“You look as if you drank,” replied Conrad, with brutal frankness.  “Your nose is red.”

“That’s owing to a skin disease.  I have belonged to the Temperance Society for five years.”

“Humph! you don’t look like it.  Why don’t you work?”

“Because I can find nothing to do.”

Here a contemptible suggestion offered itself to Conrad.

“If you will do something for me, and keep mum, I’ll give you two dollars.”

“I’ll do it if it isn’t too hard.”

“Then I’ll tell you what it is.  There’s a boat on the pond that belongs to an enemy of mine.  He is always crowing over me.  Now, if you’ll manage this evening to set it on fire, I’ll give you two dollars.”

“How shall I set it on fire?  With a match?”

“No; I’ll supply you with some shavings, a few pieces of board, and some pitch.  There won’t be any trouble about it.”

“Who owns the boat?”

Conrad described Andy.

“That’s the boy who—­but never mind!  I’ll do it.”

Once convinced that in this way he could get revenge on the boy who had humiliated and got the best of him, the tramp was only too willing to help Conrad in his scheme.

When Conrad went home at nine o’clock, after supplying the tramp with combustibles, he said to himself: 

“There won’t be much left of Andy’s boat in the morning.”

CHAPTER X.

The tramp’s mistake.

Conrad went to bed with the comfortable conviction that before morning Andy’s beautiful boat would be ruined.  I am sorry to say that the meanness of the act which he had instigated did not strike him.

Whatever feeling he had was of exultation at the injury done to his enemy, as he persisted in regarding Andy.

It did seem a pity that such an elegant boat should be destroyed.  If Andy would only have agreed to exchange for ten—­even fifteen—­dollars to boot, this would have been avoided.

“He was a fool not to accept,” soliloquized Conrad.  “He will regret it when he sees what has happened.”

He got up at the usual hour and took breakfast.  Every time the bell rang he thought it might be some one to bring him the desired news.

Just after supper Andy met his friend, Valentine, and told him of the beautiful gift he had received.

“Come down and look at it, Val,” he said.  “It is elegant.”

Valentine’s curiosity was excited, and he at once accepted the invitation.

He uttered an exclamation of surprise when he saw the new boat.

“It is a little beauty!” he said.  “It is far ahead of Conrad’s or of mine.”

“Conrad wants to exchange.  He offered me ten dollars to boot.”

“You wouldn’t think of accepting?”

“No; it is worth much more than that.  Besides, it is Mr. Gale’s gift, and even if he had offered fifty dollars I should still refuse.”