t his act down one-half at least? Half of the audience,
green as they are, wouldn't stay in the house if they were not waiting
for their presents."

"He comes on ahead of you and hurts your act," the boss assured Spaff.

That gentleman said: "Well, we've got to give them something for their
money and Alfred does pretty good; if he only had the stuff he would be
all right."

The boss agreed to this. "Yes, if he had something new. Those gags he
springs were told before the flood. Lord, if I had the gall of some
people I'd be rich. When he came here into this room and wanted money
for that stuff he's telling, I got up and opened the door and planted a
kick on him and says: 'Now, leave, skip, git out of yere and don't let
me see you around yere agin.'"

"Why, he never told me one word of this," and Spaff's voice evidenced
his surprise. "What do you say about keeping him?" questioned Spaff.

"Oh, we've got to have someone, but watch him."

When Spaff came out of the room he found Alfred some distance from the
door. "Now, I've had a hard time squaring this matter with the boss.
Someone has got to him and he is sore on you, or was. I just told him
you were all right and that I would be responsible for you and he said:
'Well, I'll let him stay on your account.'"

Alfred could not restrain his anger longer. Whirling around, facing
Spaff, he said in tones neither low or slow: "You go back and tell that
damn sneak that I don't want to stay with him. You tell him he is a liar
if he says he ever kicked me. You tell him if he says I had anything to
do with the disappearance of his capital prize money, he's another liar.
You tell him I'll meet him outside the hotel and he'll take back
everything he said to you."

Spaff began to look scared. "Why, how do you know what he said to me,"
he queried in a voice that showed his fear.

"I heard every word; the transom was open; I couldn't help it. I'm glad
I did hear. I know where you all stand. I'm only a boy, but I'll clean
up this capital prize swindle and I'm going after it tonight. 'Watch
me,' that's what the boss ordered you to do."

Poor old Spaff was thoroughly frightened. He coaxed and pleaded with
Alfred to drop the matter, take his pay and he would endeavor to have
his wages raised. At the first opportunity he slipped away from Alfred,
ran around the back way and up to the boss's room.

Alfred was seated at the supper table. The boss entered and, with a
pleasant "good e