fore the sun and down to the office of the little penny paper,
the 'Morning Star.' I bought two dozen of 'em and ran as fast as I could
to the ferry-boats to sell to the early passengers. Well, sir, in an
hour's time I had sold out and pocketed just two shillings, and felt
myself on the highroad to fortune!"

"And so that was the way by which you came to put yourself in male
attire?"

"Yes, sir, and the only thing that made me feel sorry was to see what a
fool I had been not to turn to a boy before, when it was so easy! And
from that day forth I was happy and prosperous! I found plenty to do! I
carried carpet-bags, held horses, put in coal, cleaned sidewalks,
blacked gentlemen's boots and did everything an honest lad could turn
his hand to. And so for more'n a year I was as happy as a king, and
should have kept on so, only I forgot and let my hair grow; and instead
of cutting it off, just tucked it up under my cap; and so this morning
on the ferry-boat, in a high breeze, the wind blowed off my cap and the
policeman blowed on me!"

"'Twasn't altogether her long hair, your honor, for I had seen her
before, having known her when she lived with old Mrs. Grewell in Rag
Alley," interrupted the officer.

"You may sit down, my child," said the Recorder, in a tone of
encouragement.

CHAPTER VII.

METAMORPHOSIS OF THE NEWSBOY.

With caution judge of probability,
Things deemed unlikely, e'en impossible,
Experience oft hath proven to be true.
--Shakespeare.

"What shall we do with her?" inquired the Recorder, sotto voce, of a
brother magistrate who appeared to be associated with him on the bench.

"Send her to the Refuge," replied the other, in the same tone.

"What are they consulting about?" asked Old Hurricane, whose ears were
not of the best.

"They are talking of sending her to the Refuge," answered a bystander.

"Refuge? Is there a refuge for destitute children in New York? Then
Babylon is not so bad as I thought it. What is this Refuge?"

"It is a prison where juvenile delinquents are trained to habits of----"

"A prison! Send her to a prison? Never!" burst forth Old Hurricane,
rising and marching up to the Recorder; he stood, hat in hand, before
him and said:

"Your honor, if a proper legal guardian appears to claim this young
person and holds himself in all respects responsible for her, may she
not be at once delivered into his hands?"

"Assur