ious, and in looking
through his arithmetic in search of nouns and verbs, chanced to alight
on the word "interest;" read about it, plied Winny with questions, some
of which she could answer and some not, went for further information to
the older brother who was at work at the livery stable. The result of
all of which was that our rising young street vagrant opened an account
at the savings bank, and had money at interest! By the way, his trip to
the livery stable revived his slumbering ambition in regard to horses,
and thenceforth he spent his regular "nooning" in that vicinity, or
mounted on one of the coach boxes with the "brother," who chanced to be
one of the finest drivers on the list. Not a very commendable locality
in which to spend his leisure, you think? That depends----. Tode's
happened, fortunately, to be much the stronger mind of the two; and
besides, you remember the guide which mounted guard in his jacket
pocket. He found it in accordance not only with one of the famous rules,
viz: "Learn everything that _is_ to be learned about everything that I
possibly can," but also in accordance with his inclination to learn to
drive; so learn he did, although his desire to become Mr. Hastings'
coachman had merged itself into a desire to own a complete little coffee
house like the one around the corner from him, with veritable shelves
and drawers, and a till to lock his money in.

You think it a wonder that Tode never fell back into his old wretched
street vagrant rum-cellar life. Well, I don't know. What was there to
fall back to? I can't think it so charming a thing to be kicked around
like a football, to be half the time nearly frozen, and all the time
nearly starved, that people should tumble lovingly back into the gutter
from which they have once emerged, unless indeed one resigns his will to
the keeping of that demon who peoples the most of our gutters, which
thing, you remember, Tode did not do. Besides, be it also remembered
that the loving Lord had called this boy, and made ready a mansion in
the Eternal City for him, and is it so strange a thing that the Lord can
keep his _own_?

It chanced one day that two coffee drinkers at his stand lingered and
talked freely about a certain lecture that was to be delivered before
the----. Tode didn't catch what society, and didn't care; but he did
learn the fact that Mr. Birge was to be the speaker. Now there had come
into this boy's heart a strong love for Mr. Birge; h