silver and copper coins, filling the box two-thirds full. Upon this
his eyes were fixed with eager and gloating satisfaction.

"It's all mine!" he muttered, joyfully. "Tom doesn't know about it. He
mustn't know--he might want me to spend it. I will count it."

He took it out by handfuls, and began to count it for at least the
hundredth time, putting together coins of similar value in little
piles, till there was a circle of silver and copper about him.

It was a work of time for the old man, and probably half an hour was
consumed before he had finished his task.

"Ninety-nine dollars!" he exclaimed, in alarm, at the end of the
calculation. "Somebody has robbed me; I ought to have twenty-five
cents more. Could Tom have got at the box? Maybe I have made a mistake.
I will count again."

With nervous fingers he recommenced the count, fearing that he had met
with a loss. He was half through his task, when a knock was heard at
the door. The old man started in agitation, and glanced apprehensively
at the door.

"Who's there?" he asked, in quivering accents.

"It's I," answered a hearty voice, which Jacob readily recognized as
that of Mrs. Flanagan.

"You can't come in," said the old man, peevishly. "What do you want?"

"I only came to ask how ye are, and if I can do anything for ye."

"No, you can't. I'm well--no, I'm sick, and I'd rather be left alone."

"All right," said the good woman, in no wise offended, for she pitied
the old man. "If you want anything, jist _stomp_ on the floor, and I'll
hear ye, and come up."

"Yes," said Jacob, hastily. "Now go down--that's a good woman. I want
to go to sleep."

"Poor craythur!" said Mrs. Flanagan, to herself. "It's little he enjoys
the world, which is a blessin', as he will soon have to lave it."

"I hope she isn't looking through the keyhole," thought Jacob, in
alarm. "She might see my money."

But the footsteps of the good woman descending the stairs came to his
ears, and reassured him.

"It's well I locked the door," he said to himself. "I wouldn't want it
known that I had all this money, or it wouldn't be safe. It's taken me
a long time to get it, and it isn't quite a hundred dollars. If I had
seventy-five cents more"--he had by this time found the missing
quarter--"it would make just a hundred. If Tom wouldn't mind, I could
get it easily by begging. I might have it by to-morrow. I wonder if he
would care much," muttered the old man, as he put back the coins