“Suppose I shouldn’t?”

“I shall not trouble myself about the loss.  In all probability, you saved my life last evening.  That is worth to me many times what I have invested for you.”

“I want to give you my note for the money,” said Joe.  “If I live, I will pay you, with interest.”

“I agree with you.  We may as well put it on a business basis.”

Papers were drawn up, and Joe found himself proprietor of the restaurant.  He lost no opportunity of mastering the details of the business.  He learned where his predecessor obtained his supplies, what prices he paid, about how much he required for a day’s consumption, and what was his scale of prices.

“Do you live here, Mr. Brock?” asked Joe.

“Yes; I have a bed, which I lay in a corner of the restaurant.  Thus I avoid the expense of a room outside, and am on hand early for business.”

“I’ll do the same,” said Joe promptly.

“In that way you will have no personal expenses, except clothing and washing,” said Brock.

“I shall be glad to have no bills to pay for board,” said Joe.  “That’s rather a steep item here.”

“So it is.”

“I don’t see but I can save up pretty much all I make,” said Joe.

“Certainly you can.”

In two days Joe, who was naturally quick and whose natural shrewdness was sharpened by his personal interest, mastered the details of the business, and felt that he could manage alone.

“Mr. Brock,” said he, “you promised to stay with me three days, but I won’t insist upon the third day.  I think I can get along well without you.”

“If you can, I shall be glad to leave you at once.  The fact is, a friend of mine starts for the mines to-morrow, and I would like to accompany him.  I asked him to put it off a day, but he thinks he can’t.”

“Go with him, by all means.  I can get along.”

So, on the morning of the third day, Joe found himself alone.

At the end of the first week he made a careful estimate of his expenses and receipts, and found, to his astonishment, that he had cleared two hundred dollars.  It seemed to him almost incredible, and he went over the calculations again and again.  But he could figure out no other result.

“Two hundred dollars in one week!” he said to himself.  “What would Oscar say to that?  It seems like a fairy tale.”

Joe did not forget that he was five hundred dollars In debt.  He went to George Morgan, who had bought out for himself a gentlemen’s furnishing store, and said: 

“Mr. Morgan, I want to pay up a part of that debt.”

“So soon, Joe?  How much do you want to pay?”

“A hundred and fifty dollars.”

“You don’t mean to say that you have cleared that amount?” said Morgan, in amazement.

“Yes, sir, and fifty dollars more.”

“Very well.  I will receive the money.  You do well to wipe out your debts as soon as possible.”