t'ing away."

"Naw. Not de way I do it. I knows a detective, an' I kin find out on
de quiet if dere's any alarm out fer a boy answerin' Dick's
description. Dat's what I'll do foist."

Meanwhile Dick and Jimmy, all unconscious of the plot against them,
were in their new room discussing plans for the next day.

CHAPTER XII

DICK BECOMES A TEACHER

For several days Dick and Jimmy did well as partners in the newspaper
business. There happened to be considerable news, and there was a good
demand for papers. Consequently the boys sold a large number and their
earnings were considerable.

"Crimps! But we'll be millionaires if dis keeps on," remarked Jimmy
one night, when they were in their room counting up their cash.

"Hardly that," replied Dick, "but we have enough for our next week's
room rent, sufficient to live on and three dollars besides. I think we
had better open a bank account with that."

"A bank account?"

"Yes; why not? Frank Merton told me about the Dime Savings Bank, where
he puts his money."

On Frank's return from Brooklyn he had renewed his acquaintance with
Dick, and the two boys had taken quite a liking to one another.

"Well, youse is de treasurer of dis firm," replied Jimmy. "If youse
t'inks a bank account is de proper t'ing, why, go ahead an' open it. I
guess I kin stand it if youse kin."

"It will be a good thing in case we have bad luck. We'll have
something to fall back on for our room rent."

"All right, sport," exclaimed Jimmy, who occasionally did not use
Dick's name in speaking to him, calling him whatever he happened to
think of in the way of street slang. "Go ahead, cully. I'm game."

So the next day Dick opened a bank account in his name, as Jimmy could
not sign the book, a fact of which the newsboy was not at all ashamed.
Nor could he read more than the titles of the different papers he
carried, and these were distinguished by him more by the different
kinds of type than by the difference in letters.

Dick's fear about poor business was justified. A heavy rain storm took
place that afternoon, just at the time when the extras came out. It
seemed as if every one got in out of the wet, and there were few
persons on the street to buy papers. The rain kept up until long after
dark, and the two partners, who had to go out rain or shine, found they
had not sold ten papers between them.

"Dis is de time we're up ag'inst it," remarked Jimmy rather dismally as