ime."

"I reckon a good deal depends on you and your partner."

"How do you mean?"

"If the firebug pleads guilty as his lawyer has advised him to, the
judge will only call on you two witnesses to tell how it happened, so's
he can get an idea of about how hard Jip ought'er be punished."

"Then if we talk smooth he stands a better chance, eh?"

"That's 'bout the size of it, Amateur."

During the remainder of the time he spent in Ninety-four's quarters Seth
was unusually thoughtful, and immediately his work was finished he asked
the driver if there was any objection to his going down-town.

"Now see here, Amateur, there's no call for you to come 'round me with a
question like that. I'm only too glad you've got a chance to get a
holiday, and I advise you to spend all the time, till the hour for
school, among your old chums. I don't reckon you've got any big pile of
money left by this time, eh?"

"Well, I don't need a cent, 'cept for my rent, an' that ain't costin'
such a terrible pile."

"Have you got enough to buy your breakfast with?"

"I'll get whatever I need."

"See here, Amateur, how much money have you on hand?" 'Lish asked so
sternly that Seth could no longer evade the question.

"Well, I'm broke; but there's no need of my havin' a single cent. I
ain't doin' much swellin' lately."

"Take this," and the driver thrust a dollar in Seth's hands. "I ain't
giving it to you, so there's no call to kick. You've got to borrow it,
or go hungry, and that I'm not minded you shall do."

"I haven't done anything of the kind yet a while," the Amateur replied,
with a hearty laugh, and then he began to speak of Jip once more lest
'Lish Davis might take it into his head to ask how long he had thus been
penniless, for it was nearly a week since he had so much as a nickel in
his pocket.

"I'll pay back the dollar as soon as I get my month's wages," he said,
as, his work finished, he made ready to go down-town, and the driver
replied cheerily:

"I'm counting on it, Amateur, and I'm also reckoning that you'll come to
me again when that's gone, else you and me will have a settling that
won't be pleasant to one of us."

Then Seth started down-town with a smile on his face, as he repeated
again and again to himself:

"Folks are mighty good to me, mighty good!"

When he arrived in that locality where he formerly transacted business,
his old friends welcomed him heartily, and every one who claimed the
slightest acquai