it for the appearance of his pal, who was yet on the floor above
them, when all of them would go out and eat breakfast.

"A man's stomach is his best friend", and no sooner had the fellow
invited the starving lads, who for more than thirly-six hours had not
tasted a solid bite, than they overwhelmed their friend with proofs of
their gratitude.

A little later their benefactor's partner, a medium-sized, clean shaven
and neatly attired fellow, came down the stairway. Their friend called
him aside and they held a hurried conversation. Then they joined the
twins and all went to a nearby restaurant. While the lads made away with
a quantity of food that caused the astonished waiter to gape with
surprise, their two benefactors, while they rattled silver dollars in
their pockets, explained to the lads that Chicago was a far better city
for them to find employment in than either Minneapolis or St. Paul, and
that if the twins would join them on a hobo trip to that city they would
see to it that they would not suffer until a job was found for them.

It was just like hanging candy before a baby, and Joe and Jim without a
second thought accepted their offer. After they had settled for their
breakfasts, they took the agreeably surprised youngsters into a clothing
store and bought for each of them a serviceable outfit of clothes, and
it now was not a matter if the boys would go with the strangers, but if
the strangers would accept the boys, soul and body.

"I propose that we get out of Minneapolis as quickly as we can,"
suggested the fellow whom they first met in the "Golden Rule Hotel"
office, and his pal assented and they walked to the railroad station
where they purchased tickets to the first station beyond St. Paul and
within an hour they were aboard a train traveling to their new
destination.

Upon their arrival at this station, a small hamlet, their first
acquaintance told them that his road name was "Kansas Shorty" and his
partner's "Slippery". The lads were surprised that these men should not
use their Christian names, but as they were accustomed to hearing all
the section laborers and every harvester called by a "monicker" or
"name-de-rail", they kept their thoughts to themselves, and Joe, after
listening to these instructions gleefully remarked: "Gee, I wish that
you would give each of us a hobo name the same as you have." After some
discussion they nicknamed Joe, "Dakota Joe" and Jim, "Dakota Jim."

They waited for so