I was walking up Broadway. This street is always crowded
with people, as well as with carts and carriages."

"I have seen that street," said Tommy.

"Now you keep still a few minutes, Tommy, if you can,"
interposed Mrs. Lee.

"At the corner of Wall Street----"

"I know where that is," exclaimed Tommy.

"At the corner of Wall Street there was a man with a kind of
cart, loaded with apples and candy, which he was selling to
the passers-by. Suddenly there came a stage down the street,
and ran into the apple cart."

"I saw the very same thing done," added Tommy, with his
usual self-important air.

"Keep still, Tom Woggs," said Charley Green.

"The apples were scattered all over the sidewalk; yet the
man picked up all but one of them, though he was very angry
with the driver of the stage for running against his cart."

"Why didn't he pick up the other apple?" asked Henry.

"A well-dressed man, with big black whiskers, picked that up.
'Give it to me,' said the apple man. 'I will not,' replied
the man with whiskers. The apple merchant was as mad as he
could be; and then the man with black whiskers put his hand
in his pocket and drew out a knife. The blade was six inches
long."

"O, dear me!" exclaimed Flora.

"Raising the knife, he at once moved towards the angry
apple merchant, and--and----"

"Well, what?" asked several, eagerly.

"And cut a piece out of the apple, and put it in his mouth."

The children all laughed heartily, for they were sure the
man with the whiskers was going to stab the apple merchant.

"He then took two cents from his pocket, paid for the
apple, and went his way," continued the old man. "Now, there
is one thing more I can do. I want to run a race with these
boys."

"Pooh! You run a race!" sneered Charley.

"I can beat you."

"Try it, and see."

The old man and Charley took places, and were to start at
the word from Henry. But when it was given, the fiddler
hobbled off, leaving Charley to follow at his leisure.

When the old man had got half way round the lawn, Charley
started, sure he could catch him long before he reached the
goal. But just as the boy was coming up with the man, the
latter began to run, and poor Charley found, much to his
surprise, that he ran very fast. He was unable to overtake
him, and consequently lost the race.

The children were much astonished when they saw the old man
run so fast. He appeared to have grown young all at once.
But he offered to ra