ants you and all of the others is Sandy Sladen. He does
not dare to say so here at the hotel, but all of you had better go
up to him on the sly and tell him you are ready to work, and ask for
a dollar in advance--that's the sign that it is all right. Do not
let him put you off, as he may want to test you. This is the chance
of your life."

The communication was signed with a scrawl that might mean anything.
The negro read it and passed it to his friends. All were mystified,
but they decided that they must do as the letter said, and without
loss of time.

Sladen was sitting in the reading-room of the hotel smoking a cheap
cigar, when he was told a negro wished to see him.

"Very well, send him in," he said in his loud, consequential tone.

The burly negro came in almost on tiptoes and, putting his mouth
close to Sladen's ear, whispered:

"I'se ready to go to work, sah. Hadn't yo' bettah gib me a dollah, sah?"

"What's that?" demanded the traveling man.

The negro repeated his words in a slightly louder tone.

"I don't want you to work for me!" cried the sour-looking individual.
"Get out!"

"Dat's all right, sah. I can do it, sah."

"I don't want you."

"Yes, yo' do, sah. Won't you han' ober dat dollah, sah? It will come
in mighty useful, sah."

"Say, you're crazy!" cried the traveling man.

By this time two other colored men were coming in. Both approached
as secretly as had the first.

"I'se ready to go to work fo' you, sah," said each, and added: "Kin
I hab dat dollah?"

"Look here, what does this mean?" roared the irate man. "Get away
from here, before I boot you out!"

But the negroes did not go, and in a few minutes more three others
entered. Soon the reading-room was full of them, all talking in an
excited manner.

"We'se ready to work fo' you!" they cried.

"Give me a chance fust?" bawled one big, coal-black fellow.

"No, de fust job comes to me!" put in the man who had received the
letter.

"Dat job is mine!" called out a third. "Ain't dat so?" and he caught
Sladen by the arm.

This was a signal for the others, and soon they completely surrounded
the traveling man, who tried in vain to ward them off.

"Give us dat dollah!" called out several.

"We want work, an' yo' has got to gib it to us."

"Yo' can't bring us to dis town fo' nuffin!"

They pushed and hustled the traveling man all around the room, while
the rest of the guests looked on in amazement. Tom and his friends
stood b