"She died soon after she heard of her husband's death. Died of grief,
poor woman!"

"Were there no children?"

"Yes, there was a girl, but she was adopted by a relative in
Massachusetts."

"I don't believe a word of it!" thought Jack King. "He wants to put me
off the scent."

"Humph! And you gave the wife the money?"

"Of course."

"I may meet the girl some time; I might advertise for any of the
family."

"Do you think they would be glad to see you?"

"They might help me, and I stand in need of help."

"There is no need of that. You are an old comrade in distress. I
haven't forgotten the fact, though I pretended to, to try you. Here's
a five-dollar bill. I'll let you out of the house myself. Considering
how you entered it, you may count yourself lucky."

"That's all right, as far as it goes, Tom, but I want to remind you of
a little debt you owe me. When you were out of luck at Murphy's
diggings I lent you twenty-five dollars, which you have never paid
back."

"I had forgotten it."

"I haven't. That money will come mighty convenient just now. It will
buy me a better-looking suit, second hand, and make a different man of
me. With it I can get a place and set up for a respectable human
being."

"Here's the money," said Browning, reluctantly drawing the additional
bills from his wallet. "Now that we are square, I hope you won't annoy
me by further applications. I might have sent you out of the house
under very different circumstances."

"You were always considerate, Tom," said the tramp, stowing away the
bills in the pocket of his ragged vest. "May I refer to you if I apply
for a situation?"

"Yes; but remember I am Thomas Browning. I prefer not to have it known
that my name was ever Butler."

"All right! Now, if you'll do me the favor of showing me the door I'll
leave you to your slumbers."

"It's very awkward, that man's turning up," muttered Browning, as he
returned from letting out his unsavory visitor. "How could he have
heard about Walton's money?"

CHAPTER XVIII

HOW JACK KING FARED

Jack King left the house with the money Browning had unwillingly given
him. He sought a cheap lodging and the next morning proceeded to make
himself respectable. When he had donned some clean linen, a suit of
clothes which he bought cheap at a second-hand store, taken a bath,
and called into requisition the services of a barber, it would have
been hard to recognize him as the same man who had emer