, he would smile across at One-Eye as he sipped--but smile
only faintly, as befits the very ill.

And then! One-Eye, urged by all the others, would tell his tale of the
boy, weary and hungry, whom he chanced upon wandering some street (he
had promised not to say which one!), and escorted to supper, and
afterward to the great horse palace. He would relate how he had insisted
that Johnnie sleep in the palace that night, though--no doubt of
it!--the latter had fretted to return home. "But I jes' couldn't leave
him do it, no matter how much he begged," One-Eye was to declare; "he
was that tuckered. And this mornin', here he was, workin'! Say, but
he's a A-1 worker!"

What a chorus would interrupt him!--a chorus of agreement. Then would
follow a description of that terrible flea-bitten mare, and of Johnnie's
bravery; of the fierce kick, and the boy's quiet bearing of his agony,
all closing with a word about the wound and its seriousness.

Next, it would be Big Tom's turn. And he would tell of a home bereft, of
an old man's pitiful grief (oh, dear, loving Grandpa!), and of two
broken-hearted ladies. Doubtless the longshoreman would touch also upon
the fact that he was considerably out of pocket, but Johnnie would not
mind that.

Cis, likely, would have nothing to say, but would look all she felt; and
Grandpa would sandwich a few words in between other people's. But Mrs.
Kukor! Hers would be the story worth hearing! Oh, that volume of
broken-English! Johnnie counted upon it.

With such pleasing thoughts he occupied himself as he and One-Eye stole
up the stairs. But when they were just outside the door of the flat, the
chimes of Trinity began to ring, sounding above the grinding of the
nearest Elevated Railroad. Those clanging summons reminded Johnnie that
Big Tom would surely be at home, and he suffered a sudden qualm of
apprehension. He looked longingly over a shoulder, wishing he might turn
back. He had a "gone" feeling under his belt, and a tickling in his
throat (it was very dry), as if his heart had traveled up there and got
wedged, and was now going like Uncle Albert's watch.

But of course there could be no turning back--not now. They must go in.
And quickly, for a few of the curious had followed them up from the area
and were making too much noise in the halls. So One-Eye bent and scooped
Johnnie up in his arms, holding him in a horizontal position--yellow
head hanging down to one side, both feet ditto to the oth