from the tenement where billy darnley lived nelson made his way to where len snocks resided.

this home in the tenements was in strong contrast to that of the darnleys. there were but three rooms, but each was as clean and bright as hard work could make them.

a small, trim-looking woman carrying a baby in her arms answered his knock. this proved to be mrs. snocks. in the rooms were several other children of various ages.

"no, i haven't seen len since last night," she said, in reply to our hero's question. "he went off with another boy named billy darnley."

"did he say where he was going or when he would be back?"

"he did not. i am anxious about him, too. he never stayed away all night before. what do you want of him?"

[pg 177]

"he and billy darnley robbed my news stand last night."

"robbed your stand!" mrs. snocks grew very pale. "can this be true?"

"yes, ma'am, it is." and nelson gave the particulars once more.

"too bad!" cried the woman, and, dropping on a kitchen chair, she covered her face with her apron.

nelson saw that she was suffering keenly, and felt sorry for her.

"it's that darnley boy," she said presently. "he is a bad egg and is leading our len astray. my husband and i have warned len time and time again to let billy alone; but he won't mind, and billy leads him into all kinds of mischief."

"well, i'm sorry for you, ma'am, but we have got to have our stuff back."

"how much was it worth?"

"about seventy-five dollars."

"oh, dear! i'm sure i don't know what to do."

"is your husband to work?"

"no; he hasn't had any work for several months. wait; i'll call him."

mrs. snocks went to a rear window and called to somebody in the courtyard below. soon mr.[pg 178] snocks appeared. he was an iron molder, but looked far from healthy.

"stole from your stand," he said, after listening to his wife and nelson. "this is the worst yet."

"it's billy darnley's fault," put in the wife.

"he hasn't any business to go with billy, mary. that rascal will lead him to prison."

"you're right there," said our hero.

"i don't know what to do," went on mr. snocks, to nelson. "i'd square this up, only i'm out of work, and haven't more than two or three dollars to my name."

"we have three dollars and twenty-five cents," said the wife. "you can have that." and she brought out a well-worn pocketbook.

her manner touched the newsboy to the heart.

"no, i won't take your last cent," he said. "you'll need it for yourself and the children. only if you see len, try to get back the goods or the money he got for them."

"we'll do that—don't fear," said mr. snocks. "and i'll thrash him everlastingly in the bargain."

no more could be accomplished at the snockses' home, and soon nelson was on his way back to the stand.

[pg 179]

"what luck?" questioned george van pelt, as soon as he appeared.

"not much," he answered, and told his story. "we'll never hear from old darnley," he added. "but perhaps we'll get something from the snockses."

"i'm glad you didn't take that woman's last dollar," said van pelt. "we're not as hard up as all that, even if we have been almost cleaned out."

fortunately for the partners they had paid all bills promptly since taking charge of the stand, so their credit was good. on the following morning van pelt went around and explained the situation to several wholesale dealers, and also to the news company, and succeeded in getting a fresh supply of goods on thirty and sixty days' time.

"we've got to hustle to make it up," he said.

"well, i'm in the business to hustle," answered nelson, with a grim smile. "i never yet was idle, as far back as i can remember."

"always sold newspapers?"

"mostly. once in a while i blacked boots and carried baggage, but not very often."

"are you related to sam pepper?"

"i don't think i am."

[pg 180]

"hasn't he ever told you anything about yourself?"

"he has and again he hasn't. he told me some things that i don't believe are true, george."

"humph! well, i wouldn't trust him too much."

"i don't trust him at all, since the time he tried to help mr. bulson against miss gertrude."

"it's queer that bulson is so possessed to marry miss horton, when she doesn't care for him."

"i guess the reason is that bulson is afraid mr. horton will relent and take miss gertrude back, and then she'll come in for half the money, after all. he is so piggish that he wants to get it all."

"mr. horton ought to be told how bulson is acting."

"miss gertrude says he is a strange man and won't believe what anybody says about his nephew."

"he must be strange, or he wouldn't turn such a nice young lady as miss horton out of doors," said van pelt feelingly. he had met gertrude several times and was much interested in her.

[pg 181]

on the week following mrs. kennedy was served with a notice to quit her apartments, as the tenement was to be torn down. she and gertrude hunted up other rooms, not far from nelson's stand. these were bright and cheerful and a very great improvement over those vacated.

"and i will feel safer," said gertrude. "for i fancy homer bulson knew the other home and often watched me going in and coming out."

gertrude was right in her surmise. homer bulson was watching her very closely and laying his plans to make her his own, in spite of herself.

but when everything was in readiness to make a move, he found to his chagrin that the rooms were empty and the building was being torn down.

"hang the luck, anyhow!" he muttered sulkily. "now where in the world shall i look for her?"

he questioned several people in the neighborhood, but nobody seemed to be able to give him any information.

the truth of the matter was mrs. kennedy had requested her friends to say nothing to a gentleman in a silk hat who asked about [pg 182]gertrude, and for this reason they were accordingly mum.

"never mind, i'll find her sooner or later," bulson told himself. "and then my next move will surely surprise her."