. It brought him nothing. Just
across the street a door stood open. As a stray kitten creeps in through
an open door, so crept he through this one, hoping for shelter and a
place of rest.

"Who're you?" growled the rough but not unkindly voice of a man, coming
from the darkness. At the same moment a light gleamed out from a match,
and then the steadier flame of a candle lit up the small room, not more
than eight or nine feet square, and containing little that could be
called furniture. The floor was bare. In one corner were some old bits
of carpet and a blanket. A small table, a couple of chairs with the
backs broken off and a few pans and dishes made up the inventory of
household goods.

As the light made all things clear in this poor room, Andy saw the
bloodshot eyes, and grizzly face of a man, not far past middle life.

"Who are you, little one?" he growled again as the light gave him a view
of Andy's face. This growl had in it a tone of kindness and welcome to
the ears of Andy who came forward, saying,

"I'm Andy."

"Indeed! You're Andy, are you?" and he reached out one of his hands.

"Yes; I'm Andy," returned the child, fixing his eyes with a look so
deep and searching on the man's face that they held him as by a kind of
fascination.

"Well, Andy, where did you come from?" asked the man.

"Don't know," was answered.

"Don't know!"

Andy shook his head.

"Where do you live?"

"Don't live nowhere," returned the child; "and I'm hungry."

"Hungry?" The man let the hand he was still holding drop, and getting up
quickly, took some bread from a closet and set it on the old table.

Andy did not wait for an invitation, but seized upon the bread and
commenced eating almost ravenously. As he did so the man fumbled in his
pockets. There were a few pennies there. He felt them over, counting
them with his fingers, and evidently in some debate with himself.
At last, as he closed the debate, he said, with a kind of compelled
utterance,

"I say, young one, wouldn't you like some milk with your bread?"

"Milk! oh my I oh goody! yes," answered the child, a gleam of pleasure
coming into his face.

"Then you shall have some;" and catching up a broken mug, the man went
out. In a minute or two he returned with a pint of milk, into which he
broke a piece of bread, and then sat watching Andy as he filled himself
with the most delicious food he had tasted for weeks, his marred face
beaming with a higher satisfaction t