a deep, dark scheme. So he framed
it up with the local livery stable man, that, as soon as they were gone,
he was to dispose of Abner; sell him, if he could; if not, then give him
away to some one who would treat him kindly and see that his last days
were spent in peace and plenty. And, in order to cover up his duplicity,
he left three letters with the livery stable man to be copied and mailed
to him on stated dates.

Everything went off as planned; Abner was disposed of, and upon the
first stated date the Ryans received the first letter; it stated that
the distemper was rather prevalent among the best circles of Long Island
Horse Society, but that as yet Abner was free from it.

Two weeks later a letter came to St. Louis stating that Abner was
afflicted, but very slightly.

At Milwaukee a week later the third letter came, describing in detail
the last sad rites attending the death and burial of Abner.

As the weeks passed by Mrs. Ryan grew resigned and Tommie grew happy.
And then came their engagement at Buffalo. Upon arrival at the theater,
Tommie found eleven letters; one was from the livery stable man at home;
this one he slipped into his overcoat pocket for a private reading later
on. While he was reading the other ten, his turn came to rehearse his
music; he slipped the ten letters into the same pocket with the livery
stable man's letter, and forgot all about the whole lot.

Arriving at the hotel, Mrs. Ryan asked him for the mail and he handed
the whole lot over to her. The first one that she opened was the livery
stable man's. It stated that the family he had given Abner to, according
to Tom's directions, had just been arrested for beating and starving
Abner.

I can't tell the rest; it is too sad; but to this day, every time Mrs.
Ryan thinks of Abner, she looks at Tommie, and he goes out and sits in
the Park.

* * * * *

"Thou Shalt Not Steal," said the sign in the car.

The conductor looked at it and laughed "ha ha."

And he pinched four dollars, and whistled the air,

"None but the brave deserve the fare."

* * * * *

After six weeks' travel the Harry Lauder Company had reached San
Francisco; every night of that six weeks Hugo Morris had taken Lauder
out to some restaurant to exhibit and feed him. On this first night in
San Francisco, the show had been an uncommonly large success, and
"Spendthrift Harry" was feeling generous. So he s