there's dinner enough for two, and that's all there is to eat it."

Something significant in his employer's tone struck Martin.

"There's the boy upstairs," he said.

"There isn't any boy upstairs."

"You haven't let him go?" queried Martin, staring open-mouthed at the
speaker.

"No, he got away while I was out this morning,--the more fool I for
leaving him."

"But there was Humpy. How did the boy get away without his seeing him?"

"Humpy's gone too."

"You don't say!" ejaculated Martin.

"Yes, I do."

"What you goin' to do about it?" inquired Martin, hopelessly.

"I'll half kill either of the little rascals when I get hold of them,"
said Smith, spitefully.

"I'd give something out of my own pocket to get that undootiful son of
mine back," chimed in Martin.

"I'll say this for him," said Smith, "he's a good sight smarter than his
father."

"I always was unlucky," grumbled Martin. "I aint been treated right."

"If you had been you'd be at Sing Sing," returned Smith, amiably.

"Smith," said Martin, with drunken dignity, for he was somewhat under
the influence of a liberal morning dram, "you'd ought to respect the
feelin's of a gentleman."

"Where's the gentleman? I don't see him," responded Smith, in a
sarcastic tone. "If you aint too much of a gentleman to do your share of
the work, just draw out the table and put the cloth on."

This Martin, who was hungry, did with equal alacrity and awkwardness,
showing the latter by over-turning a pile of plates, which fell with a
fatal crash upon the floor.

"Just like your awkwardness, you drunken brute!" exclaimed Smith,
provoked.

Martin did not reply, but looked ruefully at the heap of broken
crockery, which he attributed, like his other misfortunes, to the
ill-treatment of the world, and meekly got upon his knees and gathered
up the pieces.

At length dinner was ready. Martin, in spite of an ungrateful world, ate
with an appetite truly surprising, so that his companion felt called
upon to remonstrate.

"I hope you'll leave a little for me. It's just possible that I might
like to eat a little something myself."

"I didn't eat much breakfast," said Martin, apologetically.

"You'd better lunch outside next time," said his employer. "It will give
you a good chance to change money."

"I've tried it at several places," said Martin; "I could do it better if
you'd give me some smaller bills. They don't like to change fives and
tens."

After dinner wa