The Argosy, Vol. 61, No. 4 — page 103: what you’re looking at

Machine-transcribed from the original scan — historical spelling and the odd misread are preserved.

HIS TEMPTATION. time. And even then he would be ex- pected to show at least a thousand dol- lars saved if they were to have Uncle Alger’s blessing. Dexter had never chanced to meet Marjorie’s uncle, but he very well knew that he shouldn’t like him, and he was confident that Mr. Jeremiah Alger had taken a strong dislike to him. First of all, to whom did the thousand- dollar note really belong? Dexter could no more answer that than he could fly. He was very well assured that it did not rightfully belong to the fat man who had given it to him. : Dexter was really the receiver of stolen funds—the innocent receiver. At least, he was innocent up to this point. He did not have to ruminate an in- stant over the right course to pursue. He knew it instinctively. He should re- port the strange matter to Harry Con- nors, and turn the thousand dollars in to the office. The railroad company would make some attempt to find the real owner of the money. If the person did not ap- pear, Dexter, who had the best right to it, would in time get the thousand dollars, with the bank interest that would ' accrue meanwhile. But this happy conclusion would be years hence. A thousand dollars was not a sum to give up carelessly. The corporation might be held responsible by the real owner, and it must hold the thousand dollars long enough to preclude any suit for damages that might arise out of the incident. Had it been some article—no matter how valuable—that Dexter had found in his car, he would, in all probability, have turned it over to the lost-and-found bureau in the regular order of the day’s business. But this thing was out of the ordinary. His mind had been full of his desire to achieve a thousand dollars and bear Marjorie Alger away from her ogre of an uncle. And here was the thousand dollars! He saw Connors coming through the train to him, and he tried to smooth the emotion from his face and get a grip on his nerves before the conductor should get near him. With no further thought than that, he took the first step on the path of deceit. And, having taken it, he 661 seemed to be instantly shown the best and ‘safest ’’ course to pursue regarding the mysterious bank-note. It would not do to ignore the thing. Connors would some time remember it, and it would be best to have its discus- sion over with now. Nor did Dexter contemplate any elaborate line of deceit. He had just one plain, unvarnished lie to tell—and then stick to it. He would not try to mislead Connors by making a mystery of the fat man. He could safely give a clear and exact de- scription of the stranger. He would even suggest his own secret suspicions regard- ing the dishonesty of the fellow, and he could repeat what the old gentleman had said about the fat man fainting and being brought to by another passenger during Dexter’s trip forward. Then he could repeat the story of the man’s leaving the train at Packard, and even admit that no fare had been col- lected for his ride from Selsburg. All these things were perfectly true, and would be safe to tell. The one thing Dexter had to keep to himself was regarding the man’s strange denial of his identity and his refusal to accept the thousand-dollar bill. This program the young flagman fol- lowed out without a tremor. It was a story curlous enough to excite Connors’s interest and wonder, at that. But it sounded much more reasonable than the truth—at least, on that final point. ‘‘ He was nothing but a bluffer, then? ” commented the conductor. ‘‘ He took a risk. Served him right if we had held on to the bill and got it changed at the junction, and made him go all the way there instead of letting him off at Pack- ard. Some men are mean.” “ Do you suppose that note was good? ’”’ repeated Dexter earnestly. “I wish I knew where to get another just like it,” grinned Connors. ‘“ Of course it was good. You’re green yet, Deck. Ill forgive you this time; but don’t you ever let another gay bluffer— especially one with a roll—get by you like that.” Dexter had no occasion to reply, for the conductor went forward again. The train was slowing down for another sta- tion, and the flagman had his own duties, although Connors would look out for the EO OO (©