there by the wall? No, not that
one,--the big light woman with Griggs. Well, she 's come here with a
story trying to throw Joe down, and I want you to help me do her."

"Oh, that 's the one that upset our young friend, is it?" said Sadness,
turning his mournful eyes upon Minty.

"That 's her. So you know about it, do you?"

"Yes, and I 'll help do her. She must n't touch one of the fraternity,
you know." He kept his eyes fixed upon the outsider until she squirmed.
She could not at all understand this serious conversation directed at
her. She wondered if she had gone too far and if they contemplated
putting her out. It made her uneasy.

Now, this same Miss Sterling had the faculty of attracting a good deal
of attention when she wished to. She brought it into play to-night, and
in ten minutes, aided by Sadness, she had a crowd of jolly people about
her table. When, as she would have expressed it, "everything was going
fat," she suddenly paused and, turning her eyes full upon Minty, said in
a voice loud enough for all to hear,--

"Say, boys, you 've heard that story about Joe, have n't you?"

They had.

"Well, that 's the one that told it; she 's come here to try to throw
him and me down. Is she going to do it?"

"Well, I guess not!" was the rousing reply, and every face turned
towards the now frightened Minty. She rose hastily and, getting her
skirts together, fled from the room, followed more leisurely by the
crestfallen Griggs. Hattie's laugh and "Thank you, fellows," followed
her out.

* * * * *

Matters were less easy for Joe's mother and sister than they were for
him. A week or more after this, Kitty found him and told him that
Minty's story had reached their employers and that they were out of
work.

"You see, Joe," she said sadly, "we 've took a flat since we moved from
Mis' Jones', and we had to furnish it. We 've got one lodger, a
race-horse man, an' he 's mighty nice to ma an' me, but that ain't
enough. Now we 've got to do something."

Joe was so smitten with sorrow that he gave her a dollar and promised to
speak about the matter to a friend of his.

He did speak about it to Hattie.

"You 've told me once or twice that your sister could sing. Bring her
down here to me, and if she can do anything, I 'll get her a place on
the stage," was Hattie's answer.

When Kitty heard it she was radiant, but her mother only shook her head
and said, "De las' hope, de las' ho