t," said Tommy.

"Now you keep still a few minutes, Tommy, if you can," interposed
Mrs. Lee.

"At the corner of Wall Street--"

"I know where that is," exclaimed Tommy.

"At the corner of Wall Street there was a man with a kind of cart,
loaded with apples and candy, which he was selling to the passers
by. Suddenly there came a stage down the street, and ran into the
apple cart."

"I saw the very same thing done," added Tommy, with his usual
self-important air.

"Keep still, Tom Woggs," said Charley Green.

"The apples were scattered all over the sidewalk; yet the man
picked up all but one of them, though he was very angry with the
driver of the stage for running against his cart."

"Why didn't he pick up the other apple?" asked Henry.

"A well-dressed man, with big black whiskers, picked that up. 'Give
it to me,' said the apple man. 'I will not,' replied the man with
whiskers. The apple merchant was as mad as he could be; and then
the man with black whiskers put his hand in his pocket and drew out
a knife. The blade was six inches long."

"O, dear me!" exclaimed Flora.

"Raising the knife, he at once moved towards the angry apple
merchant, and--and--"

"Well, what?" asked several, eagerly.

"And cut a piece out of the apple, and put it in his mouth."

The children all laughed heartily, for they were sure the man with
the whiskers was going to stab the apple merchant.

"He then took two cents from his pocket, paid for the apple, and
went his way," continued the old man. "Now, there is one thing more
I can do. I want to run a race with these boys."

"Pooh! You run a race!" sneered Charley.

"I can beat you."

"Try it, and see."

The old man and Charley took places, and were to start at the word
from Henry. But when it was given, the fiddler hobbled off, leaving
Charley to follow at his leisure.

When the old man had got half way round the lawn, Charley started,
sure he could catch him long before he reached the goal. But just
as the boy was coming up with the man, the latter began to run, and
poor Charley found, much to his surprise, that he ran very fast. He
was unable to overtake him, and consequently lost the race.

The children were much astonished when they saw the old man run so
fast. He appeared to have grown young all at once. But he offered
to race with any of the boys again; and half a dozen of them agreed
to run with him.

"I guess I will take my coat off this time," said the fidd