Loammi had a high idea of his personal qualities and social standing. But he had one grievance.

He received an allowance from his father, but it was much less than he thought he needed. Ezra Little was not a liberal man. He gave Loammi a dollar every Saturday night, and obstinately refused to give him more.

"It is very hard to get along on a dollar, pa," complained Loammi.

"When I was your age I had no allowance at all, my son."

"You were a poor boy. You were not expected to keep up appearances."

"You have no clothes to buy. I provide for you in that respect, and I think you are as well dressed as most of the boys you associate with."

"I don\'t complain of my clothes, but a boy[Pg 135] wants to keep up his end with his school friends. Yesterday afternoon, Henry Bates proposed to me to go in and get an ice cream, but I couldn\'t, for I had no money."

"Have you spent all your weekly allowance?"

"Yes, every cent."

"Yet it is only Wednesday."

"And I must scrimp till Saturday night."

"Then you should manage better. If you limited yourself to ten cents a day for the first five days, you would be able to spend twenty-five cents on Friday and Saturday."

"That\'s easier said than done, pa."

"I am afraid you are getting extravagant, Loammi."

"Even Scott goes around with more money in his pocket than I do."

"How much money has he got?"

"About five dollars."

"He will have to spend it for clothes. He won\'t be able to buy ice cream with it."

"Still, it makes a fellow feel good to have as much money as that in his pocket."

"Then I advise you to save up money for a few weeks till you have as much."

"Pa," suggested Loammi, insinuatingly,[Pg 136] "couldn\'t you let me have a five-dollar bill to carry round with me, so that I could show it to my friends? They would think more of me."

"How long do you think it would remain unbroken?" asked his father, shrewdly.

"Oh, ever so long."

"I don\'t wish to try the experiment. Your friends will respect you without that. They know that you are the son of a man who is well off."

"No, they don\'t think so, when they see that I am always short of money and hard up."

"Then let them think what they please. If they thought you had money they would want to borrow it, or urge you to spend it on them."

So Loammi failed in his effort to obtain a larger allowance.

One day—it was Friday—he particularly wanted to use some money and was without a penny. Under these circumstances it occurred to him that his despised cousin was well supplied with cash, and might be induced to accommodate him with a loan.

Scott was rather surprised when, as he was going out after supper, Loammi joined him.

"Are you going out for a walk?" he asked, in an unusually gracious tone.

[Pg 137]

"Yes, Loammi."

"I will join you if you don\'t mind."

"Certainly. I shall be glad to have your company."

"Have you called on Mr. Lawton lately?"

"No; he is out of town just now. I think he has gone to Philadelphia."

"Has he got a place?"

"He is doing something, but I don\'t know what it is. He doesn\'t seem to say much about his affairs."

"I hope he won\'t spend all his money."

"So do I. He seems to be generous, even beyond his means."

"I wish he\'d be generous to me," thought Loammi.

They walked down Broadway, Loammi chatting pleasantly.

"Oh, by the way," he said, suddenly, "I find I have left my purse at home. Could you lend me a dollar?"

Then it flashed upon Scott what was the meaning of his cousin\'s agreeable manner. He was of an obliging disposition, but he knew Loammi well enough to be certain that he would never see his money back.

[Pg 138]

"I am sorry, Loammi," he said, "but I am afraid I can\'t lend you any money."

"Haven\'t you got any?"

"Yes, but I have to buy my own clothes, as you know, and I need some un............