for him; but the disgraced clerk was gone.

"I suppose he would injure me if he had a chance," thought the telegraph
boy. "I won't give him the chance if I can help it."

CHAPTER XXV.

WHAT THE OLD TRUNK CONTAINED.

Mention has been made of an old trunk belonging to Frank's father,
which, had been forwarded to him from the country by his Uncle Pelatiah.
It may be mentioned here that our hero's father had been agent of a
woollen mill in a large manufacturing town. For a considerable number of
years he had been in receipt of a handsome salary, and had lived in good
style, but still within his income. He was naturally supposed to possess
a comfortable property.

His death was sudden. He was thrown from a carriage, and, striking his
head upon the curbstone, was picked up senseless, and died unconscious.
Upon examining into his affairs his administrator was unable to find any
property beyond what was needed to pay the few debts he left behind him.
So it came about that Frank was left a penniless orphan. His Uncle
Pelatiah was his nearest relative, and to him he was sent. Pelatiah
Kavanagh was not a bad man, nor was he intentionally unkind; but he was
very close. All his life he had denied himself, to save money; and in
this he had been ably assisted by his wife, who was even closer and
meaner than her husband. It may readily be supposed that it was very
disagreeable to both husband and wife to have a penniless nephew thrown
upon their care and protection.

"How could your brother be so thoughtless and inconsiderate as to use up
all his money, and leave his son destitute? Didn't he have a handsome
income?"

"Yes," said Pelatiah. "He got two thousand dollars a year, and maybe
more."

"You don't say so!" ejaculated his wife. "He'd ought to have saved
two-thirds of it. I declare it's scandalous for a man to waste his
substance in that way."

"My brother was allus free with his money. He wasn't so keerful as you
and I be."

"I should think not, indeed. We don't begin to spend half as much as he
did, and now he comes upon us to support his child."

"It don't seem right," said Pelatiah.

"Right? It's outrageous!" exclaimed Mrs. Kavanagh, energetically. "I
declare I have no patience with such a man. It would only be right to
send this boy Frank to the poor-house."

"The neighbors would talk," protested Pelatiah, who was half inclined to
accept his wife's view, but was more sensitive to the criticism of the