Bruce paused in his work and looked at the other with surprise. “Do you mean to tell me that you haven’t any place to go to after you leave here?” he demanded. “No place in partick’lar,” answered Skinny. “Mebbe I’ll go down to der Newsboy’s Home an’ brace de boss for a week’s lodgins, an’ a couple of dimes fer ter buy extrys wid.” The boy announced his intentions in a matter-of-fact way that showed plainly what his manner of life had been, but Bruce was amazed to think that anyone could leave a sick bed and go out without friends to face the world as coolly and calmly as if he were going to a comfortable home. All this time the boys had been sitting in extension chairs beside their beds and when Bruce had sealed his letter he went out to the closet in which his clothes and a few things that Chief Trask had sent him were kept, took from an inside vest pocket his pocket-book and found that it contained just eight dollars and forty-four cents. Taking exactly half of his fortune, he went back to where Skinny was seated and placed it in his lap. “There,” he remarked, “that’s just half my pile, Skinny, and perhaps the time will come when I shall want you to divide your pile with me.” Skinny looked at the money in his lap and then picked it up, carefully counted it, and rung one of the silver dollars with his teeth as if in doubt of its being genuine. Then he fixed his keen little blue eyes on Bruce and seemed to be trying to find some ulterior motive for his generosity. It was seldom, indeed, that anyone had reposed confidence in Skinny to the extent of lending him nearly five dollars, and he could not understand why anyone should do such a thing unless he had some object to gain. But his scrutiny of the boy’s clear, honest face failed to reveal to him any secret or sinister design, and so, after a moment’s hesitation, he said cautiously “Is dis on de level?” “That’s all right,” remarked Bruce, who had winced perceptibly under the boy’s squirrel like gaze, “You’re welcome to that as long as you choose to keep it.” “Say, boss,” continued Skinny after another pause, during which he carefully thumbed over his suddenly acquired wealth, “dat’s de white ting ter do, and I’ll hump meself when I gets well to pay it off.”