“I want to ask a favor of you, Mr. Weldon.”
“I am always ready to do you a favor, Grant.”
Luke Weldon was surprised. He knew pretty well how Grant was situated, and that money must be a scarce article with him. Perhaps, however, he had a little extra change which he was afraid of losing, he reflected.
“All right, Grant!” was his reply. “I’ll keep it for you. How much is it?”
When Grant began to draw the bills out of his pocket, Luke’s eyes opened with amazement.
“Where did you get all this money, Grant?” he asked. “You haven’t been—no, I can’t believe it possible you’ve been robbing the old man.”
“I should think not,” returned Grant indignantly. “I haven’t sunk so low as that.”
“But where did you get it? Why didn’t you ask me to take charge of it when you were here before?”
“Then you found it somewhere. It must belong to some one who hid it.”
“I want to believe you, Grant, and I never knew you to tell a lie, but it aint easy, boy, it aint easy. If you don’t tell me where and how you got it, I can’t agree to keep it for you. It might be stolen money for aught I know.”
“Then I’ll tell you, Luke. When I crossed the railroad I found the bridge was broken. I signalled the train just in time to stop it’s going across.”
“Sho! you don’t say! Then but for you the train would have been wrecked?”
“I’m proud of you, Grant! Give me your hand. Why, boy, you’ve saved fifty lives, perhaps.”
“The passengers took up a contribution, and here it is.”
“As near as I can tell, for I counted it in a hurry, there’s a hundred and fifty-two dollars.”
“And you deserve it all, Grant. Yes, I’ll keep it for you, and give it back whenever you ask for it.”
“I was afraid Mr. Tarbox might try to get it away from me.”
“So he would, I make no doubt. He won’t get it from me, I’ll tell you that.”
“Now I must be getting home. I’ve been away a long time.”
When Grant approached the farm-house, Rodney, who was standing in front of the house, hailed him.
“Say, there’s a rod in pickle for you. Grandfather’s awfully mad at your staying so long.”
Grant listened to what Rodney said, but Mr. Tarbox’s anger did not signify as much to him as it would have done a few hours earlier. The money he possessed made him feel independent.
Seth Tarbox appeared at the door, ready to empty the vials of his wrath on Grant’s devoted head.