oam about the streets subject
only to his own control. Now he was no longer his own master. He must
go and come at the will of his employer. To be sure, his earnings were
greater than in his street life, and he had a regular home. He knew
beforehand where he was going to sleep, and was tolerably sure of a
meal. But before the end of the first week he got out of money. This
was not strange, for he had begun without any reserve fund.

On the third day he applied to Henry Martin for a loan.

"If you don't lend me some stamps, I'll have to go without breakfast,"
he said.

"When shall you get your first week's pay?" asked Henry.

"Saturday night, the boss said, though I didn't go to work till
Wednesday."

"Then you need money for your meals today and to-morrow?"

"Yes," said Sam.

"I'll lend you a dollar if you'll be sure to pay me up to-morrow
night."

"I'll do it, sure."

"There it is, then. Now, Sam, I want to give you a little advice."

"What is it?"

"To-morrow, after paying me and putting by enough to pay the rent of
the room, you'll have two dollars and seventy-five cents left."

"So I shall," said Sam, with satisfaction.

"You mustn't forget that this has got to last you for meals for the
next week."

"How much is it a day?"

"About forty cents."

"I guess I can make it do."

"I shall get along for two fifty, and you ought to find what you will
have left enough."

"I've had to live on ten cents a day more'n once," said Sam.

"That's too little."

"I should think it was. I went to bed hungry, you bet!"

"Well, there's no need of being so economical as that. You've got to
eat enough, or you won't be fit for work. You'll have to be careful,
though, if you want to come out even."

"Oh, I can manage it," said Sam, confidently.

But Sam was mistaken. He proved himself far from a good calculator. On
Sunday he gratified an unusually healthy appetite, besides buying two
five-cent cigars. This made necessary an outlay of seventy-five cents.
The next day also he overran his allowance. The consequence was that
on Wednesday night he went to bed without a cent. He did not say
anything about the state of his finances to Henry, however, till the
next morning.

"Henry," he said, "I guess I'll have to borrer a little more money."

"What for?" asked his companion.

"I haven't got anything to buy my breakfast with."

"How does that happen?"

"I don't know," said Sam. "I must have lost some out of m