efore the glittering orbs of the valiant attorney. The
latter, content with the exalted advantage he had gained by the use of
the expression "Ah," spoke no more, but continued to stare.

"Well," said George, finally, in a weak voice, "I s'pose I can give you
a cheque for it, 'though I was only borrowin' it for 'bout a month. I
don't think you have treated me fairly, father, with your lawyers and
your threats, and all that. But I'll give you the cheque."

The old man turned to his attorney. "Well?" he asked.

Tom looked at the son and held an impressive debate with himself. "I
think we may accept the cheque," he said coldly after a time.

George arose and tottered across the room. He drew a cheque that made
the attorney's heart come privately into his mouth. As he and his
client passed triumphantly out, he turned a last highly legal glare upon
George that reduced that individual to a mere paste.

On the side-walk the old man went into a spasm of delight and called his
attorney all the admiring and endearing names there were to be had.

"Lord, how you settled him," he cried ecstatically.

They walked slowly back toward Broadway. "The scoundrel," murmured the
old man. "I'll never see 'im again. I'll desert 'im. I'll find a nice
quiet boarding-place and--"

"That's all right," said Tom. "I know one. I'll take you right up,"
which he did.

He came near being happy ever after. The old man lived at advanced rates
in the front room at Tom's boarding-house. And the latter basked in the
proprietress' smiles, which had a commercial value, and were a great
improvement on many we see.

The old man, with his quantities of sage bush, thought Thomas owned all
the virtues mentioned in high-class literature, and his opinion, too,
was of commercial value. Also, he knew a man who knew another man who
received an impetus which made him engage Thomas on terms that were
highly satisfactory. Then it was that the latter learned he had not
succeeded sooner because he did not know a man who knew another man.

So it came to pass that Tom grew to be Thomas G. Somebody. He achieved
that position in life from which he could hold out for good wines when
he went to poor restaurants. His name became entangled with the name of
Wilkins in the ownership of vast and valuable tracts of sage bush in Tin
Can, Nevada.

At the present day he is so great that he lunches frugally at high
prices. His fame has spread through the land as a man who carved