en't you paid me, Dick?"

"By payin' the room-rent," said Dick, impulsively. "What's that? It
isn't half enough. I wish you'd take half my money; you deserve it."

"Thank you, Dick, but you're too generous. You've more than paid me.
Who was it took my part when all the other boys imposed upon me? And
who gave me money to buy clothes, and so got me my situation?"

"Oh, that's nothing!" said Dick.

"It's a great deal, Dick. I shall never forget it. But now it seems
to me you might try to get a situation yourself."

"Do I know enough?"

"You know as much as I do."

"Then I'll try," said Dick, decidedly.

"I wish there was a place in our store," said Fosdick. "It would be
pleasant for us to be together."

"Never mind," said Dick; "there'll be plenty of other chances.
P'r'aps A. T. Stewart might like a partner. I wouldn't ask more'n a
quarter of the profits."

"Which would be a very liberal proposal on your part," said Fosdick,
smiling. "But perhaps Mr. Stewart might object to a partner living
on Mott Street."

"I'd just as lieves move to Fifth Avenoo," said Dick. "I aint got no
prejudices in favor of Mott Street."

"Nor I," said Fosdick, "and in fact I have been thinking it might be
a good plan for us to move as soon as we could afford. Mrs. Mooney
doesn't keep the room quite so neat as she might."

"No," said Dick. "She aint got no prejudices against dirt. Look at
that towel."

Dick held up the article indicated, which had now seen service
nearly a week, and hard service at that,--Dick's avocation causing
him to be rather hard on towels.

"Yes," said Fosdick, "I've got about tired of it. I guess we can
find some better place without having to pay much more. When we
move, you must let me pay my share of the rent."

"We'll see about that," said Dick. "Do you propose to move to
Fifth Avenoo?"

"Not just at present, but to some more agreeable neighborhood than
this. We'll wait till you get a situation, and then we can decide."

A few days later, as Dick was looking about for customers in the
neighborhood of the Park, his attention was drawn to a fellow
boot-black, a boy about a year younger than himself, who appeared to
have been crying.

"What's the matter, Tom?" asked Dick. "Haven't you had luck to-day?"

"Pretty good," said the boy; "but we're havin' hard times at home.
Mother fell last week and broke her arm, and to-morrow we've got to
pay the rent, and if we don't the landlord says he'll turn us