y scouts, if y' want t',
that I got a cowboy friend named One-Eye, and he lives in a garden
that's down in a terrible big cellar, and wears fur all up his pants in
front, and a bigger hat'n yours, and spurs. And I got five
books--_Aladdin_, and _The Mohicans_, and _Treasure Island_, and _King
Arthur_ and _Crusoe_!"

The crowd listened, ready to laugh if the young man did, which was what
the young man did not. On the contrary, what Johnnie had said seemed to
have wrought the considerable effect Johnnie had desired. For the young
man opened his eyes so big at Johnnie that the glasses fell off, and
hit a button of his tunic with a clear ring. "You--you read?" he
inquired.

"I should say so!" returned Johnnie, cheeks going red with pride. "Most
all the time! But I'm goin' t' write a lot next--goin' t' copy all my
books out, 'cause Cis says that's the way I can learn t' spell the big
words. And lookee!--the handkerchief One-Eye give me!"

"Did you say One-Eye or Hawkeye?" asked the young man, feeling of the
handkerchief with evident respect for its appearance and quality.

"Oh, One-Eye!" declared Johnnie. "'Cause that's all the eyes he's got.
But he owns miles and miles of land, and hunderds of cattle, and he's so
rich that he rides ev'rywheres he goes in the city in a taxi, all the
time!"

"Well! well!" exclaimed the leader. There was just the flicker of a
smile in his eyes now (Johnnie noted that those eyes were exactly the
color of ground coffee).

"I've got a dog, too,"--talking as fast as possible in order to get a
great deal said. "But I jus' think him, like I do Mister Buckle, and
Mister Astor, and Mister Rockefeller, and Mister Carnegie, and the
Prince of Wales, and Mister Van----"

At that the leader laughed, but he patted Johnnie on the shoulder. "Tell
me all about 'em when I come," he said. "I must go now. But I'll see you
soon. Good-by!" As he backed, his hand went to the brim of his hat--in a
salute!

"Goo-good-by!" Johnnie faltered. His own right hand moved uncertainly,
for he would have liked to make the salute in return, only he did not
know how.

The other started off at a run, following the rails up the Avenue, while
some of that crowd turned away, scattering. What remained of the group
began to aim questions at Johnnie, rooted to the pavement beside his
box. "Who's 'at, kid? What's he want? What y' goin' t' do?"

To answer, Johnnie had to lower himself down from the skies, to which he
had bee