all unconscious of the
pleasure which was in store for him.

When he reached the front door, as he stopped to scrape his feet on
the sharp stone there, as all considerate boys who love their mothers
do, before they go into the house, he heard the angry tones of
Mr. Hardhand. He was scolding and abusing his mother because she could
not pay him the twenty-five dollars.

Bobby's blood boiled with indignation, and his first impulse was to
serve him as he had served Tom Spicer, only a few moments before; but
Bobby, as we have before intimated, was a peaceful boy, and not
disposed to quarrel with any person; so he contented himself with
muttering a few hard words.

"The wretch! What business has he to talk to _my_ mother in that
style?" said he to himself. "I have a great mind to kick him out of
the house."

But Bobby's better judgment came to his aid; and perhaps he realized
that he and his mother would only get kicked out in return. He could
battle with Mr. Hardhand, but not with the power which his wealth gave
him; so, like a great many older persons in similar circumstances, he
took counsel of prudence rather than impulse.

"Bear ye one another's burdens," saith the Scripture; but Bobby was
not old enough or astute enough to realize that Mr. Hardhand's burden
was his wealth, his love of money; that it made him little better than
a Hottentot; and he could not feel as charitably towards him as a
Christian should towards his erring, weak brother.

Setting his pole by the door, he entered the room where Hardhand was
abusing his mother.

CHAPTER IV

IN WHICH BOBBY GETS OUT OF ONE SCRAPE, AND INTO ANOTHER

Bobby was so indignant at the conduct of Mr. Hardhand, that he
entirely forgot the adventure of the morning; and he did not even
think of the gold he had in his pocket. He loved his mother; he knew
how hard she had worked for him and his brother and sisters; that she
had burned the "midnight oil" at her clamps; and it made him feel very
bad to hear her abused as Mr. Hardhand was abusing her. It was not
her fault that she had not the money to pay him. She had been obliged
to spend a large portion of her time over the sick beds of her
children, so that she could not earn so much money as usual; while the
family expenses were necessarily much greater.

Bobby knew also that Mr. Hardhand was aware of all the circumstances
of his mother's position, and the more he considered the case the more
brutal and inhuma