Robert Coverdale's Struggle: or, on the Wave of Success. Horatio Alger Jr.
so it does! You are a good hand at subtraction."
Robert felt that he could not truthfully return the compliment and prudently remained silent.
"There is your money," continued the trader, putting in Robert's hand a dollar bill and forty-two cents in change. "Your uncle must have been quite lucky."
He looked questioningly at our hero, but Robert did not choose to gratify his curiosity.
"Is it so very lucky to make two dollars?" he asked, and with these words he left the store.
"That's a cur'us boy!" soliloquized Mr. Sands, looking after him. "I can't get nothin' out of him. Looks as if John Trafton must have turned over a new leaf to give him so much money to buy groceries. I hope he has. It's better that I should get his money than the tavern keeper."
Mr. Sands did not have to wait long before his curiosity was partially gratified, for the very man of whom he was thinking just then entered the store.
"Has my nephew been here?" he inquired.
"Just went out."
"I thought you might be willing to let him have what little he wanted on credit. I'll see that it's paid for."
"Why, he paid for the goods himself – fifty-eight cents."
"What!" exclaimed the fisherman, astonished.
"He bought a pound of tea, at fifty cents, and a pound of sugar, at eight cents, and paid for 'em."
"Where'd he get the money?" asked Trafton.
"I am sure I don't know. I supposed you gave it to him. He's got more left. He paid for the articles with a two-dollar bill and he's got a dollar and forty-two cents left!"
"The young hypocrite!" ejaculated John Trafton indignantly. "All the while he had this money he was worryin' me for a quarter to buy some tea and a loaf of bread."
"Looks rather mysterious – doesn't it?" said the grocer.
"Mr. Sands," said the fisherman, "I've took care of that boy ever since he was three year old, and that's the way he treats me. He's a young viper!"
"Jes so!" said Mr. Sands, who was a politic man and seldom contradicted his neighbors.
"The rest of that money belongs to me by rights," continued the fisherman, "and he's got to give it to me. How much did you say it was?"
"A dollar and forty-two cents, John; but, seems to me, you'd better let him keep it to buy groceries with."
"I must have the money!" muttered Trafton, not heeding this advice, which was good, though selfish. "I guess I'll go home and make the boy give it to me!"
And he staggered out of the store, and, as well as he could, steered for home.
CHAPTER V
"GIVE ME THAT MONEY"
From the village store Robert went to the baker's and bought a loaf of bread for six cents, making his entire expenditures sixty-four cents.
He was now ready to go home. He walked rapidly and soon reached the humble cabin, where he found his aunt waiting for him.
She looked with surprise at the three bundles he brought in and asked:
"What have you got there, Robert?"
"First of all, here is a pound of tea," said the boy, laying it down on the kitchen table. "Here is a pound of sugar and here is a loaf of bread."
"But I didn't order all those, Robert," said his aunt.
"I know you didn't," answered her nephew, "but I thought you'd be able to make use of them."
"No doubt I shall, but surely you did not buy them all for twenty-five cents?"
"I should say not. Why, the tea alone cost fifty cents! Then the sugar came to eight cents and the loaf cost six cents."
"Mrs. Jones didn't pay you enough to buy all those, did she?"
"Mrs. Jones is about as mean a woman as you can find anywhere," Robert said warmly. "She didn't pay me a cent."
"Why? Didn't she like the work?"
"She said uncle owed her husband money for drink and the work would part pay up the debt."
But for the presence of the groceries, this would have had a discouraging effect upon Mrs. Trafton, but her mind was diverted by her curiosity, and she said apprehensively:
"I hope you didn't buy on credit, Robert? I never can pay so much money!"
"Mr. Sands isn't the man to sell on credit. Aunt Jane. No, I paid cash.
And the best of it is," continued our hero, "I have some money left."
Here he produced and spread on the table before his aunt's astonished eyes the balance of the money.
Mrs. Trafton was startled. The possession of so much money seemed to her incomprehensible.
"I hope you came by the money honestly, Robert?"
"What have I ever done, Aunt Jane, that you should think me a thief?" asked Robert, half amused, half annoyed.
"Nothing, my dear boy; but I can't understand how you came to have so much money."
"I see I must explain, aunt. A strong wind blew it to me."
"Then somebody must have lost it. You shouldn't have spent it till you had tried to find the owner."
"I'll explain to you."
And he told her the story of the lost hat and the liberal reward he obtained for chasing and recovering it.
"Think of a straw hat costing fifty dollars, aunt!" he said wonderingly.
"It does seem strange, but I am glad it was worth so much or you wouldn't have been so well paid."
"This Mr. Tudor is a gentleman, aunt. Why, plenty of people would have given me only ten cents. I would have thought myself well paid if he had even given me that, but I couldn't have brought you home so much tea. Aunt Jane, do me a favor."
"What is it, Robert?"
"Make yourself a good strong cup of tea tonight. You'll feel ever so much better, and there's plenty of it. A pound will last a long time, won't it?"
"Oh, yes, a good while. I shall get a good deal of comfort out of that tea. But I don't know about making any to-night. If you would like some – "
"If you'll make some, I'll drink a little, Aunt Jane."
Robert said this because he feared otherwise his aunt would not make any till the next morning.
"Very well, Robert."
"Don't let uncle know I've brought so much money home," said Robert with a sudden thought.
"Why not?"
"Because I don't want him to know I have any money. If he knew, he would want me to give it to him."
"I don't think he would claim it. It was given to you."
"I'll tell you why I am sure he would."
And Robert told how his uncle demanded the scanty pittance which he supposed Mrs. Jones had paid for the sewing.
Mrs. Trafton blushed with shame for her husband's meanness.
"Drink changes a man's nature completely," she said. "The time was when
John would have scorned such a thing."
"That time has gone by, aunt. For fear he will find out that I have the money, I believe I will go and hide it somewhere."
"Shall I take care of it for you, Robert?" asked Mrs. Trafton.
"No, Aunt Jane; he would find it out, and I don't want to get you into any trouble. I know of a good place to put it – a place where he will never find it. I will put it there till we need to use it."
"You must buy something for yourself with it. The money is yours."
Robert shook his head decidedly.
"I don't need anything – that is, I don't need