ut a notebook he carried, Matt hastily scribbled down the
following brief message:

"ANDY: I have found my father. Come with the bearer at once.

MATT."

This he folded up and addressed to his partner. In another minute the
girl was flying down the tenement stairs, two steps at a time, the
other girl close behind her.

When they were gone Matt closed the door and again turned his
attention to his father.

Mr. Lincoln's eyes were still closed, but by putting his ear down to
his parent's chest, Matt found that his father was breathing quite
regularly. He continued to bathe his parent's forehead and also fanned
him with a newspaper which was lying by.

While waiting for his father to come to again, Matt could not help but
gaze at the surroundings. The garret room was small and bare of
furniture, containing nothing but the mattress, a broken-down stove,
and a few cracked dishes. There was half a loaf of stale bread beside
the dishes, and nothing else to eat was in sight.

"What a place to live in!" murmured the boy to himself. "Poor father!
Poor father!"

He again bent over the motionless form, and it was not long before he
had the satisfaction of seeing his father open his eyes.

"Matt, is it really you, or is this another one of those tantalizing
dreams?" asked Mr. Lincoln feebly, as he essayed to rise to a sitting
position.

"It is really I, father," returned the son gently. "You had better lie
still for awhile. Your run exhausted you."

"How thankful I am that it is really you! But there must be some
mistake. I have dreamed of these things before. That is why I ran
away."

"There is no mistake now, father, it is really and truly I," and Matt
bent lower and wound his arms around his father's neck. "You have
nothing more to fear, father. Just rely on me for everything."

"I will, Matt, I will! I know it is you, now that you are so close to
me!"

"And, father, you must promise that you will not run away again."

"I promise, Matt. My mind was upset--it's upset yet, I'm afraid. But
I won't leave you, Matt; I won't leave you. I used to imagine I saw
you, and then the boys on the street would plague me and call me Crazy
Will. But that's all over now, thank Heaven! That's all over now!"

CHAPTER XL.

THE MINING SHARES--CONCLUSION.

In less than half an hour Andy reached the garret room, and Matt told
his partner his story. Andy was introduced to Mr. Lincoln as a friend
who could be trusted i