Produced by David Edwards, Josephine Paolucci and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net. THE PRINCESS AND JOE POTTER [Illustration: JOE FINDING THE PRINCESS. (_See page 22._)] THE PRINCESS AND JOE POTTER BY JAMES OTIS AUTHOR OF "JENNY WREN'S BOARDING-HOUSE," "TEDDY AND CARROTS," ETC. Illustrated by VIOLET OAKLEY [Illustration] BOSTON ESTES AND LAURIAT PUBLISHERS _Copyright, 1898_ BY ESTES AND LAURIAT Colonial Press: Electrotyped and Printed by C. H. Simonds & Co. Boston, U. S. A. CONTENTS. CHAPTER PAGE I. A RUINED MERCHANT 11 II. THE PRINCESS 26 III. AN ADVERTISEMENT 41 IV. JOE'S FLIGHT 60 V. IN THE CITY 73 VI. DAN, THE DETECTIVE 86 VII. AUNT DORCAS 98 VIII. A HUNGRY DETECTIVE 115 IX. A FUGITIVE 127 X. THE JOURNEY 141 XI. A BRIBE 157 XII. A STRUGGLE IN THE NIGHT 171 XIII. A CONFESSION 188 XIV. A RAY OF LIGHT 201 XV. AN UNEXPECTED ARRIVAL 219 XVI. THE REWARD 234 ILLUSTRATIONS. PAGE JOE FINDING THE PRINCESS _Frontispiece_ "HE BEGAN TO FEED THE LITTLE MAID" 51 "DAN POINTED TO AN ADVERTISEMENT" 57 "'MAY WE COME IN AN' STAY A LITTLE WHILE?'" 81 "JOE POINTED TO A TINY COTTAGE" 101 "SHE HAD A PLATE HEAPED HIGH WITH COOKIES" 108 "'WELL, BLESS THE BOY, HE DON'T EVEN KNOW HOW TO PLANT POTATOES!'" 143 "THE PRINCESS SUFFERED AUNT DORCAS TO KISS HER" 167 "A DARK FORM LEAPED THROUGH THE OPEN WINDOW" 185 JOE AND DAN DISAGREE 207 "COME ON QUICK, PLUMS! DAN'S SET THE BARN A-FIRE!'" 215 "JOE, BELIEVING HIMSELF ALONE, BEGAN TO SOB AS IF HIS HEART WERE BREAKING" 225 "THEN AUNT DORCAS AND HER FAMILY WERE READY FOR THE RIDE" 241 "'MCGOWAN'S RESTAURANT AIN'T IN IT ALONGSIDE OF WHAT WE STRUCK UP AT THE PRINCESS'S HOUSE'" 245 TAILPIECE 249 THE PRINCESS AND JOE POTTER. CHAPTER I. A RUINED MERCHANT. "Hello, Joe Potter! What you doin' up in this part of the town?" The boy thus addressed halted suddenly, looked around with what was very like an expression of fear on his face, and then, recognising the speaker, replied, in a tone of relief: "Oh, it's you, is it, Plums?" "Of course it's me. Who else did you think it was? Say, what you doin' 'round here? Who's tendin' for you now?" "Nobody."