have a shop in the neighborhood, and they would give him their patronage.

that potatoe-skins had a fine relish, and a crust of bread was a luxury. He had battled Patrick O'Flannegan, who lived in the with boys in the street till he had become basement of the old house on whose steps such an adept at fisticuffs, that hoys of nearthey were seated, at once invited them to ly twice his size stood in fear of him. And partake of the hospitalities of his mansion, he had so often been harshly driven from the saying he had but nine in his family, and doors of the wealthy, where he had been sent his room was large, and they should be wel- to beg cold victuals, that he had come to recome to occupy a corner of it till they could gard mankind in general as a set of ferocious find a better home. Of course the invitation animals, against whose fangs it was neceswas accepted, and the group followed Patrick sary to be constantly on his guard. In short, down the steep, dirty steps that led to his Billy had been beaten about from post to pildamp apartment. The tops of the low win-lar, and pillar to post so much, and had rubdows were about upon a level with the side-bed his head against so many sorts of people, walk, bringing almost the entire apartment that it had become pretty well filled with below the surface of the ground. The dim ideas of the hardest kind. light that struggled down through the little boxed up, dusty windows, showed a straw-bed in two several corners of the room, three or four ricketty chairs, a rough bench, small table, tea-kettle, frying-pan, and several other articles of household comforts.

"You can lay your things in that corner,' said Patrick, pointing to a vacant corner of the room," and we'll soon get up some good straw for you to sleep on." In short, Bill and his family at once became domesticated in this subterranean tenement, which proved to be not merely a temporary residence, but their home for years. The limits of this history will not allow space to follow the fortunes of Bill through three or four of the first years of his city life. It must be sufficient to state generally, that though he found kindness and sympathy in his new associates, he found little else that was beneficial. The atmosphere around him was not favorable to industry, and his habits in that respect never improved, but rather grew worse. His neighbors did not work, and why should he? His neighbors were fond of listening to his songs, and why should he not sing to them? His neighbors drank beer, and porter, and sling, and gin toddy, and Bill needed but little coaxing to drink with them. And he did drink with them, moderately at first, but deeper and oftener from month to month, and in three years time he became a perfect

sot.

The schooling that little Billy received during these three years was eminently calculated to fit him for his future profession. He had slept on the floor, lying down late and rising up early till his frame was as hardy and elastic as that of a young panther. He had been flogged so much by a drunken father, and had his ears boxed so often by a fretted and desponding mother, that he had lost all fear of their blows, and even felt a sort of uneasiness, as though matters were not all right, if by any chance the day passed by without his receiving them. He had lived on such poor diet, and so little of it,"

When Billy was about ten years old he came running in one day in great glee, with a sixpence in his hand, which he had found in the street. As soon as his father heard the announcement of it, he started up, and took down a junk bottle from a little shelf against the wall, and told Billy to take the sixpence, and go to the grocer's on the corner, and get the worth of it in rum. Sally begged that he would not send for rum, but let little Billy go to the baker's, and get a loaf of bread, for she had not had a mouthful of anything to eat for the day, and it was then noon. But Bill insisted upon having the rum, and told Billy to go along and get it, and be quick about it, or he would give him such a licking as he had not had for six months. Billy took the bottle and started; but as he left the door, his cheek reddened, and his lip curled with an expression of determination which it had not been accustomed to wear. walked down the street, thinking of the consequences that would result from carrying home a bottle of rum. His father would be drunk all the afternoon, and through the night. His mother and himself would have to go without food, probably be abused and beaten, and when night came would find no repose.

He

He arrived at the grocer's, but he could not go in. He passed on a little farther, in anxious, deep thought. At last he stopped suddenly, lifted the bottle above his head, and then dashed it upon the pavement with all his might, breaking it into a thousand pieces.

There," said Billy to himself, "I'll never carry any more rum home as long as I live. But I 'spose father 'll lick me half to death; but I don't care if he does, I'll never carry any more rum home as long as I live."

He brushed a tear from his eye, and bit his lip, as he stood looking at the fragments of the bottle a moment, and then passed on farther down the street. But now the question of what he should do, came home to him with painful force. If he returned back to the

house, and encountered his enraged father, he was sure to be half killed. He wandered on, unconscious where he went, till he reached the Park. Here he met a newsboy crying papers, with great earnestness, and tremendous force of lungs. Billy watched him for the space of ten minutes, and saw him seli half a dozen papers. They contained important news by a foreign arrival, and people seemed eager to get hold of them. A new idea flashed across Billy's mind. Why could not he sell newspapers and get money as well as that boy? His resolution was at once formed, with almost the strength and firmness of manhood. It required capital, to be sure, to start with, but luckily he had the capital in his pocket. The rum-bottle had been broken, and he still retained the sixpence. He hastened immediately to the publishing office of the paper he had just seen sold. When he arrived there he found quite a crowd of newsboys pressing up to the counter, and clamorous for papers; for the publisher could not supply_them fast enough to meet the demand. Billy edged his way in among them, and endeavored to approach the counter. But he was suddenly pushed back by two or three boys at once, who exclaimed-" What new-comer is this? Here's boys enough here now, so you better be off."

Another sung out "Go home you rag-bag, your mother don't know you're out!"

At this, one of the boys looked round that happened to know Billy, and he cried outAh, Billy Snub, clear out of this; here's no place for you. No boys comes to this office that don't wear no hats and shoes!"

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Billy felt the force of this argument, for he was bareheaded and barefooted, besides being sadly out at knees and elbows; and looking around, he perceived that all the boys in the room had something on their heads, and something on their feet. He began to feel as though he had perhaps got among the aristocracy of the newsboys, and shrank back a little, and stood in a corner of the room. The boys, however, were not disposed to let him rest in peace there. Several of them gathered around him, taunting him with jokes and jeers, and began to crowd against him to hustle him out of the room.

more came at him with great fury; but Billy's sleight of hand was exhibited with so much force and skill, that he made his way through them, and kept his coast clear; and when a stronger reinforcement was about to attack him, the publisher interfered, and ordered them to let that boy alone. Still they were disposed to continue their persecutions, till the publisher took up a long whip, and cracked it over their heads, and told them he would horsewhip the first one that dared to meddle with him. And in order to make amends to Billy for the ill-treatment he had received, he said he should now be served with papers before any of the rest. He accordingly took Billy's six cents, and handed him three papers, and told him to sell them at three cents a-piece.

Billy eagerly grasped his papers, and ran into the street. He had not been gone more than fifteen minutes, before he returned with nine cents, which he had received for the papers, and one more which he had found in the street. This enabled him to purchase five papers; and he found the publisher ready to wait upon him, in preference to the other boys; so he was soon despatched on his second cruise. He was not many minutes in turning his five papers into fifteen cents cash. This operation was repeated some half dozen times in the course of the afternoon, and when night came, Billy found his stock of cash had increased to about a dollar.

This was a great overturn in Billy's fortune, sufficient to upset the heads of most boys of his age; but though his head swam a little on first ascertaining the great amount of money in his pocket, his strength and firmness of character sustained him, so that he was enabled to bear it with a good degree of composure. As the shadows of night gathered around him, Billy began to turn his thoughts homeward. But what could he do? He knew his father too well to venture himself in his presence, and had no hesitation in coming to the conclusion that he must now, for the first time in his life, spend the night away from home. Still he instinctively wandered on through the streets that led him towards home, for the thought that his mother had probably been without food the whole day, pressed heavily upon his mind, and he was anxious to contrive some way to afford her relief. As he approached the neighbor"You won't, will you?" said the boys, hood of his home, or rather the place where bursting out into a roar of laughter; and one his parents resided, for it was no longer a of them took Billy by the nose, and attempt- home to him, he stopped at a grocer's, and ed to pull him to the door. Billy sprang like purchased a sixpenny loaf of bread, sixpence a young catamount, and although he was worth of gingerbread, and half a dozen herconsiderably smaller and younger than his rings, for which he paid another sixpence. assailant, he gave him such a well-directed With these he turned into the street, and blow upon the chest, that he laid him sprawl-walked thoughtfully and carefully towards ing upon the floor. Upon this, two or three the house, hesitating and looking frequently

"Now take care," said Billy," for I won't stand that from none of you."

around him, lest his father might be out, and to seek a resting-place for the night. This suddenly seize him. At last he reached the he found at last in the loft of a livery stable, house. He stopped cautiously on the side- where he crept away unobserved, and slept walk, and looked, and listened. There was quietly till morning. True, he had one or a dim light in the basement, but he heard no two golden dreams, excited by his remarksound. He stepped lightly down the steps able fortune the previous day, and when he as far as the first window, and through the awoke, his first impulse was to put his hand sash, which had lost a pane of glass, he drop- || in his pocket, and ascertain whether he was ped his bundle of provisions, and then ran really in possession of the fortune he had with all his speed down the street. When been dreaming of, or whether he was the he reached the first corner he stopped and same poor Billy Snub that he was two days looked back, and by the light of the street before. The three hard, silver quarters lamps, he saw his father and mother come which he felt in his pocket, roused him to out and stand on the sidewalk two or three the reality of his situation, and he sprang minutes, looking earnestly around them in from his hard couch soon after daylight, reevery direction. They then went quietly solved to renew the labors he had so successback to their room, and Billy cautiously re- fully followed the day before. He had now turned again to the house. He placed him- a good capital to start with, and could work self as near the window as he could without to better advantage than on the previous day. being discovered from within, and listened to He accordingly soon supplied himself with an what was going on. His mother took the armful of papers, and placed himself on the little bundle to the table, and opened it. Her best routs and at the best hours. The result eyes filled with tears the moment she saw was, that though it was not properly a newswhat it contained, for her first thought rested day, there being no subject of special interest upon Billy. She could not divine by what to give a demand for papers, yet, by his dilimeans she had received such a timely gift, gence and perseverance, he managed to clear but somehow or other she could not help in the course of the day, almost another dolthinking that Billy was in some way con-lar, leaving in his pocket, when night came nected with it. on, nearly a dollar and three quarters.

"Come, Bill," said Sally to her husband, "we've got a good supper at last; now sit down and eat some."

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Bill drew up to the table, and ate as one who had been fasting twenty-four hours. After his appetite began to be satisfied, he said, "Now, Sall, where do you think all this come from?"

"Well, I'm sure I can't tell any thing about it," replied Sally; "but I should'nt be afraid to lay my life on it, that Billy knows something about it."

"So does your granny know something about it, as much as Billy," said Snub, contemptuously. "All Billy cares about is to spend that sixpence, and eat it up; and now he daresn't come home. I wish I had hold of the little rascal, I'd shake his daylights out; I'd lick him till he could'nt stand."

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Oh, you're too cruel to that boy," said Sally; "Billy's a good child, and would do any thing for me, and for you too, for all you whip him so much. And I believe it's his means that got somebody to give us this good supper to-night. I hope the dear child will come home pretty soon, for I feel worried 'most to death about him."

"I hope he'll come, too," said Snub, "and I've a good mind to go and take a look after him, for I want to lick him most awfully."

At this, Billy began to feel as though it would be hazardous for him to remain any longer, so he hastened away down the street

Having completed his work for the day, his thoughts instinctively turned to the home of his parents. He felt an intense desire to go and share with them the joys of his good fortune; but he dared not meet his father, for he knew well that a severe punishment would be inflicted upon him, and that his money would be taken from him to purchase rum. He could not, however, go to rest for the night, without getting a sight of his mother, if it were possible, and purchasing something for her comfort. He accordingly went and purchased some articles of provision, to the amount of a quarter of a dollar, rolled them in a paper, and made his way homeward. The evening was rather dark, and gave him a favorable opportunity to approach the house without being discovered. He saw his mother through the window, sitting on a bench on the opposite side of the room, with her head reclining on her hand, and apparently weeping. He could also hear his father walking in another part of the room, though he could not see him. He crept care|| fully to the window, dropped his paper of provisions into the room, and turned away down the street as fast as he could run.

He went again to his solitary lodgings, and rested till morning, when he arose with fresh vigor, and resumed the labors of the day. The same exertions and perseverance produced the same successful results he had met with the two previous days; and the evening saw the table of his parents again

spread with a comfortable meal, which was accordingly repaired to the police office, and improved this time by the addition of a lit-entered a complaint against his boy for havtle fruit. ing stolen thirty or forty dollars of his money, which he was spending about the streets. He described the boy to the police officers, who were soon despatched in search of him, with orders to arrest him and see if if any ney could be found upon him. As Billy was flying about in all parts of the city, selling his papers, it was nearly night before the officers came across him. He had just sold his last paper, and was walking leisurely along the street, eating a piece of gingerbread and an apple, when a constable came suddenly behind him and seized him by the shoulder. Billy looked up in surprise, and asked the man what he wanted.

"It's too late to cry now," said the magistrate, "you should have thought of that before; but, after committing the crime, there's no way to escape the punishment. What induced you to steal this money?" "I didn't steal it, sir," said Billy, very earnestly.

"Ah, that is only making a bad matter worse," said the magistrate; "the best way for you is to confess the whole, and resolve to reform and do better in future." "But I didn't steal it," said Billy with increasing energy; I earnt it, every cent of

it!"

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they pushed him into his solitary apartment, and closed the door upon him, and turned the large grating key, he instinctively clung to the door latch, and tried to pull it open. He called to them as loud as he could scream, to open the door and let him out, and they might have all the money in welcome. He could get no answer, however, to his calls; and when he stopped and listened, the silence around him pressed upon him with such appalling power, that he almost fell to the floor. He reeled across the room two or three times, and returned again to the door; but there was no chance to escape, and the conviction was forced upon him, that he was indeed "You earnt it!" said the magistrate, peerlocked up, and all alone, without the powering over his spectacles at Billy; "and how of speaking to any living being. He sank did you earn it?" down upon a bench in a corner of the room, and wept a long time most bitterly. When his tears had somewhat subsided, and he roused himself up again so as to look about, the night had closed in and left him in such deep darkness that he could not see across the room. He rose and walked about, feeling his way by the walls, and continued to walk a great part of the night, for there was nothing to rest on but the floor or the little bench, and he could not have slept if he had

had the softest bed in the world. He could not imagine the cause of his imprisonment, for he was sure he had injured no one; but what grieved him most, was the thought that his poor father and mother were probably without food, as he had been prevented from carrying anything home that evening. At the thought of his mother, his tears gushed forth again in a copious flood.

Towards morning he sank down exhausted, upon the floor, and fell into a short sleep. Still he was awake again by daylight, and up and walking the room. The morning seemed long, very long, to him, for it was ten o'clock before the officers came to take him before the magistrate. He was glad to see the door open again, even though it was to carry him to court, for the idea of being tried for stealing, was not so horrible to him as being locked up there alone in that dark

room.

The money was given to the magistrate, and Billy was placed at the bar to answer to the charge against him. The officer] stated that he had found the boy in the street by the description he had of him, and on searching him, the money was found in his pockets.

"Well, that's a clear case," said the magistrate; " precious rogue-large amount for a boy-thirty dollars-that's worth three month's imprisonment-the boy must be locked up for three months."

Billy shuddered and began to weep.

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By selling newspapers," answered Billy. There was something so frank and open in the boy's appearance, that the magistrate began to wake up to the subject a little. He asked the officer if the money had been identified by the loser. The officer replied that the particular money had not been identified, only the amount.

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Well, bring the man forward," said the magistrate; "he must identify his money."

The officer then called up Bill Snub, who was stowed away in a distant corner of the room, apparently desirous of keeping out of sight. This was the first intimation that Billy had that his father was his accuser, and it gave him such a shock, that he sank down upon the seat, and almost fainted away. The magistrate asked Snub if that was his money, found on the boy. Snub said it was.

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Well, what sort of money was it that you lost?" said the magistrate. "You must describe it."

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'Oh, it was-it was all good money,” said Snub, coloring.

"But you must be particular," said the magistrate, “and describe the money. What kind of money was it?"

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Well, some of it was paper money, and some of it was hard money," said Snub; "it's all good money!"

"But how much of it was hard money?" interrogated the magistrate.

"Well, considerable of it," said Bill; "I don't know exactly how much."

"What banks were the bills on?" asked the magistrate.

"Well, I don't know exactly," replied Bill, "but I believe it was some of the banks of this city."

"How large were the bills?" asked the magistrate.

"Well, some of 'em was larger, and some smaller," said Bill.