“Here,” said his mother, taking a coin from her pocketbook and giving it to Larry. The boy looked at the half-dollar. It seemed bright and shiny, and had a good ring to it. “That seems good,” said Larry. “Maybe the man in the store was too particular.” “He asked the advice of several other men before he said the money was no good,” said Mrs. Dexter. “So I’m afraid he is right.” “It’s too bad,” said Larry. “We work hard enough for our money and it ought to be good when we get it.” “The man said there had been a number of counterfeit pieces in circulation of late,” went on Mrs. Dexter. “That’s why they have to be so careful.” “But this don’t look like a counterfeit,” spoke Larry. “I’ve seen several of that kind which the reporters have, and all of them are worse than this.” “Well, the man wouldn’t take it, so I guess it’s no good,” said the woman. “Where did you get it?” asked Larry. “Perhaps that might give us a clew.” “I got it in a peculiar way,” replied Larry’s mother. “Yesterday one of the men on the floor below us asked me for some change. He said he had a large bill and wanted very much to get it broken. I had no spare change and I told him so. “Then the man asked me to give him what I had, and he gave me a ten-dollar bill as security. He asked me to go out and get that changed, which I did. When I came back he said he had got the change in the meanwhile from someone else in the house. So there was no necessity for me giving him any. He paid me what money was due me, and, among the other pieces, was this half-dollar.” “I’ll soon see if it’s good,” said Larry, taking the coin. “I’ll go around with it to some big place, and they’ll soon let me know whether it is counterfeit or not.” Larry took the money and went to a near-by pawnshop, the proprietor of which he had done a favor for some time since. The man was a German Hebrew, and was well acquainted with gold and silver. “Is that good?” asked Larry, laying the coin down on the counter. “For why you vant to know?” asked the pawnbroker with a smile. He was always careful what he said and nearly always asked a question before he answered one. “Someone gave it to my mother, and the storekeeper said it was a bad piece,” replied Larry anxiously. “Vich storekeeper?” “Mr. Smith on the corner.” “And he said it vas bad?” “That’s what he did,” replied Larry. “But I’m in a hurry, Mr. Moses. Can you tell me what I want to know?” “For sure I can, mein frient. I only vant to know vat I’m talking about.” He took the half-dollar, bit it between his teeth, and rang it on the counter. Then he took from a shelf a small bottle. “I vill give it the acid test,” he said. He dropped a small quantity of liquid on the coin. The metal seemed to boil where the acid touched it. “Well?” asked Larry, rather anxiously. “I vouldn’t give you two cents on dis half-dollar,” said the pawnbroker. “Then it’s bad?”