am I that the name of Snider will come in for some of those
blessings! It will be associated with his in this great work,--
this GOOD work!"

"Is that his name?"

"Professor Von Bieberstein. Yes. And mine is Snider. ... James, I
hope you are a good boy."

I said nothing, but if to be a good boy would turn me into
anything like Mr. Snider when I grew up, I hoped I was the worst
kind of boy.

"You don't use tobacco, I hope, James?"

"No."

"Don't ever do it. It leads to lying. And drinking. I have known
the greatest criminals and blacklegs in the city of New York,
murderers, and thieves, and men like that,--and they all became
what they were through using tobacco. All of them."

We had arrived at the house, and Mr. Snider led the way around to
the side-door.

"Here is the platform, you see, James," said he, pointing to the
band-stand, "all ready for the gathering tomorrow. Yes. It will be
a great occasion. Historic. Nothing that this ancient house has
ever seen could match it. And yet I suppose that many of the
world's great discoveries were made in places humble and obscure