is jealous of me,” suggested Paul. “For my part, I wish -her no harm. I would not have told you, except to defend myself in -advance of any charges she may make against me.” - -“You have done right, Paul,” said the old lady, kindly. “Mrs. Mercer -selfishly wishes to monopolize all my favors. Whatever I may do for you -would not have interfered with her, if she had behaved properly. Now -she must take the consequences of her folly.” - -Early in the afternoon, Mrs. Granville directed Paul to bring the -carriage round to the door. When they had driven a quarter of a mile, -she said: “You may drive me to Coleraine, Paul.” - -This was an adjoining town, about four miles away. - -Reaching the town, the old lady directed Paul to drive her to the -office of her lawyer. Finding him in, she said: “You may take the horse -to the stable, and come back in an hour. I have some business to attend -to.” - -“Certainly, ma’am,” said Paul, obediently. - -He returned in an hour, but had to wait half an hour longer. Then the -old lady came out, and seemed unusually cheerful. - -“Paul,” she said, “I have been making my will.” - -“I thought it might have been made already,” said our hero. - -“So it was, but I have made a new one.” - -Paul did not feel called upon to reply. - -“I have not forgotten you,” continued Mrs. Granville, kindly. - -“Thank you very much,” said Paul, gratefully. “I won’t pretend to be -sorry, but I hope it will be a long time before I reap any benefit from -it.” - -“I am sure of that, Paul,” said the old lady. “You are not selfish -and self seeking like Mrs. Mercer and Frost. They were handsomely -remembered in my former will, but I had not found them out then.” - -When they reached the house, Mrs. Mercer herself opened the door. There -was a look of blended mystery and triumph on her face as she admitted -them. - -“Can I speak with you a minute in private, Mrs. Granville?” she said -with a significant glance in Paul’s direction. - -“Certainly, Mrs. Mercer. Paul, you may go out and put up the horse.” - -“It’s coming,” thought Paul. - -“Well, what is it, Mercer?” asked the old lady, as she led the way into -her own chamber. - -“It’s about that boy, ma’am.” - -“About Paul?” - -“Yes, ma’am. I know you think him an angel.” - -“Well, not quite that, Mercer,” smiled Mrs. Granville. - -“At any rate, you think a great deal of him.” - -“Yes, I do.” - -“I never liked him for my part,” continued the housekeeper, spitefully. -“I always distrusted him. I thought him a snake in the grass.” - -“Come, Mercer, that’s rather a heavy indictment of the poor boy.” - -“I can prove all I say, ma’am,” said the housekeeper. “I thought you -were wrong in trusting him.” - -“What has he done? Come to the point.” - -“You see this, ma’am,” said Mrs. Mercer, producing a breast pin set -with pearls. - -“Yes, it is mine.” - -“Where do you think I found it?” - -“Suppose you tell me.” - -“In the boy’s bureau drawer, while you were out.” - -“How did you happen to be examining his drawer?” asked the old lady, -sharply. - -“Because from things I have noticed I suspected he meant to rob you. I -didn’t expect to find that, I confess, but I did think I should find -something. This favorite of yours is nothing but a thief.” - -“You may call him, Mrs. Mercer. It is only fair to hear what he has to -say for himself.” - -Mrs. Mercer needed no second bidding. She hurried to the stables and -found Paul occupied in unharnessing the horses. - -“Frost,” she said, “just finish unharnessing the horses. Mrs. Granville -wants to see this young gentleman.” - -Frost obeyed with unwonted alacrity, and Paul quietly followed the -housekeeper into the house. He was not particularly alarmed, for he had -already put a spoke in the housekeeper’s wheel, though she was quite -unaware of it. - -“Has Mrs. Granville an errand for me to do?” he asked, suppressing a -smile. - -“You’ll find out what she wants of you,” returned the housekeeper, -tossing her head. “Young man, your course is about run!” - -“Is it?” asked Paul, innocently. - -He followed Mrs. Mercer into Mrs. Granville’s chamber. The old lady was -sitting in her arm chair by the window. - -“I’ve brought him, ma’am,” said Mrs. Mercer. “Now you can find out for -yourself what a viper he is.” - -“Paul,” said the old lady, mildly, “Mrs. Mercer tells me she found this -breast pin in your bureau drawer. Do you know anything about it?” - -“No, ma’am,” answered Paul, not betraying the slightest confusion. - -“Of course he would say so,” remarked the housekeeper. - -“Yet, Mrs. Mercer says she found it in your drawer.” - -“What was she doing there?” asked Paul. - -“Tracking a thief!” answered Mrs. Mercer, spitefully. - -“She charges you with stealing the breast pin from my room, Paul.” - -“Yes, I do; how did it get into your drawer unless you stole it? Answer -me that, Mr. Paul Parton.” - -“I suppose you put it there,” returned Paul, calmly. - -Mrs. Mercer held up both hands in indignant protest. “Did you ever hear -the likes, ma’am?” she ejaculated. “He’s a thief, and unfit to stay in -your house.” - -“Excuse me, Mrs. Mercer,” said Paul, quite coolly, “but didn’t you -arrange this little plot against me last evening in conversation with -your son?” - -“What do you mean?” ejaculated the housekeeper. - -“I happened to be in my room, and overheard you.” - -“Do you believe this impudent lie, Mrs. Granville?” the housekeeper -asked, desperately. - -“I have reason to believe Paul,” answered the old lady, “for this -breast pin, which you say you found in Paul’s room during my absence, -I distinctly remember leaving in my own bureau drawer when I left the -house this afternoon.” - -Mrs. Mercer was panic stricken. She turned to leave the room, quite -overwhelmed, but Mrs. Granville called her back. - -“Stay, Mrs. Mercer,” she said, “I have something to say to you.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXV. PAUL RETURNS TO NEW YORK. - - -The housekeeper turned at the bidding of her mistress, and gazed at her -in apprehension, waiting for her to speak. - -“I wish to speak to you about another matter, Mrs. Mercer. I have made -a discovery which reflects seriously upon you.” - -“What is it?” asked the housekeeper, nervously. - -“Why, it is that for a long time--I don’t know how long--I have been -paying Mr. Talbot higher prices for groceries and other articles than -he charges any one else.” - -“I didn’t know it,” answered Mrs. Mercer. - -“Do you mean to say that he imposed upon you?” - -“That’s just what I do say,” answered the housekeeper, gaining -boldness. “I’ll give him a piece of my mind.” - -Mrs. Granville eyed her gravely. - -“It is too late to impose upon me, Mrs. Mercer,” she said. “I know why -he charged me extra prices.” - -“He wanted to make money out of you, I suppose.” - -“He or some one else. It is useless to misrepresent. I know that this -extra sum went into your pocket. Wait,” seeing the housekeeper about to -speak. “I learned his usual prices, and with Paul’s help I went over -the bills for the last three months, and have discovered how much I -have been swindled.” - -“It’s _his_ doings, I’ve no doubt,” said Mrs. Mercer, bitterly, -referring to Paul. - -“You are mistaken; though if it were true it would not help you any. I -myself discovered the overcharge, and simply employed Paul to look over -the bills with me.” - -“Talbot lied!” said the housekeeper, desperately. She could not have -expected this denial would benefit her, but she was reluctant to -confess her guilt. - -“I believe he tells the truth,” returned her mistress. “What have you -to say?” - -“I can’t say anything; it wouldn’t do any good,” said Mrs. Mercer, -sullenly. “You’re so infatuated with that boy that you won’t do me -justice.” - -“Let me remind you,” said the old lady with dignity, “that Paul has -nothing whatever to do with the matter. I think well of him, it is -true, and am even attached to him, but your wrong doing commenced -before he came, and your senseless jealousy has betrayed you into a -disgraceful plot against him. Of course you and your son cannot remain -in my employment.” - -The housekeeper had not anticipated this. It was a terrible thought -that she and Frost must go forth from the home that had known them so -long. - -“Forgive me, Mrs. Granville,” she pleaded in great agitation. “I -will give up all the money I have made out of my purchases on your -account--I will, indeed--and more, too, if you insist upon it. Only let -me stay! Think of the years I have been in your service!” - -“You should have thought of that, Mrs. Mercer. You should have thought -of my kindness to you and your son, and rejected the temptation to rob -me as you have done.” - -“I will give it all back--I told you I would,” said the housekeeper, -with feverish lips. - -“It’s too late! I have lost confidence in you. You are not the woman I -supposed; for a small gain you have thrown away a great prospect. You -and your son were down in my will for a handsome sum. This day I have -made a new will.” - -“And given your property to that boy, I suppose?” said the housekeeper -in passionate anger. - -“I decline to tell you in what way I have disposed of my money!” -returned the old lady with dignity. “And now for the future. You and -your son will leave me at the end of this week.” - -“I will leave this very day!” exclaimed Mrs. Mercer, angrily. - -“You can do as you please, but I should not advise you to do so. You -did not wait for my conclusion. You will leave at the end of the week, -but if you remain till then, you will not go empty handed. I will not -only let you keep what you have wrongfully taken, but in acknowledgment -of past services, I will pay you and Frost three months’ wages in -advance to keep you until you find new employment.” - -“I will stay,” said the housekeeper, sullenly. - -“It will be best.” - -“Shall you keep this boy with you?” she could not help asking, -jealously. - -“Probably not long. He will wish to go back to the city.” - -This assurance relieved Mrs. Mercer, and almost reconciled her to her -own departure. - -At the end of the week, however, Mrs. Granville closed her house for -a time, employing a neighboring farmer to take care of the land, and -went to New York, under Paul’s escort, to make her niece a visit. When -she parted with Paul, she placed in his hands a check for one hundred -dollars. - -“That is for yourself,” she said. “Come and see me every week. You will -not lose your time.” - -When Paul returned to his old home, he found a great change in old -Jerry. He was better in health, though still feeble, but his mind -seemed more at rest. Mrs. Hogan was sick, and his daughter in law, -Ellen Barclay, was in attendance upon him. To Paul’s increased surprise -the two children, Jimmy and Mary, were in the room, and seemed on very -good terms with their grandfather. - -“You didn’t expect to see me here, Paul,” said Mrs. Barclay. - -“No, but I am glad to find you here,” said the telegraph boy, cordially. - -“Mrs. Hogan has been sick with a fever, and it was necessary that some -one should take her place. So I came.” - -“But it must be inconvenient for you to come over from Jersey City -every day.” - -“I have left Jersey City, and occupy an apartment upstairs.” - -“How does old Jerry--Mr. Barclay--look upon you?” - -“We are very good friends. I am more used to nursing than Mrs. Hogan, -and I make him comfortable.” - -“I thought he might be prejudiced against you on account of your -husband.” - -“He was at first, but we have talked freely about him, and he finds -that I, too, am in fear of him. So we have made common cause and he -trusts me.” - -“I am very glad of it,” said, Paul, earnestly. “It is as it should be; -I don’t think Jerry can live long, and you and your children ought to -get the benefit of his money.” - -“You are a good boy, Number 91. I misjudged you at first. I thought -you were plotting for the old man’s money, and so, I am sure, did my -husband.” - -“You don’t think so now?” - -“No, I know you better.” - -“It is strange,” said Paul, smiling, “but out in the country, where -I have spent the last few weeks, I was suspected of plotting for the -property of an old lady by whom I was employed. The housekeeper was -very much exercised in mind, and tried to fasten a charge of theft upon -me.” - -“I hope she was not believed.” - -“No; Mrs. Granville knew me better.” - -“I wish the lady you mention would leave you something, Paul.” - -“I don’t trouble myself with such thoughts. I have good friends, and I -am sure that I shall prosper if I keep my health.” - -“No one deserves success better.” - -“Thank you, Mrs. Barclay. I value your good opinion.” - -This conversation took place in the entry. Just then the feeble voice -of Jerry was heard, calling “Ellen.” - -His daughter in law hastened to the bedside of the old man, and -attended to his wants. Paul followed her into the room. - -Five minutes later a heavy step was heard on the stairs, and the door -was opened; all turned to see who was the visitor. The old man uttered -a cry of alarm. His eyes were on the door, and he was the first to -recognize the intruder. - -“James!” he cried. - -“You’re right, father,” said James Barclay, gruffly; “I’m glad you -welcome me so warmly.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVI. JAMES BARCLAY REAPPEARS. - - -“Go away! Go away!” ejaculated the old man in terrified accents. - -“Couldn’t think of it, father,” said James, throwing himself on the -sofa and lighting his pipe. “What, leave you and my wife--how on earth -did you find the old man out, Ellen? Now all the family’s together, -we’ll live together in peace and happiness. We’ll never desert the old -man, will we, Ellen?” - -“I wish you would not smoke here, James. It is bad for your father, who -has a difficulty in breathing.” - -“Oho! You take the old man’s part against me, do you?” said James -Barclay, his brow darkening. “You haven’t seen me for weeks, and you -begin to jaw already.” - -“Ask him to go away, Ellen,” said Jerry, feebly. - -“Oh, you’re anxious to get rid of me, are you?” sneered James Barclay. -“You would drive me away from my family, would you? Are you still -living in Jersey City, Ellen?” - -“No, I have taken a room here.” - -“That’s right. I’ve no objection. What does the doctor say about the -old man? Is he going to die?” - -“Hush, James,” said his wife. “How can you be so inconsiderate?” - -“Who says I am going to die?” asked Jerry, terrified. - -“I hope you will live a good while yet,” said Ellen Barclay, -soothingly. “I will take every care of you.” - -“I’m not such an old man,” interrupted Jerry. “I ought to live a--a -long time.” - -“Come, dad, you’re unreasonable,” said James, coarsely. “You’re -seventy, if you’re a day. You don’t want to live forever, do you?” - -“My own son wants me to die,” moaned Jerry. - -“Well, you’ve had your share of life. Ain’t you goin’ to give me a -chance?” - -“Why will you talk in this way, James?” expostulated his wife, as the -old man gave a cry and buried his face in the bed clothes. - -“How have I been talking? It’s the truth, ain’t it?” - -“You are only making your father worse.” - -“Well, if you’re anxious to get rid of me, give me a few dollars, and -I’ll stay away till tomorrow.” - -“I have no money of my own, James.” - -“Then whose money have you?” - -“I have some money that Paul gave me to buy necessaries for your -father.” - -“Then give me some.” - -“I have only a little of that left. I must ask Paul for more----” - -“Oh, the telegraph boy’s got the money, has he? Look here, you young -rapscallion, I’ll take charge of the old man’s money. I am his son, and -I am the proper party to do it. So hand over!” - -“I have no money of your father’s. I have been advancing money of my -own.” - -“That’s too thin. You haven’t got any money of your own.” - -“I don’t care whether you believe it or not. However, I’ll give you two -dollars if you’ll go away now.” - -“Hand it over, then. I won’t come back till tomorrow.” - -The old man was in such a nervous condition, that Paul was glad to -obtain even such a brief respite as this. He drew from his pocket a two -dollar bill, and handed it to James Barclay, who immediately got up and -walked towards the door. - -“By, by!” he said, “I’ll be back to-morrow.” - -“No, no,” said the old man, “I--I don’t want to see you.” - -“Now, there’s an affectionate father for you!” said James Barclay, with -a mocking smile. “He don’t want to see his only son.” - -“You haven’t given him much reason to miss you, James,” said Ellen -Barclay, mildly. - -“So you turn against me, too, Mrs. Barclay,” said her husband, with a -frown. “A nice wife you are, upon my word!” - -“Shure you’re a jewel of a husband yourself!” interposed Mrs. Hogan, -who had entered during the conversation. - -“And you’re the woman who threw hot water upon me, you old jade!” -retorted James, his face black with anger. “I’ve a great mind to wring -your neck for you.” - -He made a step forward, which alarmed Paul, lest he might proceed to -carry out his threat. - -“Oho!” laughed Barclay. “The kid is going to defend you.” - -“And a fine boy he is!” said Mrs. Hogan. “But don’t you trouble -yourself, Number 91. I’m a match for the ould brute any time.” - -Mrs. Hogan, standing with her arms akimbo, looked thoroughly fearless -and undaunted. She was a powerful woman, and, though James Barclay was -of course her superior in physical force, he would not have found her -an unresisting victim. - -“Why don’t he go away?” was heard in a wailing voice from the bed. - -“He is going directly,” answered Ellen Barclay, in a soothing voice. - -James Barclay’s brow contracted. - -“So you’re sowing mischief between my father and me, my lady!” he said. -“Well, it’s just what I expected. But don’t you forget one thing! I’m -the rightful heir of that old ninny on the bed there, and if anybody -tries to cut me out, he’ll find I’ve got something to say about it.” - -“That’s a pretty way to talk of your father--as an ould ninny,” said -Mrs. Hogan, indignantly. - -“Never you mind! It’s none of your business. I suppose you’re looking -for a slice of the property yourself.” - -“No, I’m not Mr. James Barclay. I’m an honest woman, and can earn my -own living.” - -“I’m glad to hear it. But I’m not so sure of the telegraph boy. He’s -been living on the old man all his life, and he means to be provided -for when he dies.” - -“I don’t know what your father would have done without him,” said Mrs. -Hogan. “He’s worked for old Jerry ever since he was six years old--when -his own flesh and blood deserted him. Isn’t it so, Jerry?” - -“Yes, Paul is a good boy,” responded Jerry, feebly. - -“Oh, no doubt; he’s an angel,” sneered James Barclay. “I say, Number -91, as you seem to have my father’s money, I’ll just mention that I -shall want ten dollars tomorrow.” - -“I have no money of your father’s, Mr. Barclay, and I shall not be able -to advance you the money myself.” - -“Well, it’s got to come from some quarter,” said Barclay; “whether he -gives it to me, or you, I don’t care, as long as I have it.” - -“You ought to earn your own living--you’re big and strong enough,” said -Mrs. Hogan, with spirit. - -“Thank you; you’re a fine woman,” said James Barclay, mockingly. “If -Mrs. Barclay would only be obliging enough to leave me a widower, I -might take you for my second wife.” - -“And leave me to support you!” retorted Mrs. Hogan. “Thank you for -nothing. I’d rather be a widow all the days of my life than to marry -you.” - -James Barclay laughed. - -“And yet some people think me good looking,” he said. - -“Then they must be blind; however, it isn’t the way you look, it’s the -way you behave that sets me aginst you.” - -“That’s a pity; for your sake, my sweet Mrs. Hogan, I might be tempted -to turn over a new leaf.” - -“Shure, it’s more than one new leaf you’ll need to turn over, I’m -thinkin’.” - -Paul laughed at this retort, and even the victim of Mrs. Hogan’s -sarcasm was forced to laugh, too. Then, greatly to the relief of all -present, the unwelcome visitor left the house. - -“Shure, I pity you, Mrs. Barclay,” said Mrs. Hogan, sympathetically, -“for havin’ such a husband as that. What made you marry him?” - -“Because I thought him a different man, but the delusion didn’t last -long. Before three months had passed I found that he had married me for -a few hundred dollars left me by my aunt. When he had spent them, he -treated me with neglect.” - -“Shure’s it’s the way wid the men!” - -“I hope not with all of them, Mrs. Hogan,” said Paul, smiling. - -“No, Paul, I don’t mean you. I wouldn’t mind marrying you if you were -old enough.” - -“There, I’ve had one offer,” said Paul. “Excuse my blushes!” - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVII. JAMES BARCLAY’S SCHEME. - - -James Barclay presented himself the next day, true to his notice, and -demanded ten dollars. Paul was not at home, and the only persons to -whom he could appeal were his father, his wife, and Mrs. Hogan. - -“I haven’t any money, James,” answered Mrs. Barclay, “except seventy -five cents, and that I must spend for medicines for your father, and -something for his supper.” - -“Where did that money come from?” inquired Barclay. - -“From Paul.” - -“Number 91?” - -“Yes.” - -“Just as I thought! He’s got my father’s money, and doles it out to you -a little at a time.” - -“He says it is his own money.” - -“That’s a likely story. When could a common telegraph boy get so much -money?” - -“He isn’t a common telegraph boy! He is a very smart boy.” - -“An uncommon telegraph boy, then, if you prefer it. By Jove! I think -he is that myself. It isn’t every boy of his age who could so pull the -wool over an old man’s eyes as he has.” - -“He is a very good boy!” said Mrs. Barclay, who had learned to -appreciate Paul, though she was at first inclined to do him injustice. - -“So he is--of the kind!” retorted her husband. “If you were not blind -you would see that he has got hold of my father’s property, and means -to keep the lion’s share of it for himself. When will he be home?” - -“Not till six o’clock.” - -“And it’s only three. I don’t think I can wait.” - -It was fortunate that he did not see the look of satisfaction upon his -wife’s face. It would have incensed him, for his temper, as the reader -has had occasion to learn, was not of the best. - -“Look here!” he said, after a moment’s reflection, “give me the seventy -five cents. I’ll make it do till I get a chance to see this telegraph -boy.” - -“But, James, I really can’t spare it. I need it to buy some supper and -medicines for your father.” - -“And I need it to buy some supper for myself!” returned her husband, -roughly. “There’s plenty more money where that came from.” - -“Oh, James! how can you be so hard and selfish!” - -“Hard and selfish, just because I don’t want to starve. I s’pose you’d -be glad to read my obituary in the paper some fine morning, Mrs. -Barclay, eh?” - -“Shure she wouldn’t read much good of you, I’m thinkin’,” said Mrs. -Hogan. - -“Don’t be hard on me, Mrs. Hogan. Remember I’ve promised to marry you, -if Ellen, here, ever gives me the chance.” - -“Shure thin I hope she’ll live forever. She’s welcome to you, though I -wish she had a better husband, as she well desarves, poor dear!” - -“I’ll come around again tonight,” was James Barclay’s parting assurance. - -“Don’t you come if you’ve got any other business to attind to! We can -spare you.” - -But James Barclay did come, and was fortunate enough to find Paul at -home. There his good fortune ended, however. Paul positively denied -having any money belonging to old Jerry, and as positively refused to -advance James any money of his own. - -“Do you expect me to believe that story, Number 91?” demanded the -visitor with lowering look. - -“I don’t care whether you believe it or not, but it’s true all the -same.” - -James Barclay was silent for a moment, and then, considerably to Paul’s -surprise, went out without further disturbance. The fact was that a new -scheme had occurred to him. He was thoroughly convinced that Paul had -his father’s property in his possession. If he could get the telegraph -boy into his power--kidnap him, in fact--he would be able to extort -from him the money, or learn where it lay concealed. - -“Good evening!” he said; “we shall meet again!” - -But James Barclay’s plans were frustrated in a tragic way. On leaving -the house he met an old acquaintance who proposed to him to join forces -in a burglary that evening. Barclay was at the end of his resources and -readily agreed. He had so often got off scot free that he was disposed -to underestimate the danger incurred. It was destined to be the last -crime in which he was to take part. He was surprised at his work by a -private watchman, and fatally shot dying almost instantly. - -When Paul read in the morning papers the account of Barclay’s tragic -end he was shocked, though he could not mourn for one whose life had -been a curse to himself and all connected with him. To old Jerry his -son’s death was a positive relief, as may readily be imagined. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXVIII. CONCLUSION. - - -Three months passed, during which Paul faithfully attended to his -duties as a telegraph boy. He was held in high consideration by the -superintendent, who was very naturally influenced by the fact that Paul -had made so many influential friends. - -But the time was coming when he would no longer be Number 91. - -One night he received a note signed Eliot Wade, asking him to call in -the evening at the Albemarle Hotel. He presented himself promptly, and -was cordially greeted by the young man from St. Louis, to whom he had -rendered an important service. - -“I am glad to see you, Paul,” said the young man. - -“And I am glad you have not forgotten me, Mr. Wade.” - -“There was no danger of that. Well, Paul, I have come to New York for -the purpose I mentioned to you--that of starting a branch establishment -here.” - -“Have you secured a store, sir?” - -“Yes, I shall be located at ---- Broadway.” - -“That is a fine location.” - -“I hope it will prove so. And now, Paul, are you engaged--in business, -I mean?” he added, smiling. - -“I am still a telegraph boy--Number 91.” - -“Will you resign your position, and enter my service?” - -“Willingly, sir. In a year or two I shall be too old for a telegraph -boy, and it will be well to learn some business. I suppose you will not -want me for some time.” - -“On the contrary, I need you at once. There will be a good deal of work -attendant upon getting started, and I shall find plenty of work for -you.” - -“I shall be glad to begin next Monday, sir. I don’t want to leave the -telegraph office without notice.” - -“Very well; let it be so. Will twelve dollars a week satisfy you at -first?” - -“Do you really mean it, Mr. Wade?” asked Paul, in surprise. - -“Certainly.” - -“But I shan’t earn so much.” - -“Leave that to me,” said the young man, smiling. “I intend to have you -earn that sum, and more next year.” - -Paul expressed his gratitude, and immediately gave notice at the -telegraph office that he was about to leave. - -“I expected it, Number 91,” said the superintendent, “knowing what -powerful friends you had secured. I am sorry to lose you, but I wish -you success and prosperity in your new business.” - -Paul thought best to make some change in his residence. He had already -secured a separate room for himself in the old tenement house, Jerry’s -sickness making it necessary. Now he persuaded old Jerry to pay the -rent of a modest flat up town, to which he and James Barclay’s family -removed. Paul hired a room not far away. - -The location was not far from Central Park, and the better air and -diet very much improved the health of the old man, who has become less -miserly, and finds comfort in the society of his son’s family. - -Paul makes frequent calls on Mr. Cunningham, who receives him as a -valued friend. Whether Paul’s partiality for Jennie Cunningham will -lead to anything when he gets older, I must leave the reader to -conjecture. It must be remembered that he is no longer a telegraph boy, -but a rising young business man. - -Mrs. Granville retains her partiality for him, and makes no secret -of the fact that she has remembered Paul in her will. Paul would be -surprised if he knew the legacy he is to receive; but he wisely keeps -the matter out of his thoughts, and earnestly hopes the old lady may -live many years yet. - -It is rather a curious circumstance that Mark Sterling is employed as a -boy in the same establishment where Paul is a clerk. - -When Mark applied for the place he was not aware that the telegraph -boy, upon whom he had looked down so scornfully, was also employed -there. When he found it out, and that Paul was above him, he was -tempted to resign; but the place was a good one, and he decided to -wait awhile. He feared Paul would retaliate upon him, but he was soon -undeceived. - -The ex telegraph boy treated him so cordially, and showed such an -obliging spirit, that Mark was won in spite of himself, and the two -became friends. I have no doubt that the improved social condition of -Paul, and the prospect that Mrs. Granville would leave him a legacy, -influenced Mark. At any rate, he has now become a friend of Number 91. - -The telegraph boys who used to serve in the same office with Paul are -proud to point him out as a graduate of the office, and his rise in -life encourages them to hope for future advancement. - -“I have had many boys in the office,” said the superintendent on a -recent occasion, “but never one that came up to NUMBER 91.” - -THE END. - - * * * * * - -THE CREAM OF JUVENILE FICTION - -Boys’ Own Library - -A SELECTION OF THE BEST BOOKS WRITTEN BY THE MOST POPULAR AUTHORS FOR -BOYS. - -The titles in this splendid juvenile series have been selected with -care, and as a result all the stories can be relied upon for their -excellence. They are bright and sparkling, not overburdened with -lengthy descriptions but brimful of adventure from the first page -to the last--in fact, they are just the kind of yarns that appeal -strongly to the healthy boy who is fond of thrilling exploits and deeds -of heroism. 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The volume is -filled with adventures of a healthy kind, and gives in addition much -information concerning the Philippines and their strange inhabitants. - -_Finely illustrated and bound in Cloth_ - -_Stamped in Colors and Gold_ - -_Price, $1.25_ - -STREET AND SMITH, _New York and London_. - - * * * * * - -Transcriber’s Notes: - -Illustrations have been moved to paragraph breaks near where they are -mentioned. - -Punctuation has been made consistent. - -Variations in spelling and hyphenation were retained as they appear in -the original publication, except that obvious typographical errors have -been corrected. - -The following changes were made: - -p. 190: “him” changed to “her” (eyed her gravely.) - -p. 193: “a” added (found a great) - -End-advertisements: “tractless” changed to “trackless” (the trackless -forest) - - - - - -End of the Project Gutenberg EBook of Adventures of a Telegraph Boy or -'Number 91', by Horatio Alger, Jr. - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK ADVENTURES OF A TELEGRAPH BOY *** - -***** This file should be named 52616-0.txt or 52616-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/6/1/52616/ - -Produced by David Edwards, Craig Kirkwood, and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -book was produced from scanned images of public domain -material from the Google Books project.) - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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