Sam's Chance And How He Improved It

fice I'll have to buy s

Ba

was not extremely bad. He liked fun, even if it involved mischief; and he could not be called strictly truthful nor honest. But he would not wantonly injure or tyrannize over a smaller boy, and there was nothing mean or malicious about him. Still he was hardly the sort of boy a merchant would be likely to select as an office boy, and but for a lucky cha

onsisted of a ragged shirt, and a pair of equally ragged pantaloons. Both were of unknown antiquity, and had

. Somewhere in the neighborhood of Baxter Street there was a second-hand clothing establishment, which he had patro

ers-by. If any one paused to examine his stock, he was immediately assailed by voluble

d not suspect that the ragged street boy was likely to become a c

him with a busi

ave you got any tiptop

red the old man, wit

t your son, and I wouldn't be. M

o buy clo'es?" asked th

aid you'd let me h

This is the cheapest

your best suits. I want '

old man, a grin illumining his wrinkled

best clo'es is to home in the wardr

was displayed; but Sam

fashionabl

ue one," sai

e like, how

ty c

to ruin me? I won't give n

ore. It cost

ve thirt

rice was accepted, and th

s," said Sam. "I've got a place, an

he momentary suspicion that he might be throwing hi

m. "What do yo

h have y

ou want to

ow what clo'e

e dollars, when a shrewd th

our dollars

ond the expectati

id. "I'll give you some ni

nt me to come here agai

all my cl

ly, or with an air of greater importance than Sam. He was right

als will look at you as you g

o your best by me, and I

thing to his satisfaction except a coat. Here he was rather particular.

t," he said, "I gue

give you that and the rest o

can't

ose to

ed Sam in his dete

e; I'll try i

, cracked mirror. True, it was about two sizes too large, but Sa

he said. "Don't I

y-five cents more for that

you w

t. I ought

he rest of the clo'e

ment as if to l

nty cents mo

ive you no twenty cents, but I'll tell you what

looked at th

worth much

t but they're wor

ical inspection, and t

s fa

s," said the old man. "

ed a five-

dollar back

m with the expression of

only four dollar

d I had four. I didn

s are worth

it from me. Do you think I'm going

atisfied. "I'm losin' money o

you needn't," said Sam, independently.

e four

dollars and these clo'es I have on. A bargain's a bargain. If

t, and received back

round to my hotel-I'll chan

tely well, but the blue coat-of the kind popularly called a swallow-tail-nearly trailed upon the ground.

id to himself, complacently,