that some day Big Tom would be arrested
for keeping Johnnie home from public school? Mrs. Kukor had agreed. And
now this was going to happen! And, oh, school would be Heaven!

"Sure," assented Big Tom, smoothly. "But who's goin' t' send him? 'Cause
I don't have t' do _anything_ for him."

"You'll have to appear before a magistrate," declared the other. "For
I'm going to enter a complaint."

Barber began to swell. With a curse, he rose and faced Maloney. "Look
here!" he said roughly. "This kid is nothin' t' me. I fetched him here
when his aunt died. I didn't have t'. But if I hadn't, he'd 've starved,
and slept in the streets, or been a cost t' the city. Well, he's been a
cost t' me--git that, Mister Maloney? T' _me_! A poor man! I've fed him,
and give him a place t' sleep--instead of takin' in roomers, like the
rest of the guys do in this buildin'."

Again the man looked about him. "Roomers?" he repeated. "Why, there's no
ventilation here, and you get no sun. This flat is unfit to live in!"

"You tell that t' the landlord!" cried Big Tom, his chest heaving. "He
makes me pay good rent for it, even if it _ain't_ fit t' live in!"

Maloney shook his head.

"Oh, yes, I know all about your city rules," went on the longshoreman.
"But the Dagoes in this tenement pack their flats full. I don't. Jus'
the boy sleeps in this kitchen. And if it wasn't for me, where'd he be
right now? Out in the snow?"

Maloney shrugged, sat down, and leaned back, thinking. And in the pause
Johnnie thought of several matters. For one thing, now he had a new way
of considering his being in the flat. Sure enough, if Barber had not fed
and housed him where would he have been? With Uncle Albert? But Uncle
Albert had never come down to see him; had not--as Big Tom had often
taken the pains to point out--even written Johnnie a postcard. Now the
boy suddenly found himself grateful to Barber.

Mr. Maloney's manner had lost much of its assurance. "But the boy must
be taught something," he declared. "He's ignorant!"

Ignorant! Johnnie rose, scarcely able to keep back a protest.

Barber whirled round upon him. "Ignorant!" he cried. "Y' hear that,
Johnnie? This gent thinks you don't know nothin'!--That's where you're
off, Maloney!--Johnnie, suppose you read for him. Ha? Just show him how
ignorant y' are!"

Johnnie made an involuntary start toward the drawer of the table,
remembered, and stopped. "What--what'll I read?" he asked.

The man looked ar