Amos Bentley was up against it in more senses than one. Times were so hard with him that he had to part with the furniture of his little apartment in order to pay his debts. However, things were inclined to take a better turn for him. He was invited to be a guest of some friends of his. And between him and the daughter of the family some sort of heart interest was supposed to exist. Disinclined to accept the invitation at first, he yielded to the persuasions of his friend, the brother of the girl, and made his way to the host's house. Unfortunately his nether garment gave way in a somewhat conspicuous place and in his attempts to conceal the tear while the evening party was in progress, poor Amos suffered a great deal of torture. Finally, he was shown into the room of his probable fiancée. And while in the act of searching for a needle and thread, was discovered by her father, who had not yet made the acquaintance of Amos. Poor Amos stood in imminent danger from an ugly looking revolver which Mr. Crampton pointed at him. However, his peril was discovered in time by the girl and her brother, and the lady lending him a convenient dressing gown, proceeded to help him out of his sartorial difficulty, and at the same time intimated to him that she would not be disinclined to darn socks for an indefinite period. So the young couple was made happy.