fice are you in?"

"He isn't in any office, Uncle Nathaniel," put in the red-haired boy.
"He is a newsboy. I see him every morning round the Sherman House."

"Ha! is that so? Boy, we don't want to buy any papers, nor does Mr.
Afton. You can go."

As the bookkeeper spoke he pointed to the door.

"I have no papers to sell," said Luke, "but I come here on business
with Mr. Afton, and will take the liberty to wait till he comes."

"Oh, my eyes! Ain't he got cheek?" ejaculated the red-haired boy. "I
say, boy, do you black boots as well as sell papers?"

"No, I don't."

"Some of the newsboys do. I thought, perhaps, you had got a job to
black Mr. Afton's boots every morning."

Luke who was a spirited boy, was fast getting angry.

"I don't want to interfere with you in any way," he said.

"What do you mean?" demanded the red-haired boy, his cheeks rivaling
his hair in color.

"I thought that might be one of your duties."

"Why, you impudent young vagabond! Uncle Nathaniel, did you hear
that?"

"Boy, you had better go," said the bookkeeper.

"You can leave your card," added Eustis Clark, the nephew.

A friend of Luke's had printed and given him a dozen cards a few days
previous, and he had them in his pocket at that moment.

"Thank you for the suggestion," he said, and walking up to the boy's
desk he deposited on it a card bearing this name in neat script:

LUKE WALTON.

"Be kind enough to hand that to Mr. Afton."

Eustis held up the card, and burst into a guffaw.

"Well, I never!" he ejaculated. "Mr. Walton," he concluded, with a
ceremonious bow.

"The same to you!" said Luke, with a smile.

"I never saw a newsboy put on such airs before," he said, as Luke left
the office. "Did you, Uncle Nathaniel? Do you think he really had any
business with the boss?"

"Probably he wanted to supply the office with papers. Now stop
fooling, and go to work."

"They didn't seem very glad to see me," thought Luke. "I want to see
Mr. Afton this morning, or he may think that I have not kept my word
about the money."

Luke stationed himself in the doorway at the entrance to the building,
meaning to intercept Mr. Afton as he entered from the street. He had
to wait less than ten minutes. Mr. Afton smiled in instant recognition
as he saw Luke, and seemed glad to see him.

"I am glad the boy justified my idea of him," he said to himself. "I
would have staked a thousand dollars on his honesty. Such a face as
that doesn