enough for a
swell from the Department, you can get out."

Seth gazed in surprise at his friend; but the latter's face was
expressionless, and the guest of the evening began to fear some disaster
had overtaken the plans of his roommates.

"Seen Sam Barney to-day?" the "probationary fireman" asked after a brief
time of silence.

"I struck him mighty heavy yesterday, an' he's been layin' low ever
since. I made up my mind that he should see the printed stuff about you
in the papers, an' hung 'round till he flashed up. Then I acted as if he
an' me was the best friends in the world, an' asked if he knowed what
kind of a racket you'd been on. That was enough to make him read the
paper I had, an' you can bet he was sick when he got through. Teddy
Bowser hit him up ag'in 'bout an hour afterward, an from that time till
pretty nigh dark we kept him chafin' under the collar. Then he lit out,
an' we haven't seen him since."

"How's Jip gettin' along?"

"First-class; tendin' right out on business, an' goin' to pull through
into a decent kind of a feller. Say, you know Dan made up his mind to
own a store on Third Avenoo?"

"Yes, an' I hope he won't back down."

"Well, I guess not! He can't, 'cause I've gone into partners with him,
an' there won't be any funny business. We're goin' to take Jip for a
clerk."

"But you haven't got the store yet."

"It ain't such a dreadful long ways off. We've got most twelve dollars
towards it, an' I know of a man what'll sell out a bang-up good place
for a hundred an' fifty. I'm allowin' we'll get that much before
spring."

"What makes him sell it so cheap?"

"The reason is that he's a duffer; wants to lay back smokin' an' have
the dollars come rollin' in without his raisin' a hair. Of course he
ain't gettin' along very smart, an' we'll soon be ready to take it. With
two fellers who are willin' to work there's a big thing in that place.
We're countin' on settin' up a boot-blackin' place with chairs an' all
such kind of swellin', you know. It's going to be 'Roberts & Dean,
Newsdealers an' Shiners.'"

"You'll make a go of it, Bill."

"Course we shall," was the complacent reply. "I knowed it was a good
thing jest as soon as Dan flashed her up, an' said I'd come in before he
got half through talkin'. This 'ere little blow-out is the only thing
we're goin' to spend any money on till we get the shop paid for."

"It's too bad for you to put out good money on me."

"What we're doin' to-n