w, who lived in
one of the splendid up-town hotels of New York city. His mother was a
very busy woman, for she was a manager of the "Children's Retreat," the
"Children's Relief," the "Old Ladies' Mitigation Society," and ever so
many other charities, and these took up so much of her time that her own
poor little half-orphaned Charley was left pretty much to himself; for
Lizzie, his nurse, spent most of her time laughing and talking with the
other servants.

So Charley amused himself running up and down the stairs, and taking
trips with the elevator man, who was very fond of the bright little
fellow.

One day Charley wandered down the wide stairs, and along a corridor or
hall. He was throwing up a little ball and catching it as he went. At
the end of the hall he saw through an open door another flight of
stairs, very narrow, and rather dark. It was the stairs for the
servants' use.

"Hallo!" cried Charley, "here are some more stairs," and like the
learned monkey that let nothing escape him on his travels, down the
stairs went the boy on a voyage of discovery.

When he came to the bottom, which was far below the level of the street
outside, he walked along to an open door, and saw something which
dimpled his face all over with smiles; for, standing like a heron on one
leg, leaning against the wall opposite the door, was _another boy_. He
was twirling a little paper windmill fastened to a stick; his great
black eyes were dancing with glee, and as he laughed he showed two rows
of snow-white even teeth. At a stationary wash-tub was a big woman
washing clothes, and singing softly to herself, "'Way down in ole
Virginny."

Neither of them saw Charley, so, by way of introducing himself, he said,
"Hallo, boy."

The woman turned quickly round, and exclaimed, "Why, honey, whar did yer
come from?"

"I came down stairs; may I come in?" asked Charley, adding, quickly, "I
want to play with that boy."

"Course you can; come right in," said the black woman, for she was
nearly as black as ink, but there was a sweet, honest expression in her
broad face, and a welcoming tone in her voice, which brought Charley
quickly in, with a little laugh, to the side of the other boy.

And he--oh, how black he was! but as clean and neatly dressed as soap
and water and nice clothes could make him, for Juliet, his mother, loved
her little son, and she took good care that his manners were as nice as
his clothes. He held out his hand to Charley