me already."

"I'm goin to get some dinner," said Jim.

"I haven't got time," said Sam. "Besides, I don't feel so hungry as
usual. I guess it's the drink I took."

"It don't take away my appetite," said his companion, with an air of
superiority.

Sam took the cars home. Knowing what he did, it was with an
uncomfortable feeling that he ascended the stairs and entered the
presence of Dr. Graham.

The doctor looked angry.

"What made you so long?" he demanded abruptly. "Did you find the
house?"

"No," answered Sam, wishing that his embarrassing explanations were
fully over. "No, I didn't."

"You didn't find the house!" exclaimed the doctor, in angry surprise.
"Why didn't you?"

"I thought it wasn't any use," stammered Sam.

"Wasn't any use!" repeated the chiropodist. "Explain yourself, sir, at
once."

"As long as I hadn't got the letter," proceeded Sam.

Now the secret was out.

"What did you do with the letter?" demanded Dr. Graham, suspiciously.

"I lost it."

"Lost it! How could you lose it? Did you know there was money in it?"
said his employer, looking angry and disturbed.

"Yes, sir; you said so."

"Then why were you not careful of it, you young rascal?"

"I was, sir; that is, I tried to be. But it was stolen."

"Who would steal the letter unless he knew that it contained money?"

"That's it, sir. I ought not to have told anybody."

"Sit down, and tell me all about it, or it will be the worse for you,"
said the doctor.

"Now for it!" thought Sam.

"You see, sir," he commenced, "I was in the horse-cars in Brooklyn,
when I saw a boy I knew. We got to talking, and, before I knew it, I
told him that I was carryin' a letter with money in it. I took it out
of my coat-pocket, and showed it to him."

"You had no business to do it," said Dr. Graham. "No one but a fool
would show a money-letter. So the boy stole it, did he?"

"Oh, no," said Sam, hastily. "It wasn't he."

"Who was it, then? Don't be all day telling your story," said the
doctor, irritably.

"There was a young man sitting on the other side of me," said Sam. "He
was well-dressed, and I didn't think he'd do such a thing; but he must
have stole the letter."

"What makes you think so?"

"He got out only two or three minutes afterwards, and it wasn't long
after that that I missed the letter."

"What did you do?"

"I stopped the car, and went back. Jim went back along with me. We
looked all round, tryin' to find the man, but