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months later. - "Sixteen months: have § since elapsed”
without news from him or the vessel or crew.
‘What am I to think but that the ship must have
- In time, otr money giving out, my daughter and
“<~ myself came here to live: Dora learned type-
‘, owriting and stenography, and secured a position
with a manufacturing firm in Broadway. -Thus
we managed. to get along in. some comfort, while
~.-, hoping almost against hope that the husband and
~ {° father would some day gladden our hearts-by his
- $.: unexpected return. . Unfortunately, my child was
*~ taken. down with a slow fever, and so our little
‘income ceased.- ‘We have parted, with almost
everything of value in the hope that we might not
»- come to-this.. But the blow has fallen at last.
We are homeless tonight, save for this generous
offer of yours, for which we are deeply grateful
to you.- Your’ kindness» may have saved my
_child’s life, therefore may a. mother’s blessing
rest on your: head - henceforth, and follow. you
_ through life.”>._--
The janitor now made his appearance with
the receipt. Fred paid him the: money and offered
him a dollar to help move the little woman’s
goods and-furniture upstairs to: the rooms he
‘had hired. He agreed with alacrity, fora dollar
looked as big as a mountain to him
“Come, Will, you’ll ‘have to. sail in and give us
- a hand,” said Fred, energetically. .
ae “Sure thing,” replied Robson. :
: ..“Then grab hold of the other side of the
rocker, and we’ll carry the young lady’ up first.”
‘Between them they carried: the sick girl up to
-:. the rooms, followed by. her: mother. The after-
2. noon_sunshines was. still. shining in through the
: window of the middle room, and into that they
‘° earried and Jeft- her, after stripping off their
coats‘ for business. ‘Under the energetic efforts
of the two boys and the janitor, Mrs. Storms’
property was speedily removed from the sidewalk
to the rooms.- The janitor agreed to put down
. the carpets for another half dollar, and then after
:~f Fred. handed the little woman. $5 to meet. their
immediate necessities, and promised to call on
. Saturday afternoon, two days hence, the boys left,
Q conscious that they had ‘performed a very worthy
~action that certainly redounded to their credit.
- CHAPTER X > (.—Clutehing at the Last Dollar.
.- Fred, when he. got home, told his mother. about
. Mrs. Storms and_ her sick daughter, Dora, whom
‘che had assisted: that afternoon after they had
“a 120th Street tenement. *
“foam very glad you were’ able to help-them,
“my son,” said Mrs. Sparks, after expressing her
sympathy for the unfortunate. sea captain’s wife
“cand child. “The: world is-very cold to those who
" are-at its mercy, and it was fortunate for them
“jndeed that- you and your friend passed that way
svatia time wen your. services were of - ‘SO much
y-; value.”
Be “loam very glad. my self, mother, that I hap-
“FS pened‘along.at such a-critical time,” replied: Fred.
to “If we hadn’t come uptown on the Second Avenue
a
2
e
i
patronize that line—l fear they and their prop-
A GOLDEN ‘SHOWER
foundered. at sea’ and was lost with all hands? _
: been evicted from*their late. humble quarters in -
i whieh we did by pure accident, for we never. .
erty would still be on the sidewalk. -
have suffered but for me.
you to call on them tomorrow and:see what you
‘can do for them. I will give’ you their address.
You will find them very nice people—very much
superior to their oresent condition.. Remember,
mother, we came very near being dispossessed ~
ourselves when you. were ill. Now that good
fortune shines on us once more, let us show our
gratitude by doing a-good turn to others whom ~
fortune has turned a cold shoulder on.”
Fred’s mother: agreed to call on Mrs. Storms.
They re- 9)
and her daughter, and did so next day.
ceived her in the friendliest of spirits when she
introduced herself as the mother of the boy who
had helped them the previous afternoon.
“I can easily. understand how proud you are:
of such a son, Mrs. Sparks,” said Mrs. Storms.
“He is a splendid young man, and Dora and I
will be grateful to-him as long as we live.”
On the day following the incident Fred acci-. .
dentally discovered that a syndicate had. been
formed to boom L. & M. shares; which just then
were selling several points lower than their aver- —
-L. & M. was not what .
age value in the. market.
might be called a gilt-edged stock, for no divi-
dend had been paid to the.stockholders in many
moons, but it was a good road, nevertheless, not
overburdened with debt, and it held
pretty well in the Street.
Just then it was going at 42. As soon as Fred
had assured himself that there was no doubt
but that°a rise in’ the shares was close at hand
he went to his broker and gave hfm an order’.
to buy 5,000 shares, putting up nearly every dol---
lar he owned as marginal security. Fred wouldn’t >”
have thought for a moment of taking such a risk
had it not been that his tip was almost a guaran-
tee of success.
fore it began its climb.
As the market was rather bullish as a whole oo.
than otherwise, the risk of. such a misfortune ~~
happening to him was not as great as usual. He
went early to the Exchange next day, which was
Saturday, and stayed there till the chairman’s
gavel fell’at noon. Quite.a number of sales of
L. & M. were made during, the two-hour session, ~
and Fred was pleased to see that L. & M. not only
held its own, but advanced a quarter of a point.
After taking his lunch at the cafe where he ~
_ picked up his tip on M. & O., he boarded a Second
Avenue L train for. the 120th Street station.
Leaving the station, he proceeded to No—, up
the block. He carried a small fancy basketful of
fruit, and a» bunch of violets, for the sick girl,..~
which he presented to her as soon as he was ad-
mitted to the room where she sat propped up with
a pillow‘in the: rocker. -
“You are ever so kind, Mr. Sparks,” she said,
flashing a grateful and admiring look at him.
“Don’t mention it, Miss Dora. I thought the
fruit would be nice for you,: and that the flowers
would please you.”
“T-am very fond of flowers, and you seem to
have picked out my- favorite kind.”
“Tam glad that I. selected violets,. then, since
you enjoy them better than any other. variety.”
”
When Fred first came he told Mrs. Storms, who »
. opened the door, and welcomed him, that he only ~
pals
ila
13°
It gives me
a shiver when I think what. that-poor girl might...
‘Now, mother, I wish |
its value.
Still, he faced the chance that the.”
stock might go- down ‘enough to wipe him out be- :