Close before him was a restaurant
where he had spent hundreds of dol
lars in his palmy days and whose pro
prietor he knew well. Yet he owed a
bill there for hts last big after theater
dinner party of many months ago, and
he had never had the courage even In
his semi-starvation to go in and ask
for more credit. Yet now it must be
done, for here was a human being
starving upon the streets. Wal
lington shuddered. It was plainly his
duty to fill this man’s stomach, and
for the last time he would exert those
powers of persuasion which once up- ;
on a time few men had been, able to
resist. He took the stranger by the
arm. "Come with me,” he command
ed.
They entered the restaurant and
Walllngton walked straight up to the
proprietor. "Hob,” said he, "I owe
you a pretty Ktlft '* i.^ut i am going
to go to work in a week and then I
will begin paying you off. Now I want
you to do me a last favor. I owe you
about forty dollars, and a couple of
dollars more won't make much differ
ence to you. It is Christmas eve and
my friend over there is starving. Now
I want you to fill him up to_ the chin
, on good, solid food and charge it to
me. I will not ask you for any favor
again if you will do this last thing.”
The proprietor looked at his old pa
tron thoughtfully.
