As soon as he received his membership card, and badge, and left the president’s office two officers were on his track. They watched him sell papers. Three days passed when he “stumbled against something.” A gentleman in the post-office gave him twenty-five cents for a morning paper. He had no change, but excused himself to “step across the way to get it.” Instead of going into the store the little boy started in a run around the building and was lost from sight. The gentleman made this remark to a friend: “I might of expected it.” This was overheard by two newsboys. One said: “Oh, no mister, your money is not lost. We’ll have it for you in ten minutes. Don’t you be uneasy. You stand right where you are for a few minutes.” Out ran the boys, one going to the right, the other to the left, and a third joined them who took to the alley. In less than ten minutes the boy was brought to bay, and appeared before the gentleman. An apology was given, the money returned. “Don’t you say anything to him,” said one of the newsboys, “we won’t do a thing to him, oh, no.” The man soon forgot the incident, and will never know the severe punishment that boy had to bear. They took him in the alley, bumped his head against the wall of the building, rolled him in the mud, took his badge from him and with a parting word of advice left him. The badge was turned over to the president with instructions to return it to the boy at the expiration of fifteen days. What for? The president did not know and only learned the particulars a month later from one of the officers. The boy called for his badge, and it was given to him without a word. The books show that this same boy, after leaving the junior grade in school procured a good position and the proprietor particularly called attention to him for a peculiar trait. He said: “The boy applied for work, office work. We gave him a job. He asked particularly how many hours he must work. When he began and when he stopped. This given, we were surprised to see that he was at the office every morning two hours before his time, and pegging away at a typewriter. His wages have been increased three times. He’ll be one of the firm before we’re through with him. “The only recommendation he had was that he was a member of The Boyville Newsboys’ Association—and this we took. In fact, it proved a better recommendation than that offered by his mother, who called to get part of his wages to purchase whiskey.” _PART FOURTH_ [Illustration: MEMBERS OF THE EAST SIDE AUXILIARY.] CHAPTER XVII. It was just before Christmas; the streets and stores were crowded with people purchasing presents.