e a good action, which generally brings its
own reward, however trifling it may have been.

Though himself uneducated, he noticed that the man whom he had
relieved used better language than was common among those with whom he
was accustomed to associate, and he wondered how such a man should
have become so poor.

"I don't want to see that man again," said the barkeeper. "He spends
five cents and eats twenty cents' worth. If all my customers were like
that, I should soon have to stop business. Do you know him?"

"Never seed him afore," said Julius.

He shouldered his box and ascended the steps to the sidewalk above. He
resolved to look out for business for the next two hours, and then go
around to the necktie stand of Paul Hoffman.

CHAPTER XII.

A GOOD ACTION MEETS ITS REWARD.

Paul Hoffman was standing beside his stock in trade, when all at once
he heard the question, so common in that neighborhood, "Shine yer
boots?"

"I guess not," said Paul, who felt that his income did not yet warrant
a daily outlay of ten cents for what he could easily do himself.

"I'll shine 'em for nothin'," said the boy.

Such a novel proposition induced Paul to notice more particularly the
boy who made it.

"Why for nothing?" he asked, in surprise, not recognizing Julius.

"You gave me a dinner yesterday," said Julius.

"Are you the boy?" asked Paul, with interest.

"I'm the one," answered Julius. "Will you have a shine?"

"I don't want any pay for the dinner," said Paul. "You're welcome to
it."

"I'd rather give you a shine," persisted Julius.

"All right," said Paul, pleased by his grateful spirit, and he put out
his foot.

"Won't you let me pay for it?" asked Paul, when the job was finished
and his boots were resplendent with a first-class polish.

"No," said Julius, hastily drawing back.

"Thank you, then. Have you had good luck this morning?"

"I got four shines," said Julius.

"I once blacked boots myself, for a little while," said Paul.

"You're doin' better now."

"Yes, I'm doing better now. So will you some day, I hope."

"Do you live in a house on Madison avenue?" asked Julius, abruptly.

"Yes," said Paul, surprised. "Who told you?"

"You take care of the house for a gentleman as has gone to Europe,
don't you?"

"How do you know it?" demanded Paul.

"I want to tell you something" said Julius, "only don't you never let
on as I told you."

"All right. Go ahead!" said Paul, more and more myst