“Yes; that is all on account of Lannie. He seemed to know the condition of Mr. Penway’s finances, and it was a tract of land that Mr. Penway was forced to sell that Lannie bought. He built mills, homes for the men, a comfortable home for my parents on his land, and when the crash came, transferred them to it. Then he came to the city and arranged with an attorney that I should have an annuity and I must accept it, the conditions being that if I refused my mother and father would be asked to relinquish their home. He bought this house, he pays the bills and I dare not refuse until my parents have gone to their home above.” “Not quite the same am I. My inner being Reasons and knows that all is for the best. Yet vague regrets stir always in my breast, As my soul’s eyes turn sadly backward, seeing The vanished self that evermore must be This side of what we call eternity, Not quite the same.” TALE THREE. A STORY OF THE CHICAGO GHETTO. PUNISHMENT. “Nor custom, nor example, nor vast numbers Of such as do offend, make less the sin; For each particular crime a strict account Will be exacted; and that comfort, which The damn’d pretend, follows in misery, Takes nothing from their torments; every one Must suffer in himself the measure of his wickedness.” —_Massinger._ The wind howled, then carrying with it bits of paper, flurries of snow and great quantities of smoke and soot, it seemed to sink into the darkness with a dismal moan, which resembled the wailing of some great wild beast in search of its mate. Shops with their dim lights, which looked like tiny sparks clinging to a black wall, lined the street; tin signs creaked and crashed like miniature thunder; small pieces of shutters flopped against the sides of the weather beaten houses, only to swing into the breeze with each fresh gust, there to quiver on their rusty hinges until a weird, screeching, grating sound denoted that age and elements were victors and one more piece of some antiquated structure had cast anchor and would soon be used to infuse warmth into the body of some poor, unfortunate dweller in the immediate vicinity. The uncertainty of the board walks in this locality caused the pedestrian, whose lot it was to venture here for the first time, to use great care in setting down and picking up his feet.