time. He was determined, so far as lay in his power to fight his own battles.
Once in coming from work, he met little Cora on the street, and had quite a chat with her. She was delighted to see him, and chided him for not calling, at which he excused himself by saying he was too tired at night after work to do much of anything, which was not far from the exact truth.
On the morning after the scene over the broken machine Franklin noticed that Harry Leclair, the lame boy, was absent. He thought nothing oi this, as the boy remained away more than any one else in the shop. Three days later Harry's place was still vacant, and then Franklin learned that the lame boy was sick, and it was doubtful if he would be able to get around again before spring.
"That's too bad," said the young electrician to himself, and he resolved to pay a visit to the sufferer without delay and do what he could towards cheering up the simple-minded fellow.
He found out where Harry Leclair lived—down in a wretched tenement in the poorest section of Paterson—and that evening, after swallowing a hasty supper, trudged off through the snow, carrying in a bag some fruit and other delicacies he had purchased with the change in his pocket.
Franklin found the right house, but not without some difficulty, for it was snowing heavily and the
