r disturbed that night, and soon fell asleep
again, not forgetting, however, the precaution of hiding his pocketbook
in the middle of his bed, under the blankets, where, if thieves tried
to take it, they would first have to get him out of the berth.

Roy awakened shortly after sunrise the next morning. He was accustomed
to early rising at the ranch, and this habit still clung to him. He
managed to dress, while sitting on the edge of his berth, and then he
reached down under the edge of it on the floor of the car, where, the
night before, he had left his shoes. To his surprise they were gone.

"That's funny," he thought. "I wonder if the fellow who didn't get my
money, took my shoes for spite?"

To make sure he stepped out into the aisle in his stocking feet, and
looked under his berth. His shoes were not to be seen.

"Now I am in a pickle," thought the boy. "How am I going all the way
to New York without shoes? I can't go out in my stocking feet to get a
new pair, and I don't suppose there are any stores near the stations,
where I could buy new ones. But that's the only thing I can do. I
wonder if the train would wait long enough until I could send one of
the porters to a store for a pair of shoes? It would be a funny thing
to do, I guess, and, besides, he wouldn't know what size to get. I
certainly am up against it!"

As Roy stood in the curtained aisle of the car, all alone, for none of
the other travelers were up yet, he saw a colored porter approaching.
Something in the boy's manner prompted the man to ask:

"Can I do anything fo' youh, sah? You'se up early, sah."

"I am looking for my shoes."

"Oh, youh shoes. I took 'em, sah."

"You took 'em? What right have you taking my shoes? Haven't you got
any of your own?" and Roy spoke sternly, for he thought this was too
much; first an attempt made to rob him of his money, and then some one
stealing his shoes.

"Where are they?" he went on. "I want 'em."

"Yais, sah. Right away, sah. I jest took 'em a little while ago to
blacken 'em, sah. I allers does that to the gen'men's shoes. I'll
have 'em right back. Did youh think I done stole 'em, sah?"

"That's what I did," replied Roy with a smile. "I thought I'd have to
go to New York in my stocking feet."

"Ob, no indeedy, sah. I allers goes around and collects the gen'men's
shoes early, 'fore they gits up. I takes 'em back to my place and I
blacks 'em. Den I brings 'em back."

"That's