him; and in the
course of the day, as the boy "seemed to be so lonesome like," he
introduced another boy into the room as company for him. This was a
cruel mercy; for while the child was alone with himself and the memories
of the past, he was, if sad, at least safe, and in a few hours after
this new introduction he was neither. His new companion was a tall boy
of fourteen, with small, cunning, gray eyes, to which a slight cast gave
an additional expression of shrewdness and drollery. He was a young
gentleman of great natural talent,--in a certain line,--with very
precocious attainments in all that kind of information which a boy gains
by running at large for several years in a city's streets without any
thing particular to do, or any body in particular to obey--any
conscience, any principle, any fear either of God or man. We should not
say that he had never seen the inside of a church, for he had been, for
various purposes, into every one of the city, and to every camp meeting
for miles around; and so much had he profited by these exercises, that
he could mimic to perfection every minister who had any perceptible
peculiarity, could caricature every species of psalm-singing, and give
ludicrous imitations of every form of worship. Then he was _au fait_ in
all coffee house lore, and knew the names and qualities of every kind of
beverage therein compounded; and as to smoking and chewing, the first
elements of which he mastered when he was about six years old, he was
now a _connoisseur_ in the higher branches. He had been in jail dozens
of times--rather liked the fun; had served one term on the
chain-gang--not so bad either--shouldn't mind another--learned a good
many prime things there.

At first Fred seemed inclined to shrink from his new associate. An
instinctive feeling, like the warning of an invisible angel, seemed to
whisper, "Beware!" But he was alone, with a heart full of bitter
thoughts, and the sight of a fellow-face was some comfort. Then his
companion was so dashing, so funny, so free and easy, and seemed to make
such a comfortable matter of being in jail, that Fred's heart, naturally
buoyant, began to come up again in his breast. Dick Jones soon drew out
of him his simple history as to how he came there, and finding that he
was a raw hand, seemed to feel bound to patronize and take him under his
wing. He laughed quite heartily at Fred's story, and soon succeeded in
getting him to laugh at it too.

How strange