teful to you for your friendly effort."

The superintendent hesitated a moment, and then said: "Will this
discharge seriously embarrass you? Are you short of money?"

"No, sir. I was very liberally paid by Mr. Sargent, and I saved money.
I have enough in the savings bank to last me several months, should I be
idle so long."

"I am glad of it. I hope you will remember, my boy, that this is none of
my doing. I would gladly retain you. I will say one thing more, should
Jasper Redwood ever apply for a situation here, his name will not be
considered."

So Rodney found himself again without a position. It seemed hard in view
of his innocence, but he had confidence to believe that something would
turn up for him as before. At any rate he had enough money to live on
for some time.

When Mike Flynn learned the circumstances of his discharge he was very
angry.

"I'd like to meet Jasper Redwood," he said, his eyes flashing. "If I
didn't give him a laying out then my name isn't Mike Flynn."

"I think he will get his desert some time, Mickey, without any help from
you or me."

"Should hope he will. And what'll you do now, Rodney?"

"I don't know. Sometimes I think it would be well to go to some other
city, Boston or Philadelphia, where Jasper can't get on my track."

"Should hope you won't do it. I can't get along widout you."

"I will stay here for a few weeks, Mike, and see if anything turns up."

"I might get you in as a telegraph boy."

"That wouldn't suit me. It doesn't pay enough."

Rodney began to hunt for a situation again, but four weeks passed and
brought him no success. One afternoon about four o'clock he was walking
up Broadway when, feeling tired, he stepped into the Continental Hotel
at the corner of Twentieth Street.

He took a seat at some distance back from the door, and in a desultory
way began to look about him. All at once he started in surprise, for
in a man sitting in one of the front row of chairs he recognized Louis
Wheeler, the railroad thief who had stolen his box of jewelry.

Wheeler was conversing with a man with a large flapping sombrero, and
whose dress and general appearance indicated that he was a Westerner.

Rodney left his seat and going forward sat down in the chair behind
Wheeler. He suspected that the Western man was in danger of being
victimized.

CHAPTER XXII.

AN OLD ACQUAINTANCE TURNS UP.

In his new position Rodney could easily hear the conversation which too