s far as I can. I am going to the house of a man
who has a great deal more than he needs, and I haven't anything like as
much as I need; and so I intend to take some of his overplus,--not very
much, for when I leave his house he will still be a rich man, and I'll
be a poor one. But for a time my family will not starve.'

"'Argue as you please, James Barlow,' I said, 'what you are going to do
is nothing less than burglary.'

"'Of course it is,' said he; 'but it's all right, all the same. There
are a lot of people, Thomas, who are not as particular about these
things as they used to be, and there is no use for you to seem better
than your friends and acquaintances. Now, to show there are not so many
bigots as there used to be, there's a young man going to meet us at the
station who is greatly interested in the study of social problems. He is
going along with us just to look into this sort of thing and study it.
It is impossible for him to understand people of our class, or do
anything to make their condition better, if he does not thoroughly
investigate their methods of life and action. He's going along just as a
student, nothing more; and he may be down on the whole thing for all I
know. He pays me five dollars for the privilege of accompanying me, and
whether he likes it or not is his business. I want you to go along as a
mechanic, and if your conscience won't let you take any share in the
profit, I'll just pay you for your time.'

"'James Barlow,' said I, 'I am going with you, but for a purpose far
different from that you desire. I shall keep by your side, and if I can
dissuade you from committing the crime you intend I shall do so; but if
I fail in this, and you deliberately break into a house for purposes of
robbery, I shall arouse the inmates and frustrate your crime.' Now,
James Barlow," said he, turning to the stout man with a severe
expression on his strongly marked face, "is not what I have said
perfectly true? Did you not say to me every word which I have just
repeated?"

The stout man looked at the other in a very odd way. His face seemed to
broaden and redden, and he merely closed his eyes as he promptly
answered:--

"That's just what I said, every blasted word of it. You've told it fair
and square, leavin' off nothin' and puttin' in nothin'. You've told the
true facts out and out, up and down, without a break."

"Now, ladies," continued the tall man, "you see my story is
corroborated, and I will concl