XVIIA DONATION TO THE FUND
After school Kid had to tell all about it. By that time he had grown used to being a hero and every time he narrated his adventure the story improved in interest. Mr. Folsom and Mr. Crane had shaken hands with him, Nan had become his admiring and willing slave and Mrs. Merton had beamed upon him. No wonder that his head had become a little bit turned, then. And no wonder—considering Kid’s healthy imagination—that by the time he got to the fifth or sixth rendition of the story his heroism had attained marvelous proportions.
“You said you only ran about a quarter of a mile,” objected Small.
Kid viewed him untroubledly. “Only about a quarter of a mile to the end of the cut,” explained Kid. “After that it was a good quarter of a mile to where the train stopped.”
“Shut up, Small,” censured Ben Holden.“Don’t you suppose Kid knows how far he had to run?”
“Yes,” chimed in Steve Lovell, “who saved the train, anyhow? Then what happened, Kid?”
“Then,” continued Kid, warming to his work, “I saw that they were going to stop and I sank exhausted at the side of the track.”
“It was lucky you had that red sweater,” said Billy Spooner. “Red’s the danger color, you know.”
“Sure I know! Don’t you think I thought of that?” demanded Kid witheringly. “And that’s funny, too, fellows. Something told me to put that sweater on when I went out. I didn’t need it, for it was real warm yesterday, but something seemed to whisper to me ‘Put on your red sweater! Put on your red sweater!’ And I did, and I was pretty glad afterwards, you can bet!”
“What happened when the train stopped?” asked Lanny.
“Why, the engineer leaned out of the engine and said ‘What’s the matter, Kid?’ and I——”
“How did he know your name?” asked Small suspiciously.
Kid shrugged his shoulders. “I don’t know,” he replied, “but that’s what he said. Then I said‘There’s been a slide in the cut and if you go on you’ll be ditched.’ Then he said ‘Good Heavens!’ just like that; ‘Good Heavens!’ And then the conductor came running up and I told him and he shook my hand and said I’d saved many lives—three hundred, I think it was——”
“The paper said only two hundred,” Small objected.
“Oh, papers never get things right,” said Ben. “Shut up, Small, and let him tell it.”
“And after that,” continued Kid, “I got on the train and told them to go slow and when we got to the place the fireman got a shovel and we went to where the dirt was on the rails and we shoveled it off. Of course, by that time everyone in the train had heard about it and they all came out of the cars and insisted on shaking hands with me and being silly. Then a gentleman suggested taking up a collection and they did it. I told them I hadn’t done anything much and wouldn’t accept a reward, but they insisted——”
Small here interrupted the narrative by a fit of choking and had to be thumped on the back by Sam Perkins. Kid viewed him suspiciously and finally went on with increased dignity.
“After the track was clear we went on to Mt.Pleasant and the gentleman who had started the collection made a speech and presented the money to me. Of course, I wasn’t going to take it——”
Small had a relapse and again interrupted proceedings.
“But they all insisted and put the money into my pockets. I didn’t have any say about it at all. And then—then they gave a cheer and we—we got into the station and I sneaked off in a hurry because I’d heard them saying something about introducing me to the president of the railroad.”
“The president doesn’t live in Mt. Pleasant, does he?” asked Sewall Crandall.
“I don’t know. Perhaps he happened to be there yesterday, though,” replied Kid. “They travel around a good deal, you know.”
“How much money did you drag out of it?” asked Small.
Kid frowned. “Theypresentedme with a liberal reward,” he answered with much dignity. “I haven’t had time to count it yet, but I guess it won’t amount to over a hundred.”
“Phe-ew!” Small whistled expressively and eyed Kid with envy. Then, “But I thought you said before it was only about fifty, Kid?” he said.
“Well, as I say, I haven’t counted it yet. Maybeit will be nearer fifty than a hundred. I’d much rather they hadn’t given me anything. I—I only did my duty, you know.”
“It’ll be quite a feather for the school,” remarked Ben. “I hope the Maplewood fellows will read about it. They think over there since they’ve got an ex-President’s son that they’re the whole thing! I haven’t heard ofhimgetting out and saving any lives!”
After the group had broken up Lanny followed Kid over toward the bookcase, whither the latter’s steps led him every now and then.
“When are you going to take back the tablets, Kid?” he asked carelessly.
Kid turned with an abstracted, far-away expression. “What tablets do you mean, Lanny?”
“Why the Tinkham’s, of course. You said you’d pay back a quarter for every box returned, didn’t you?”
“Did I?” Kid reflected deeply. “Perhaps I did. So much has happened——”
“You said so just last night,” insisted Lanny with annoyance. “Aren’t you going to?”
“Why, yes, if the fellows feel that I ought to. There’s no hurry, is there? Besides, what’s it to you? You haven’t any of them.”
“Haven’t I? I’ve got ten boxes of them and I want two dollars and a half for them!”
Kid stared. “Ten boxes!” he ejaculated finally. “Where did you get ten boxes, I’d like to know. I only sold you one and you threw that away——”
“I thought I might need them,” answered Lanny with a grin, “and so I got some of the fellows to sell me theirs.”
“You did, eh?” asked Kid disgustedly. “Say, you’re a regular financier, aren’t you? You and Rockefeller must look just alike at a distance, eh? I suppose you told the other fellows you had a bad cold and they gave their tablets to you?”
“No, I told them I was hard up and needed them for my starving family,” responded Lanny sweetly.
Kid flushed. Then, after a moment’s pause, “Well, you want two dollars and a half, do you?” he asked so loudly that the boys across the room in front of the hearth heard and turned around to listen.
“Well don’t yell it,” muttered Lanny. “You said you’d take the tablets back—”
“Yes, I agreed to take them back,” Kid replied loudly. “It seemed only fair, as some of you fellowswere dissatisfied. There’s nothing the matter with them, of course. They’re perfectly good tablets and they’d do all I said they would. Still, if you fellows feel that you’ve been cheated——”
“What’s the row?” asked Ben Holden, sauntering over, followed by others.
“Nothing,” replied Lanny, visibly annoyed.
“Not a thing,” said Kid sweetly. “We were only talking about the Tinkham’s Throat-Ease. Lanny says you’re all dissatisfied with them and wants me to pay back——”
“You agreed to do it!” exclaimed Lanny warmly.
“I am ready to do it, Lanny. Get your tablets. You say you have ten boxes of them?”
“That’s why he bought ours for five cents a box!” exclaimed Sam Perkins. “Of all the underhand tricks——”
“Who said we were dissatisfied with the tablets, I’d like to know?” inquired George Waters. “Even if we were it wouldn’t be any of your business, Lanny.”
“And we’re not, Kid.” This from Ben Holden. “And you ought to be ashamed, Lanny, to try to hold up Kid like that.”
“Oh, I’m quite ready to buy them back,” said Kid nobly. “I don’t want anyone dissatisfied. If Lanny will get his boxes——”
“You’ll do nothing of the sort,” retorted Ben indignantly. “Lanny, if you say another word about your tablets we’ll take every one away from you! The idea of bothering Kid with a thing like that after what he’s done for the school!”
“You might as well take ’em,” muttered Lanny glumly. “I don’t want ’em. Kid distinctly said he’d buy ’em back——”
“I’m going to!” Kid dived into his pocket, but Ben seized his arm.
“No, you shan’t, Kid! It isn’t going to be allowed, is it, fellows?”
“No, sir!” said Dick Gardner. “Let it be a lesson to you, Lanny, not to be sneaky. You heard Kid say he’d take the things back and instead of coming and telling us like—like a man you made believe you liked the things and made us sell you ours cheap. Now you take your medicine!”
“If he does he will die,” murmured Bert. “I wouldn’t take one for fifty dollars!”
“That’s it!” cried Stanley Pierce. “Let’s make him eat one, fellows. Come on!”
But Lanny, with one fearful howl of fright,broke through the group, eluding the restraining hands that reached for him, and fled upstairs. Above the laughter of those in the hall came the sound of a slamming door and of a bolt driven home. Ben turned to Kid, laying a hand protectingly on his shoulder.
“Don’t you pay him a cent, Kid. And if he bothers you any more you come to me.”
“Thanks, Ben. Still, rather than have him or anyone else feel that I hadn’t acted square——”
“No one says that, Kid. The idea! Why, I—I didn’t half dislike those tablets, honest!Wedon’t want you to take them back, do we, fellows?”
Everyone agreed that he didn’t, Bert louder than any. Kid shot a reproachful look at him and Bert grinned.
“Besides,” added Stanley Pierce, “if you must spend some of your money, Kid, you’d better spend it on eats and have a banquet, eh?”
The idea was hailed enthusiastically by everyone save Kid. Kid smiled bravely and said it was a fine scheme, but when the others wanted him to set a date he was evasive. And before they could pin him down to a flat promise the dinner gong summoned them. Lanny came down a little late and slipped into his seat as unobtrusively as possible.And when Kid deftly exchanged his own pat of butter for Lanny’s, which happened to be larger, Lanny never said a word. He was thoroughly chastened.
After school was over for the day Kid encountered Bert in the corridor upstairs. “When are you going to pay me that quarter?” inquired Kid.
“Oh, some day,” Bert replied. “You don’t need the money now, Kid.”
“Why don’t I? I need it as much as you do. Besides, it—it’s a debt of honor, Bert.”
“Oh, I’ll pay it. I said I would, didn’t I? But a fellow with a hundred dollars doesn’t need——”
“I haven’t got a hundred dollars,” replied Kid sadly.
“Well, then, fifty.”
“I—I haven’t got fifty, Bert.”
“You said you had. Now you’re afraid you’ll have to spend some of it, I suppose.”
“Honest I haven’t. If you don’t believe me, Bert, come on and see for yourself.” Bert followed him into Number 3 and Kid got the collar-box out and emptied its contents on the bed. “That’s every cent, Bert, honest injun!”
“How much?” asked Bert.
“Seventeen and a half. Count it yourself.”
Bert counted it. “There’s eighteen-sixty-two, Kid.”
“I had a dollar and twelve cents. I’d forgotten that. But all they gave me for saving their old lives was seventeen dollars and a half!”
“But the paper said—”
“The paper didn’t know.” Kid viewed the pile of bills and coins thoughtfully. Finally he counted out ten dollars of it and pushed it resolutely toward Bert. “Say, you take charge of that for me, will you? That’s for the Fund, you know. If I have it it’ll be gone in a week.”
“I’d rather not, Kid. Suppose I lost it or it was stolen.”
“It wouldn’t be any worse than if I kept it here,” answered Kid sadly. “It would be gone just the same. I—I don’t seem to be able to save money. Besides, Bert, you’re president of the Junior Four and you ought to take charge of the funds, anyway.”
“That’s up to the treasurer, Kid.”
“We haven’t any treasurer. And if we had maybe I wouldn’t want to trust him with so much money. No, you’d better take it. You see, I agreed to give ten dollars toward the Fund and there it is.”
“Well—” Bert counted the money, rolled it in a piece of paper and dropped it into his pocket. Kid viewed the proceedings wistfully, looking very much as though on the point of changing his mind. But he didn’t. He only heaved a deep sigh and said as the money disappeared from sight: “Perhaps—perhaps, Bert, you’d better give me some kind of a receipt for it!”