CHAPTER XX

LUKE TALKS WITH A CAPITALIST

Luke worked steadily on the task given him by his new patron.  During the first week he averaged three hours a day, with an additional two hours on Saturday, making, in all, twenty hours, making, at thirty cents per hour, six dollars.  This Luke considered fair pay, considering that he was attending school and maintaining good rank in his classes.

“Why don’t we see more of you, Luke?” asked his friend Linton one day.  “You seem to stay in the house all the time.”

“Because I am at work, Linny.  Last week I made six dollars.”

“How?” asked Linton, surprised.

“By copying and making out bills for Mr. Reed.”

“That is better than being janitor at a dollar a week.”

“Yes, but I have to work a good deal harder.”

“I am afraid you are working too hard.”

“I shouldn’t like to keep it up, but it is only for a short time.  If I gave up school I should find it easy enough, but I don’t want to do that.”

“No, I hope you won’t; I should miss you, and so would all the boys.”

“Including Randolph Duncan?”

“I don’t know about that.  By the way, I hear that Randolph is spending a good deal of his time at Tony Denton’s billiard saloon.”

“I am sorry to hear it.  It hasn’t a very good reputation.”

* * * * * * * * *

One day Luke happened to be at the depot at the time of the arrival of the train from New York.  A small, elderly man stepped upon the platform whom Luke immediately recognized as John Armstrong, the owner of the missing box of bonds.  He was surprised to see him, having supposed that he was still in Europe.  Mr. Armstrong, as already stated, had boarded for several weeks during the preceding summer at Groveton.

He looked at Luke with a half-glance of recognition.

“Haven’t I seen you before?” he said.  “What is your name?”

“My name is Luke Larkin.  I saw you several times last summer.”

“Then you know me?”

“Yes, sir, you are Mr. Armstrong.  But I thought you were in Europe.”

“So I was till recently.  I came home sooner than I expected.”

Luke was not surprised.  He supposed that intelligence of the robbery had hastened Mr. Armstrong’s return.

“I suppose it was the news of your box that hurried you home,” Luke ventured to say.

“No, I hadn’t heard of it till my arrival in New York can you tell me anything about the matter?  Has the box been found?”

“Not that I have heard, sir.”

“Was, or is, anybody suspected?”

“I was suspected,” answered Luke, smiling, “but I don’t think any one suspects me now.”

“You!” exclaimed the capitalist, in evident astonishment.  “What could induce any one to suspect a boy like you of robbing a bank?”