"It might look better," Tom admitted.

When dinner was over the two boys directed their steps to the
California steamship office, on one of the North River piers.






CHAPTER VIII.

A STRANGE ACQUAINTANCE.





Tom Cooper was too familiar with the streets of New York to pay any
attention to the moving panorama of which he and Ben formed a part.
But everything was new and interesting to Ben, who had passed his
life in a quiet country town.

"I should think it was the Fourth of July," he said.

"Why?" asked the bootblack.

"Because there's such a lot of people and wagons in the streets."

"There's always as many as this, except Sundays," said Tom.