“Perhaps I dropped it,” he thought to himself, and he rushed back to the Post Office to see.
He searched the big room desperately, and was so evidently troubled that the watchman asked him what he was looking for.
“I lost some money here; have you seen anything of it? I will pay a reward.”
The man looked at him incredulously, and then laughed in his face.
“Found any money? I guess not! Why, there’s been a thousand people in this room to-day. Found any money? Just listen to that!” He broke into a laugh again, and turned his back on the distracted boy.
Kenneth wandered aimlessly out into the corridor, every nerve racking with agony. As he walked along, he saw among a lot of names, titles of departments and court rooms, “U.S. Marshal.”
“I guess I’ll ask him; he ought to know if there are pickpockets around here, and he may help me,” and suiting the action to the word, Ransom made for the room.
The assistant marshal, a small, keen-eyed, albeit kindly man, was just closing the office when the boy burst in.
“I have lost some money,” Ransom began right away. “Stolen out of my pocket, I think.”
“When?”—the question came out like a pistol shot.
“Where?” the other interrupted in the same sharp way. He acted as if he was specially interested.
“Down-stairs, in the money order and stamp room.” Ransom was getting even more excited—the other’s manner was catching.
Ransom paused to think a minute, and then began slowly as the denominations of the bills came to him.
“One twenty, eight tens, four fives, two twos and a dollar bill—then,” and he paused again, “there was besides two fives and five twos and three fives.”
As he spoke, the marshal began fingering the combination of the safe, his back to Kenneth; but the boy was so engrossed that he did not notice what he was doing.
“Well, you’ve got a good memory, youngster, here’s the money.” As he spoke, the marshal turned and handed out a bunch of bills and some letters.
“What!” the boy exclaimed amazed, his cheeks flushing, and his breath coming in quick gasps as he dropped into a chair. “Oh!”
“Your name is Kenneth, you said?” The official was smiling. “Well, I am going to name my youngest Kenneth, so that he will always come out on top—congratulate you.”