Page:Dave Porter at Oak Hall.djvu/283

Rh Plum's thumb. Let us give him a fair chance. I've found out that he has a stepfather who is rather harsh with him, and he doesn't get hardly any spending money. Plum used to bribe him to do things, and when Chip didn't have a cent it was a great temptation. Let's try to make a man of him. Come now, what do you say?" And thus Dave talked for a good hour.

"Say, Dave, you ought to be a lawyer," cried Roger. "You'd do finely defending criminals. If it's as you say, I'm willing to give Macklin all the show he wants."

"Yes, and I'lI'll [sic] help him if I can," added Ben.

"I didn't know he was poor and had a hard-hearted stepfather," said the boy who was considered the leader of No. 11. "He can come in here and welcome, eh, fellows?"

"Yes, let him come!" was the cry, and so it was settled. Dave helped the small boy to bring in his things, and two or three of the others gave a hand to help him settle down. He felt strange at first, and exceedingly suspicious, but gradually these feelings wore away, and he became quite another lad.

"Don't you wish yourself back in No. 13?" asked Dave, one day, after he had helped Chip to do an extra hard example.

"No, no!" was the quick answer. "I never want to go back! It is ever so much better here.