CHAPTER X.
THE COUNTERFEIT BILL.
"Are you sure it is counterfeit?" asked Carl, very much disturbed.
"I am certain of it. I haven't been handling bank bills for ten yearswithout being able to tell good money from bad. I'll trouble you foranother bill."
"That's all the money I have," faltered Carl.
"Look here, young man," said the clerk, sternly, "you are trying a boldgame, but it won't succeed."
"I am trying no game at all," said Carl, plucking up spirit. "I thoughtthe bill was good."
"Where did you get it?"
"From the man who came with me last evening--Mr. Hubbard."
"The money he gave me was good."
"What did he give you?"
"A five-dollar bill."
"It was my five-dollar bill," said Carl, bitterly.
"Your story doesn't seem very probable," said the clerk, suspiciously."How did he happen to get your money, and you his?"
"He told me that he would get to gambling, and wished me to take moneyenough to pay his bill here. He handed me the ten-dollar bill which yousay is bad, and I gave him five in return. I think now he only wanted toget good money for bad."
"Your story may be true, or it may not," said the clerk, whose mannerindicated incredulity. "That is nothing to me. All you have to do is topay your hotel bill, and you can settle with Mr. Hubbard when you seehim."
"But I have no other money," said Carl, desperately.
"Then I shall feel justified in ordering your arrest on a charge ofpassing, or trying to pass, counterfeit money."
"Don't do that, sir! I will see that you are paid out of the first moneyI earn."
"You must think I am soft," said the clerk, contemptuously. "I have seenpersons of your stripe before. I dare say, if you were searched, morecounterfeit money would be found in your pockets."
"Search me, then!" cried Carl, indignantly. "I am perfectly willing thatyou should."
"Haven't you any relations who will pay your bill?"
"I have no one to call upon," answered Carl, soberly. "Couldn't you letme work it out? I am ready to do any kind of work."
"Our list of workers is full," said the clerk, coldly.
Poor Carl! he felt that he was decidedly in a tight place. He had neverbefore found himself unable to meet his bills, nor would he have been soplaced now but for Hubbard's rascality. A dollar and a quarter seemsa small sum, but if you are absolutely penniless it might as well bea thousand. Suppose he should be arrested and the story get into thepapers? How his stepmother would exult in the record of his disgrace!He could anticipate what she would say. Peter, too, would rejoice, andbetween them both his father would be persuaded that he was thoroughlyunprincipled.
"What have you got in your valise?" asked the clerk.
"Only some underclothing. If there were anything of any value I wouldcheerfully leave it as security. Wait a minute, though," he said, with asudden thought. "Here is a gold pencil! It is worth five dollars; at anyrate, it cost more than that. I can place that in your hands."
"Let me see it."
Carl handed the clerk a neat gold pencil, on which his name wasinscribed. It was evidently of good quality, and found favor with theclerk.
"I'll give you a dollar and a quarter for the pencil," he said, "andcall it square."
"I wouldn't like to sell it," said Carl.
"You won't get any more for it."
"I wasn't thinking of that; but it was given me by my mother, who is nowdead. I would not like to part with anything that she gave me."
"You would prefer to get off scot-free, I suppose?" retorted the clerk,with a sneer.
"No; I am willing to leave it in your hands, but I should like theprivilege of redeeming it when I have the money."
"Very well," said the clerk, who reflected that in all probability Carlwould never come back for it. "I'll take it on those conditions."
Carl passed over the pencil with a sigh. He didn't like to part with it,even for a short time, but there seemed no help for it.
"All right. I will mark you paid."
Carl left the hotel, satchel in hand, and as he passed out into thestreet, reflected with a sinking heart that he was now quite penniless.Where was he to get his dinner, and how was he to provide himself with alodging that night? At present he was not hungry, having eaten a heartybreakfast at the hotel, but by one o'clock he would feel the need offood. He began to ask himself if, after all, he had not been unwise inleaving home, no matter how badly he had been treated by his stepmother.There, at least, he was certain of living comfortably. Now he was indanger of starvation, and on two occasions already he had incurredsuspicion, once of being concerned in a murder, and just now of passingcounterfeit money. Ought he to have submitted, and so avoided all theseperils?
"No!" he finally decided; "I won't give up the ship yet. I am about asbadly off as I can be; I am without a cent, and don't know where mynext meal is to come from. But my luck may turn--it must turn--it hasturned!" he exclaimed with energy, as his wandering glance suddenly fellupon a silver quarter of a dollar, nearly covered up with the dust ofthe street. "That shall prove a good omen!"
He stooped over and picked up the coin, which he put in his vest pocket.
It was wonderful how the possession of this small sum of money restoredhis courage and raised his spirits. He was sure of a dinner now, at allevents. It looked as if Providence was smiling on him.
Two miles farther on Carl overtook a boy of about his own age trudgingalong the road with a rake over his shoulder. He wore overalls, and wasevidently a farmer's boy.
"Good-day!" said Carl, pleasantly, noticing that the boy regarded himwith interest.
"Good-day!" returned the country lad, rather bashfully.
"Can you tell me if there is any place near where I can buy somedinner?"
"There ain't no tavern, if that's what you mean. I'm goin' home todinner myself."
"Where do you live?"
"Over yonder."
He pointed to a farmhouse about a dozen rods away.
"Do you think your mother would give me some dinner?"
"I guess she would. Mam's real accommodatin'."
"Will you ask her?"
"Yes; just come along of me."
He turned into the yard, and followed a narrow path to the back door.
"I'll stay here while you ask," said Carl.
The boy entered the house, and came out after a brief absence.
"Mam says you're to come in," he said.
Carl, glad at heart, and feeling quite prepared to eat fifty cents'worth of dinner, followed the boy inside.
A pleasant-looking, matronly woman, plainly but neatly attired, cameforward to greet him.
"Nat says you would like to get some dinner," she said.
"Yes," answered Carl. "I hope you'll excuse my applying to you, but yourson tells me there is no hotel near by."
"The nearest one is three miles away from here."
"I don't think I can hold out so long," said Carl, smiling.
"Sit right down with Nat," said the farmer's wife, hospitably. "Mr.Sweetser won't be home for half an hour. We've got enough, such as itis."
Evidently Mrs. Sweetser was a good cook. The dinner consisted of boiledmutton, with several kinds of vegetables. A cup of tea and two kinds ofpie followed.
It was hard to tell which of the two boys did fuller justice to themeal. Nat had the usual appetite of a healthy farm boy, and Carl, inspite of his recent anxieties, and narrow escape from serious peril, didnot allow himself to fall behind.
"Your mother's a fine cook!" said Carl, between two mouthfuls.
"Ain't she, though?" answered Nat, his mouth full of pie.
When Carl rose from the table he feared that he had eaten more than hislittle stock of money would pay for.
"How much will it be, Mrs. Sweetser?" he asked.
"Oh, you're quite welcome to all you've had," said the good woman,cheerily. "It's plain farmer's fare."
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"I never tasted a better dinner," said Carl.
Mrs. Sweetser seemed pleased with the compliment to her cooking.
"Come again when you are passing this way," she said. "You will alwaysbe welcome to a dinner."
Carl thanked her heartily, and pressed on his way. Two hours later, ata lonely point of the road, an ill-looking tramp, who had been recliningby the wayside, jumped up, and addressed him in a menacing tone:
"Young feller, shell over all the money you have got, or I'll hurt you!I'm hard up, and I won't stand no nonsense."
Carl started and looked into the face of the tramp. It seemed to himthat he had never seen a man more ill-favored, or villainous-looking.