AT SAN FRANCISCO. 5r

Ralph, rushing and shouting. Ralph grabbed a boy who had seized
the basket, and repeating an old trick which he had practised on
almost every one at home till they were about crazy, he neatly inserted
his foot between the boy’s legs and tripped him up. There was now
a fresh uproar. Round a street corner came a reinforcement of three
street Arabs longing for an opportunity to stretch their idle muscles.
Matters threatened to be come very seri-
ous for Ralph and Rick. A Gi Suddenly, Un-
cle Nat appeared. His big, brawny form

  

rose above the assailants
threateningly, as a broom
- over a cloud of mosquitoes.
“Away with ye,’ he
shouted, seizing a couple of
boys by the collar at once.
Was it a giant-torpedo ex-

 

ploding in their midst? It
certainly had the effect of
one. The hornet swarm
broke up immediately, leaving the young
Chinaman alone with his defenders.

“Look here, boys!” said Uncle Nat to
his enterprising nephews. “ Don’t stray off
so. Just wait for me and then when we see
any of the enemy about, we will charge on
them all together and rout them gloriously. g
There goes Joe Pigtail!” JOE.

“Is that his name?” asked Rick, looking wonderingly at the boy.

“No, Rick, but that will identify him to us. What grateful bows
he gave us! Let’s follow him.”