ple--I'm full to the collar bone."

William, who had been glaring at him for some time, remarked
scathingly, "Gee, you'd think you never got a square meal at home," to
which Pete promptly retorted, "Well, I wasn't going to let Miss Whimple
think I couldn't eat her cooking."

Tired, happy, and full, William and "the bunch" departed at last, Miss
Whimple and Epstein going with them to the electric car--a quarter of a
mile away from the house--the old comedian, despite the protests of
Miss Whimple and William, carrying Dolly all the way. He kissed her
gently as he placed her in the car, and the child threw her arms around
his neck and pressed her little cheek against his for a moment ere he
left.

When the car had disappeared from view, Epstein escorted Miss Whimple
home. They walked in silence for a little distance, and then she asked
him suddenly, "When did you first meet William?"

"Three years ago," he said smilingly. "It was a chance meeting. You
know," with a touch of sadness in his voice, "the people of my race are
not always kindly treated--even in so new a country as this--and so
big," he went on musingly. "Who shall say what Canada is to be in the
future?--I see things, I see things--a great northern power; men of
many races blended together in one great nationality under the British
flag. Well for her that her statesmen build truly, well for her----"
he broke off abruptly, and with a quiet, "I beg your pardon, we were
talking of William. I was walking along the street one day, in a
section of the city where many of our people live, when a 'rags and
bones man' came along trundling a well-laden push cart. Three young
roughs began to bait him. They threw his cap into the middle of the
street, overturned his cart, and began to attack him when William's
father intervened. He was driving his express wagon near the scene.
He jumped from the wagon, laid one of the roughs out with his fist, and
turned on the other two. William, who had been riding with his Pa,
took a hand in the proceedings then, climbing from the wagon and using
the whip on the roughs. They turned and fled. William and his Pa
helped the 'rags and bones man' to right his push cart, and then I
introduced myself to them. The father turned my commendation aside
with a good-natured remark to the effect that three to one wasn't fair
play, and William added, 'What Pa says goes,' and there you are. He's
a brave lad, a good lad, full of mischi