; because you see, Andrew is an unpleasant boy to have
around!"

Bristles tried to laugh as though his heart were steeled against
showing any natural feeling; but Fred felt sure he was winking very
fast, and he had little difficulty in guessing why.

"It is a hard problem you're up against, Bristles," he went on to say,
while he laid a hand affectionately upon the other's quivering arm;
"but just perk up, and make sure that it's bound to come out right,
sooner or later. If you don't go to see your aunt again, after a bit,
another of her opals will disappear; and then the quick-tempered old
lady must see that it wasn't you after all."

Immediately Bristles raised his head, as though new life had come to
him.

"Say, I never thought of that, Fred!" he exclaimed. "It's a good idea,
too, and is sure to work, sooner or later. Whoever is taking her opals
will get tired of waiting for me to come around again, to be the
scapegoat; and crib another lot. Then won't Rome howl, though! If it
turns out to be the old mammy, she'll lose her steady job all right;
because Aunt Alicia is stern and unforgiving. I used to be her
favorite; but never again for me, after this."

"Well, if you feel better now, Bristles, and there's nothing more to
tell me, suppose we both crawl in, and get a little snooze? I'm as
tired as all get-out; and I reckon you're in the same boat."

"Just what I am," returned the other, actually yawning; "but you've
made me feel a hundred times better, Fred. It's a mighty good thing to
have a chum like you, once in a while, and that's the truth. You've got
a way about you that just makes the clouds seem to roll right off, and
the sunshine come again."

"Oh! I'm glad if I've been able to do you any good, Bristles; but let
me know if any more things come up, will you?"

"I just will, and no mistake," the boy who had found new hope replied,
while his face beamed.

"But don't think I'm going to forget all about it. No siree; if there's
any way I can learn whether a jeweler in Riverport or Mechanicsburg has
been buying an opal lately, I'm bound to get on the track."

"Be careful, that's all, when you make inquiries," cautioned Fred.

"Now, I don't get on to what you mean?" remarked Bristles.

"Why, don't you see, if your aunt should also choose to look around,
and heard that you were making inquiries about the value of opals, and
all that, of course she'd jump to the conclusion that you wanted to
learn how the