," Tim said after a brief pause, whereat the
lame boy cried fiercely:

"What's the reason he ain't? Didn't I find him 'most froze to death
more'n a year ago, an' haven't I kept him in good shape ever since? Of
course he wasn't mine at first; but I'd like to see the chump who'd
dare to say he belonged to anybody else! If you didn't own any more of
a home than you could earn sellin' papers, an' if nobody cared the
least little bit whether you was cold or hungry, you'd think it was
mighty fine to have a chum like Snip. You ought'er see him when I come
in after he's been shut up in the room all the forenoon! It seems like
he'd jump out of his skin, he's so glad to see me! I tell you, Tim,
Snip loves me just like I was his mother!"

Master Chandler shook his head doubtfully, and appeared to be on the
point of indulging some disparaging remark, when his attention was
diverted by a lad on the opposite side of the street, who was making
the most frantic gestures, and, as might be guessed by the movement of
his lips, shouting at the full strength of his lungs; but the words
were drowned by the rattle of vehicles and other noises of the street.

"There's Pip Smith, an' what do you s'pose he's got in his ear now?"
Tim said speculatively; but with little apparent interest in the
subject. "He's allers botherin' his head 'bout somethin' that ain't
any of his business. He allows he'll be a detective when he gets big
enough."

Seth gave more attention to the caresses Snip was bestowing upon him
than to his acquaintance opposite, until Tim exclaimed, with a sudden
show of excitement:

"He's yellin' for you, Seth! What's he swingin' that newspaper 'round
his head for?"

Perhaps Tim might have become interested enough to venture across the
street, had Master Smith remained on the opposite side very long; but
just at that moment the tide of travel slackened sufficiently to admit
of a passage, and the excited Pip came toward his acquaintances at
full speed.

"What kind of a game have you been up to, Limpy?" he demanded, waving
the newspaper meanwhile.

Seth looked at the speaker in astonishment, but without making any
reply.

"Anything gone wrong?" Tim asked, gazing inquiringly from one to the
other.

"I don't know what he means," Seth replied, and Pip shouted wildly:

"Listen to him! You'd think butter wouldn't melt in his mouth, an' yet
he's been ridin' a mighty high hoss, 'cordin' to all I can find out!"

"Who?" Seth dem