Year: 1876

up little learning at the night class in
the newsboys' home. But he was loyal
to his partner, and often shared his
good fortune with him. He had q plan
now for them both.


{" 1 say, Tip, les you and me go to
farmin'."


Tip looked at Top, took off his hat,
turned it over as if looking for an idea
in it, and then put it on again, and said
nothing.


"Theres chap comes down to the
home told us fellers if you go out West
a bit, the guvment would let ye have Q
farm free, jest fer living on t. Best
kind O. ground, too. We could raise
things to sell, besides havin' all the
melons and stuff you could swaller every
day"


"C'm on" said Tip, his mouth water.
ing at the thought. "ls it fur, out
West. do ye reckon9"


ga good bit but I've got some
money, and we can walk it easy. Git
yer other shirt, an we'll start to-mor.
row mornin'."


That night Top drew all his money
from the deposit at the newsboys home
three dollars and sixty-fve cents.
The first thing he did was to buy two
clay pipes and paper of tobacco. Then
he laid in store of provisions. in the
shape of sheet of stale buns, triangle
of cheese, and q dozen herrings. Tip
was on hand promptly, with his other
shirt in wad under his arm, and the
two partners started scout West"


" May as well ride ten cents worth, u
said Top, paying fare for the two on an
omnibus that ran to the city limits.


Afterward, they walked on toward the
open prairie, breakfasting as they went,
and adding to their stores turnip and
a couple of tomatoes that had jolted
from some laden market wagon. Miles
after miles of market gardens, where
women and children were hoeing and
wedding and gathering vegetables.
They stopped at one house and asked
for water, and woman in brown stuff
petticoat and white short gown offered
them some milk in big yellow bowl,
and piece of black bread. A boy was
washing long yellow carrots by the
pump. Tip bit one, and liked it. Tip
was always hungry. Then they went
on, and by and-bye came to the end of
the gardens. There were great stubbly
fields and stack of yellow straw. They
sat down by this stack to rest, and then
Top thought of the pipes. The men
whom he knew always smoked when
they rested at noon, and so he and Tip
tried it. They had tried it before with
ends of cigars they had picked up, and
once Top had bought new cigar, fif-
teen-center, and smoked it all, though
it made him fearfully sick. The pipes
did not seem to agree with them. Tip
telt particularly uncomfortable, and
wished he had not eaten that carrot.
They did not make any remarks about
it, but presently they put away the
pipes and went to sleep in the sun.
When they walked it was sunset and
growing chilly.


"No use to go any furder to night, -
ssid Top; and they burrowed into the
straw and were as snug as two field
mice.


In the morning there were only a
herring and two very dry buns for
breakfast; but the partners had seen
much smaller rations than that in their
day. They asked for water again when
they came to house, but the old lady
who opened the door must bave been
deaf. She only shook her head and
shoo-ed them away as if they had been
two stray chickens. Next time they
had better luck. A fat little woman
with rosy red cheeks gave them q big
basket to fill with chips, and when it
was full she brought them each thick
slice of bread and butter and great
puffy brown doughnut. Afterward, they
drank at the well out of q sweet tasting
dipper made of a cocoanut shell, and the
woman looked up from the bread she
was kneading to nod and smile as they
went out of the gate. Next came long
strip of woods, without any houses, and
beyond that, open prairie again.


81 think this is about fur 'nough," !"
said Top, sitting down on log. 81
should kind O like to have our farm
nigh to the woman that give us the
doughnuts. She's a good one, she is. :"


"Well, )" said Tip, "seems to be lots
Of land, and mighty scarce of houses.
Lets take it half an half, woods and
perrary."


Now that the farm was located, the
next thing to be done was to build
house. Never did Western immigrants
find things more convenient, for near
the roadside lay pile of rails that had
once been fence about haystack.
These they dragged into the woods, and
proceeded to build hut against the
trunk of great tree. The result was
not exactly palace, but at least it was
clean and airy, and they had slept in
much worse quarters. They made bed
Of green boughs and spread Tips other
shirt over it. Everything went we'll
until Tip undertook to climb tree after
some wild grapes. A country boy
would have known better than to trust
the old dead limb from which they dan
gled; but Tip never suspected thata tree
could wear out, until he found himself
crashing headlong through the branches
to the ground. He lay there so quiet
that poor Top might as we'll have had
no partner at all. Top was frightened,
but he didn't give it up. He shook Tip
and slapped him on the back; he even
lighted pipe and blew tobacco smoke
in his face, all of which remedies he had
seen used with success, though not upon
people who had fallen out of trees.
After while, Tip begun to breathe
again in ierky fashion, and then he got
strength enough to groan dismally.


"Isityerheadi" I" asked Top, anxiously.
care ye all right in yer bones9"


It's me laigs, and me spines is all
smashed to finders" moaned Tip.


Top managed to drag his unlucky
partner into the hut but the bed was
anything but luxurious, and Tip was no
hero to suffer in silence.


"Is it as bad as whalin'9" ?" asked