the streets to shift for himself.

His mother had been dead for some time. His step-father, James Martin,
was a drunkard, and he had been compelled to take away his little sister
Rose from the miserable home in which he had kept her, and had
undertaken to support her, as well as himself. He had been fortunate
enough to obtain a home for her with Miss Manning, a poor seamstress,
whom he paid for her services in taking care of Rose. His step-father,
in order to thwart and torment him, had stolen the little girl away, and
kept her in Brooklyn for a while, until Rufus got a clue to her
whereabouts, and succeeded in getting her back. At the time when the
story opens, he had just recovered her, and having been fortunate
enough to render an important service to Mr. Turner, a Wall Street
broker, was on this Monday morning to enter his office, at a salary of
eight dollars a week.

This sketch of the newsboy's earlier history is given for the benefit of
those who have not read the book called "Rough and Ready," in which it
is related at length. It is necessary to add that Rufus was in some
sense a capitalist, having five hundred dollars deposited in a
savings-bank to his credit. Of this sum, he had found three hundred one
day, which, as no claimant ever appeared for it, he had been justified
in appropriating to his own use. The remainder had been given him by Mr.
Turner, in partial acknowledgment of the service before referred to.

"Your new life will seem strange to you at first, Rufus," said Miss
Manning.

"Yes, it does already. When I woke up this morning, I was going to jump
out of bed in a hurry, thinking I must go round to Nassau Street to get
my papers. Then all at once I thought that I'd given up being a newsboy.
But it seemed queer."

"I didn't know but you'd gone back to your old business," said the
seamstress, pointing to a paper in his hand.

"It's this morning's 'Herald,'" explained Rufus; "you and Rose will have
to be looking for another room where Martin can't find you. You'll find
two columns of advertisements of 'Boarders and Lodgers Wanted,' so you
can take your choice."

"I'll go out this morning," said the seamstress.

"All right. Take Rose along with you, or you may find her missing when
you get back."

There was considerable reason to fear that the step-father, James
Martin, would make a fresh attempt to get possession of Rose, and Rufus
felt that it was prudent to guard against this.

"Have yo