the attack was so sudden and unexpected that luke was for the moment incapable of resistance, though in general quite ready to defend himself. it was not till he felt a hand in his pocket that he "pulled himself together," as the english express it, and began to make things lively for his assailants.

"what are you after?" he demanded. "do you want to rob me?"

"give us the money, and be quick about it."

"how do you know i have any money?" asked luke, beginning to suspect in whose hands he was.

"never mind how! hand over that five-dollar bill," was the reply in the same hoarse whisper.

"i know you now. you're tom brooks," said luke. "you're in bad business."

"no, i'm not tom brooks." it was pat who spoke now. "come, we have no time to lose. stephen, give me your knife."

the name was a happy invention of pat's to throw luke off the scent. he was not himself acquainted with our hero, and did not fear identification.

"one of you two is tom brooks," said luke, firmly. "you'd better give up this attempt at highway robbery. if i summon an officer you're liable to a long term of imprisonment. i'll save you trouble by telling you that i haven't any money with me, except a few pennies."

"where's the five-dollar bill?"

it was tom who spoke now.

"i left it at home with my mother. it's lucky i did, though you would have found it hard to get it from me."

"i don't believe it," said tom, in a tone betraying disappointment.

"you may search me if you like; but if a policeman comes by you'd better take to your heels."

the boys appeared disconcerted.

"is he lying?" asked pat.

"no," responded tom. "he'd own up if he had the money."

"thank you for believing me. it is very evident that one of you knows me. good-night. you'd better find some other way of getting money."

"wait a minute! are you going to tell on us? it wouldn't be fair to tom brooks. he ain't here, but you might get him into trouble."

"i shan't get you into trouble, tom, but i'm afraid you bring trouble on yourself."

apparently satisfied with this promise, the two boys slunk away in the darkness, and luke was left to proceed on his way unmolested.

"i wouldn't have believed that of tom," thought luke. "i'm sorry it happened. if it had been anyone but me, and a cop had come by, it would have gone hard with him. it's lucky i left the money with mother, though i don't think they'd have got it at any rate."

luke did not acquaint his mother with the attempt that had been made to rob him. he merely told of his visit and of the sad plight of the little bootblack.

"i would like to have helped him, mother," luke concluded. "if we hadn't been robbed of that money father sent us----"

"we could afford the luxury of doing good," said his mother, finishing the sentence for him.

luke's face darkened with justifiable anger.

"i know it is wrong to hate anyone, mother," he said; "but i am afraid i hate that man thomas butler, whom i have never seen."

"it is sometimes hard to feel like a christian, luke," said his mother.

"this man must be one of the meanest of men. suppose you or i should fall sick! what would become of us?"

"we won't borrow trouble, luke. let us rather thank god for our present good health. if i should be sick it would not be as serious as if you were to become so, for you earn more than twice as much as i do."

"it ought not to be so, mother, for you work harder than i do."

"when i get a sewing machine i shall be able to contribute more to the common fund."

"i hope that will be soon. has bennie gone to bed?"

"yes, he is fast asleep."

"i hope fortune will smile on us before he is much older than i. i can't bear the idea of sending him into the street among bad boys."

"i have been accustomed to judge of the newsboys by my son. are there many bad boys among them?"

"many of them are honest, hard-working boys, but there are some black sheep among them. i know one boy who tried to commit highway robbery, stopping a person whom he had seen with money."

"did he get caught?"

"no, he failed of his purpose, and no complaint was made of him, though his intended victim knew who his assailant was."

"i am glad of that. it would have been hard for his poor mother if he had been convicted and sent to prison."

this mrs. walton said without a suspicion that it was luke that the boy had tried to rob. when luke heard his mother's comment he was glad that he had agreed to overlook tom's fault.

the next morning luke went as usual to the vicinity of the sherman house, and began to sell papers. he looked in vain for tom brooks, who did not show up.

"where is tom brooks?" he asked of one of tom's friends.

"tom's goin' to try another place," said the boy. "he says there's too many newsboys round this corner. he thinks he can do better somewheres else."

"where is he? do you know?"

"i seed him near the corner of dearborn, in front of the 'saratoga.'"

"well, i hope he'll make out well," said luke.

luke had the five-dollar bill in his pocket, but he knew that it was too early for the offices on la salle street to be open.

luke's stock of morning papers included the chicago _tribune_, the _times_, _herald_, and _inter-ocean_. he seldom disposed of his entire stock as early as ten o'clock, but this morning another newsboy in addition to tom was absent, and luke experienced the advantage of diminished competition. as he sold the last paper the clock struck ten.

"i think it will do for me to go to mr. afton's office now," thought luke. "if i don't find him in i will wait."

la salle street runs parallel with clark. it is a busy thoroughfare, and contains many buildings cut up into offices. this was the case with no. 155.

luke entered the building and scanned the directory on either side of the door. he had no difficulty in finding the name of benjamin afton.

he had to go up two flights of stairs, for mr. afton's office was on the third floor.