“Hum! there seems to be a great deal of promise in the boy, from what you say of him.”  Mr. Bronson hid the twinkle in his eye this time.  “And, I must confess, he seems perfectly capable of shifting for himself.”

“Sir?” Joe could not believe his ears.

“Let us see, then.  He is at present entitled to the half of five thousand dollars, the other half of which belongs to you.  It was you two who preserved the safe from the bottom of the Pacific, and if you only had waited a little longer, Mr. Tate and myself would have increased the reward.”

“Oh!” Joe caught a glimmering of the light.  “Part of that is easily arranged.  I simply refuse to take my half.  As to the other—­that is n’t exactly what ’Frisco Kid desires.  He wants friends—­and—­and—­though you did n’t say so, they are far higher than money, nor can money buy them.  He wants friends and a chance for an education, not twenty-five hundred dollars.”

“Don’t you think it would be better for him to choose for himself?”

“Ah, no.  That ’s all arranged.”

“Arranged?”

“Yes, sir.  He ’s captain on sea, and I ’m captain on land.  So he ’s under my charge now.”

“Then you have the power of attorney for him in the present negotiations?  Good.  I ’ll make you a proposition.  The twenty-five hundred dollars shall be held in trust by me, on his demand at any time.  We ’ll settle about yours afterward.  Then he shall be put on probation for, say, a year—­in our office.  You can either coach him in his studies, for I am confident now that you will be up in yours hereafter, or he can attend night-school.  And after that, if he comes through his period of probation with flying colors, I ’ll give him the same opportunities for an education that you possess.  It all depends on himself.  And now, Mr. Attorney, what have you to say to my offer in the interests of your client?”

“That I close with it at once.”

Father and son shook hands.

“And what are you going to do now, Joe?”

“Send a telegram to ’Frisco Kid first, and then hurry home.”

“Then wait a minute till I call up San Andreas and tell Mr. Tate the good news, and then I ’ll go with you.”

“Mr. Willis,” Mr. Bronson said as they left the outer office, “the San Andreas safe is recovered, and we ’ll all take a holiday.  Kindly tell the clerks that they are free for the rest of the day.  And I say,” he called back as they entered the elevator, “don’t forget the office-boy.”