ing,
But die with all their music in them!"
OLIVER WENDELL HOLMES.

As each little volume went under the poet's pen Edward said, as his
heart swelled in gratitude:

"Doctor Holmes, you are a man of the rarest sort to be so good to a
boy."

The pen stopped, the poet looked out on the Charles a moment, and then,
turning to the boy with a little moisture in his eye, he said:

"No, my boy, I am not; but it does an old man's heart good to hear you
say it. It means much to those on the down-hill side to be well
thought of by the young who are coming up."

As he wiped his gold pen, with its swan-quill holder, and laid it down,
he said:

"That's the pen with which I wrote 'Elsie Venner' and the 'Autocrat'
papers. I try to take care of it."

"You say you are going from me over to see Longfellow?" he continued,
as he reached out once more for the pen. "Well, then, would you mind
if I gave you a letter for him? I have something to send him."

Sly but kindly old gentleman! The "something" he had to send
Longfellow was Edward himself, although the boy did not see through the
subterfuge at that time.

"And now, if you are going, I'll walk along with you if you don't mind,
for I'm going down to Park Street to thank my publishers for these
little books, and that lies along your way to the Cambridge car."

As the two walked along Beacon Street, Doctor Holmes pointed out the
residences where lived people of interest, and when they reached the
Public Garden he said:

"You must come over in the spring some time, and see the tulips and
croci and hyacinths here. They are so beautiful.

"Now, here is your car," he said as he hailed a coming horse-car.
"Before you go back you must come and see me and tell me all the people
you have seen, will you? I should like to hear about them. I may not
have more books coming in, but I might have a very good-looking
photograph of a very old-looking little man," he said as his eyes
twinkled. "Give my love to Longfellow when you see him, and don't
forget to give him my letter, you know. It is about a very important
matter."

And when the boy had ridden a mile or so with his fare in his hand he
held it out to the conductor, who grinned and said:

"That's all right. Doctor Holmes paid me your fare, and I'm going to
keep that nickel if I lose my job for it."

CHAPTER V

GOING TO THE THEATRE WITH LONGFELLOW

When Edward Bok stood before the home of Long