ed for his Chinese pursuer fully
intended to strike Tom with the flatiron. Though this was utterly
wrong, some excuse must be made for Ah King, who had frequently been
annoyed by Tom.

It was at this critical juncture that Luke Walton appeared on the
scene.

He had no reason to like Tom, but he instantly prepared to rescue him.
Fortunately, he knew Ah King, whom he had more than once protected
from the annoyance of the hoodlums of the neighborhood.

Luke ran up and seized the Chinaman by the arm.

"What are you going to do?" he demanded, sternly.

"Fool boy bleak my window," said Ah King. "I bleak his head."

"No, you mustn't do that. The police will arrest you."

"Go way! Me killee white boy," cried Ah King, impatiently trying to
shake off Luke's grasp. "He bleak window--cost me a dollee."

"I'll see that he pays it, or is arrested," said Luke.

Unwillingly Ah King suffered himself to be persuaded, more readily,
perhaps, that Tom was now at a safe distance.

"You plomise me?" said Ah King.

"Yes; if he don't pay, I will. Go and get the window mended."

Luke easily overtook Tom, who was looking round the corner to see how
matters were going.

"Has he gone back?" asked Tom, rather anxiously.

"Yes, but if I hadn't come along, he would, perhaps, have killed
you."

"You only say that to scare me," said Tom, uneasily.

"No, I don't; I mean it. Do you know how I got you off?"

"How?"

"I told Ah King you would pay for the broken window. It will cost a
dollar."

"I didn't promise," said Tom, significantly.

"No," said Luke, sternly, "but if you don't do it, I will myself have
you arrested. I saw you throw the stone at the window."

"What concern is it of yours?" asked Tom, angrily. "Why do you meddle
with my business?"

"If I hadn't meddled with your business, you might have a fractured
skull by this time. It is a contemptibly mean thing to annoy a poor
Chinaman."

"He's only a heathen."

"A well-behaved heathen is better than a Christian such as you are."

"I don't want any lectures," said Tom in a sulky tone.

"I presume not. I have nothing more to say except that I expect you to
hand me that dollar to-night."

"I haven't got a dollar."

"Then you had better get one. I don't believe you got a dollar's worth
of sport in breaking the window, and I advise you hereafter to spend
your money better."

"I don't believe I will pay it," said Tom, eying Luke closely, to see
if he were in earnes