f, as he got
his coffee. "This is certainly a new-fangled way of getting your grub."

Still he rather liked the novelty of it. Certainly it was quick, once
one learned how to go about it. Roy made a good though not very fancy
meal, and then walked up to the desk, where he observed other men
paying.

"Well," asked the young lady, who seemed to have a very large amount of
light hair, piled up on top of her head in all sorts of waves and
frizzes.

"What'd you have?"

She spoke briskly, making change for one man, and handing another one a
box of cigars, that he might take one, and, all the while she never
stopped chewing gum.

Roy named over the articles.

"Twenty cents!" exclaimed the girl. "Here, that's a lead nickel!" she
added quickly, to the customer just ahead of Roy. "Don't try any of
them tricks on me."

Roy laid down two dimes, wondering at the cheapness of the meal, and
feeling quite confused by the rush and excitement about him.

He walked out, wondering what his next move should be. He had not gone
a dozen steps up the street, before he suddenly remembered that he had
forgotten to mention to the young lady at the desk that he had a piece
of pie.

"I've got to go right back and pay her for that pie!" thought the lad.
"She'll think I'm trying to cheat her. Lucky I thought of it when I
did, or they might have sent a policeman after me."

He hurried back, and made his way to the desk through a crowd of men
coming out.

"Say," he began to the cashier, "I'm awfully sorry, but I made a
mistake."

"No mistakes corrected after you leave the desk. See that sign?" and
the girl pointed to one to that effect. "You should count your change
while you're here. You can't work that game on me."

"I'm not trying to work any game," and Roy felt a little hurt that his
good motive should thus be mistaken. "I had a piece of pie and I
forgot to tell you of it. I came back to pay the five cents."

"Oh!"

The girl's manner changed, and she looked a little embarrassed.
"That's all right. You could have paid me to-morrow.

"But I might not be here to-morrow."

Roy laid down a five-cent piece.

"Say, but you're honest!" exclaimed the cashier, as she put back a
straggling lock of her yellow hair. "You can't live in New York."

"Now I wonder why she said that?" reasoned Roy, as he walked along the
street. "Can it be that every one in New York is dishonest? Well, I
certainly think Mr. Annister is. I