- 2d Chauffeur’s supertax......................................25
- Cocktail forgone.............................................25
- 3 Check-room petty larcenies.................................30
- 1 Theater-ticket-agency grand larceny......................1.65
- Cabaret highway robbery......................................85
- Victory in wrestling match with hall boy.....................25
- Cripple’s curse..............................................25
- Cable car vs. taxi [he decided to put it in, including tip].. 50
- Triumph in footrace with Red-Caps............................15
- Parlor-car fare and tip......................................80 

Making a grand, impressive, but insufficient total of.....$8.05. Insufficient, because two of the beggar’s War Savings Stamps would cost $8.28. At the Philadelphia terminus he would save fifteen cents more of his accustomed expenditure by dispensing with the porter’s service. Still he would be eight cents short of the total. 

Suddenly E. Van Tenner felt himself bitterly disappointed. The zest of the game had got into his veins. Had he braved hotel clerks, striven with bell boys, bearded head waiters and outfooted the fleet and determined Red-Cap only to fail in sight of the goal? 

Perish the---- 

"Evening papers! All the magazines! Here y’are before the train starts." 

“Evening Sentinel and Sat--” began E. Van Tenner, and dropped his voice and the beggar’s purse simultaneously. “Never mind. Don’t want--I mean need--’em.” For here was his eight cents saved! With a triumphing heart he retrieved the wallet, took out the pencil and entered upon the celluloid tablet the final and victorious eight cents--that is, he thought he had entered it. 

But lo! the line upon which he had written remained blank. He examined the pencil. Its point was perfect. The celluloid surface invited it. Again he essayed to set down the consummating eight cents. It was as if he had written with a wand upon water. 

“This is not white but black magic,” said E. Van Tenner, appalled. In response there came back to him again the words of the beggar: "What you save on current expenses without giving up anything that you need or want or aren’t better off without." Obviously, then, the beggar’s purse was backing up the beggar’s undertaking. It considered that he was better off with than without his favorite reading. 

E. Van Tenner pursued the boy and 

 Prev. P 11/18 next