walk teeming with the throng of
Saturday shoppers that is such a characteristic part of the life of a
mill town. The street beside them was black with trucks, motor cars,
and the congested traffic of a manufacturing center.

Suddenly there was a cry from Carl.

"Jove!" exclaimed he. "Look at that kid!"

In his horror he put out his hand to clutch his friend's arm. But his
fingers closed on empty air.

Hal Harling was gone!

What followed happened so quickly that it was more like the shiftings
of a moving picture than an incident in real life.

Hal bounded into the seething maelstrom of the street, caught up a
little boy midway in the stream of rushing vehicles and held him aloft
in safety.

The baby had obviously been pursuing a small black puppy whose dangling
leash told a story of escape from captivity. Making the most of his
freedom the dog had run recklessly along and the child had dashed after
him, too intent on recapturing his pet to heed whither the chase took
him. It was little short of a miracle that he had not been killed and
for his rescue from such a fate he had the quick wit of Hal Harling to
thank.

A second later all passing on the street had stopped and crowds of
spectators surged around the young hero. Above the tense stillness
could be heard Hal's comforting voice:

"Sure we'll find your dog for you, little chap. Don't cry. You say he's
called Midget. That's a fine name for a dog, isn't it? See! Somebody
over there on the sidewalk has him already. We'll go and get him."

As the two chubby arms closed about Hal's neck into the center of the
crowd catapulted a frenzied nursemaid who madly rushed up to young
Harling.

"He's not hurt a mite," Hal announced, reassuringly. "I guess he ran
away from you, didn't he?"

"He was leading the dog and the leash slipped out of his hands," gasped
the affrighted girl. "Before I'd a notion what he was going to do he
was off after the puppy. I'm weak as a rag. If anything had happened to
him----"

"But it didn't," smiled Hal.

"No, thanks to you, and to the good Lord!"

Then, seizing the child in her arms, she said:

"There, Billie, you see what comes of running out of the yard after
Midget. You might have been killed but for this kind gentleman."

"Indeed he might! He would have been. I saw the whole thing myself,"
broke in a policeman who had joined the group.

"I'm glad he's all right," reiterated Hal, as he gave the child into
the maid's care