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fireplace and said, “I think she would have set it there.”
    “What did I tell you!” exclaimed the
delighted clerk to his colleagues, who had gathered around to hear Lem’s answer. “That’s just the spot I picked for it.”
    The clerk then ushered Lem to the door, slipping a two-dollar note into the boy’s
hand as he shook it good-by. Lem did not want to take
the money because he felt that he had not earned it, but he was finally
prevailed upon to accept it. The clerk told Lem that
he had saved them the fee an expert would have demanded, since it was very
important for them to know exactly where the chest of drawers belonged.
    Our hero was considerably elated at
his stroke of luck and marveled at the ease with which two dollars could be
earned in New York. At this rate of pay, he calculated, he would earn
ninety-six dollars for an eight-hour day or five hundred and severity-six
dollars for a six-day week. If he could keep it up, he would have a million in
no time.
    From the store, Lem walked west to Central Park, where he sat down on a bench in the mall near the
bridle path to watch the society people ride by on their beautiful horses. His
attention was particularly attracted by a man driving a small spring wagon,
underneath which ran two fine Dalmatians or coach dogs, as they are sometimes
called. Although Lem was unaware of this fact, the
man in the wagon was none other than Mr. Asa Goldstein, whose shop he had just visited.
    The country-bred boy soon noticed
that Mr. Goldstein was not much of a horseman. However, that individual was not
driving his beautiful team of matched bays for pleasure, as one might be led to
think, but for profit. He had accumulated a large collection of old wagons in
his warehouse and by driving one of them in the mall he hoped to start a vogue
for that type of equipage and thus sell off his stock.
    While Lem was watching the storekeeper’s awkward handling of the “leathers” or reins, the
off horse, which was very skittish, took fright at a passing policeman and
bolted. His panic soon spread to the other horse and the wagon went careening
down the path wreaking havoc at every bound. Mr. Goldstein fell out when his
vehicle turned over, and Lem had to laugh at the
comical expression of mingled disgust and chagrin that appeared on his
countenance.
    But suddenly Lem’s smile disappeared and his jaw became set, for he saw that a catastrophe was
bound to occur unless something was immediately done to halt the maddened
thoroughbreds.

 
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    The reason for the sudden
disappearance of the smile from our hero’s face is easily explained. He had
spied an old gentleman and his beautiful young daughter about to cross the
bridle path, and saw that in a few more seconds they would be trampled under
the iron hooves of the flying beasts.
    Lem hesitated only long enough to take a firm purchase on his store teeth, then dashed into the path of the horses. With great strength
and agility he grasped their bridles and dragged them to a rearing halt, a few
feet from the astounded and thoroughly frightened pair.
    “That lad has saved your lives,”
said a bystander to the old gentleman, who was none other than Mr. Levi Underdown , president of the Underdown National Bank and Trust Company.
    Unfortunately, however, Mr. Underdown was slightly deaf, and, although exceedingly
kind, as his many large charities showed, he was very short tempered. He
entirely misunderstood the nature of our hero’s efforts and thought that the
poor boy was a careless groom who had let his charges get out of hand. He
became extremely angry.
    “I’ve a mind to give you in charge,
young man,” said the banker, shaking his umbrella at our hero.
    “Oh, don’t, father!” interfered his
daughter Alice, who also misunderstood the incident. “Don’t have him arrested.
He was probably paying court to some pretty nursemaid and forgot about his
horses.” From this we can readily see that the young lady was of a romantic
turn