Within an incredibly short time hundreds of newsboys were running through the streets crying "Extry! Extra! A dynamite crank at the office of Luther Rockwell, the great banker!"
Mark Mason was returning from a trip to Brooklyn, when a newsboy thrust the paper in his face.
"Here, Johnny, give me that paper!" he said.
Mark opened the paper in natural excitement, and being a modest boy, blushed as he saw his picture staring at him from the front page, labeled underneath "The Heroic Telegraph Boy." He read the account, which was quite correctly written with a mixture of emotions, among which gratification predominated.
"But where did they get my picture?" he asked himself.
There was also a picture of the dynamite crank, which was also tolerably accurate.
"I must take this home to mother," said Mark, folding up the paper, "Won't she be surprised!"
About the same time Solon Talbot and Edgar were in the Grand Central Depot on Forty-Second Street. Their visit was over, and Mr. Talbot had purchased the return tickets.
"You may buy a couple of evening papers, Edgar," said his father.
One of them selected was the _Evening Globe_.
Edgar uttered an exclamation as he opened it.
"What's the matter, Edgar?" asked his father.
"Just look at this! Here's Mark Mason's picture in the paper!"
"What nonsense you talk!" said Solon Talbot.
"No, I don't. Here is the picture, and here is his name!" said Edgar triumphantly.
Solon Talbot read the account in silence.
"I see," said another Syracuse man coming up, "you are reading the account of the daring attempt to blow up banker Rockwell's office!"
"That was a brave telegraph boy who seized the bag of dynamite."
"Very true!" said Solon, unable to resist the temptation to shine by the help of the nephew whom he had hitherto despised. "That boy is my own nephew!"
"Yes; his mother is the sister of my wife."
"But how does he happen to be a telegraph boy?"
"A whim of his. He is a very independent boy, and he insisted on entering the messenger service."
"Be that as it may, you have reason to be proud of him."
Edgar said nothing, but he wished that just for this once he could change places with his poor cousin.
"I'd have done the same if I'd had the chance," he said to himself.