irl.

"If he tries that I'll expose him for wanting me to pass a counterfeit
note. I never took a cent from him."

"He'll be awful mad," said the little girl.

"Let him. If he had treated me decently I would have stayed with him.
Now I'm glad I left him."

Mills was indeed furious when, by degrees, he had drawn from his young
messenger what Frank had said. He was sorry to lose him, for he was the
most truthful and satisfactory guide he had ever employed, and he now
regretted that he had driven him away by his unreasonable exactions. He
considered whether it would be worth while to have Frank arrested on a
false charge of theft, but was restrained by the fear that he would
himself be implicated in passing counterfeit money, that is, in
intention. He succeeded in engaging another boy, who really stole from
him, and finally secured a girl, for whose services, however, he was
obliged to pay her mother twenty cents every time she went out with him.
Mean and miserly as he was, he agreed to this with reluctance, and only
as a measure of necessity.

As he became more accustomed to his new occupation Frank succeeded
better. He was a boy of considerable energy, and was on the alert for
customers. It was not long before his earnings exceeded those of Dick
Rafferty, who was inclined to take things easily.

One evening Dick was lamenting that he could not go to the Old Bowery.

"There's a bully play, Frank," he said. "There's a lot of fightin' in
it."

"What is it called, Dick?"

"'The Scalpers of the Plains.' There's five men murdered in the first
act. Oh, it's elegant!"

"Why don't you go, then, Dick?"

"Cause I'm dead-broke--busted. That's why. I aint had much luck this
week, and it took all my money to pay for my lodgin's and grub."

"Do you want very much to go to the theatre, Dick?"

"Of course I do; but it aint no use. My credit aint good, and I haint no
money in the bank."

"How much does it cost?"

"Fifteen cents, in the top gallery."

"Can you see there?"

"Yes, it's rather high up; but a feller with good eyes can see all he
wants to there."

"I'll tell you what I'll do, Dick. You have been a good friend to me,
and I'll take you at my expense."

"You will? To-night?"

"Yes."

"You're a reg'lar trump. We'll have a stavin' time. Sometime, when I'm
flush, I'll return the compliment."

So the two boys went. They were at the doors early, and secured a front
seat in the gallery. The performance was