father."

"Mother," said Luke, sternly and deliberately, "I feel sure that I
shall some day meet this man face to face, and if I do it will go hard
if I don't force him to give up this money which he has falsely
converted to his own use."

The boy spoke with calm and resolute dignity hardly to be expected in
one so young, and with a deep conviction that surprised his mother.

"Luke," she said, "I hardly know you to-night. You don't seem like a
boy. You speak like a man."

"I feel so. It is the thought of this man triumphant in his crime,
that makes me feel older than I am. Now, mother, I feel that I have a
purpose in life. It is to find this man, and punish him for what he
has done, unless he will make reparation."

Mrs. Walton shook her head. It was not from her that Luke had
inherited his independent spirit. She was a fond mother, of great
amiability, but of a timid shrinking disposition, which led her to
deprecate any aggressive steps.

"Promise me not to get yourself into any trouble, Luke," she said,
"even if you do meet this man."

"I can't promise that, mother, for I may not be able to help it.
Besides, I haven't met him yet, and it isn't necessary to cross a
bridge till you get to it. Now let us talk of something else."

"How much did you make to-day, Luke?" asked Bennie, his young brother,
seven years old.

"I didn't make my fortune, Bennie. Including the morning papers, I
only made sixty cents."

"That seems a good deal to me, Luke," said his mother. "I only made
twenty-five. They pay such small prices for making shirts."

"I should think they did. And yet you worked harder and more steadily
than I did."

"I have worked since morning, probably about eight hours."

"Then you have made only three cents an hour. What a shame!"

"If I had a sewing-machine, I could do more, but that is beyond our
means."

"I hope soon to be able to get you one, mother. I can pay something
down and the rest on installments."

"That would be quite a relief, Luke."

"If you had a sewing-machine, perhaps I could help you," suggested
Bennie.

"I should hardly dare to let you try, Bennie. Suppose you spoiled a
shirt. It would take off two days' earnings. But I'll tell you what
you can do. You can set the table and wash the dishes, and relieve me
in that way."

"Or you might take in washing," said Luke, with a laugh. "That pays
better than sewing. Just imagine how nice it would look in an
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