FRED AT WORK
Deeply humiliated, Fred felt like going home, then threw back his head
and gritted his teeth.
"I'll show Mr. Montgomery I can get a job right here in Baxter," he
exclaimed, and, crossing the street, entered the town's hardware store,
asking the proprietor for any sort of a job.
"Don't want any one but a boy to run errands," replied the man. "I
suppose that's beneath you."
"No honest work is beneath me," rejoined Fred. "How much will you pay?"
"Three dollars."
"Raise me if I make good?"
"Yes."
"How soon do you want me?"
"This afternoon at one o'clock."
"All right, I'll be on hand."
Proud of her son's pluck, Mrs. Markham gave her permission, and Fred
was on hand promptly. And so ready and willing was he that before night
he was assisting the proprietor in many little ways.
Upon her arrival in Manchester, Mrs. Baxter went to the Maryland Hotel,
where she was joined, in due course, by her attorney from Boston.
"Harding, I want you to buy every share of stock possible in the First
National Bank of Baxter," she commanded, after the generalities of
greeting.
"But----"
"Don't 'but' me. Buy, no matter what you are obliged to pay. This is
not a matter of investment. It is one of retribution--and I think I can
afford it."
"Surely, Mrs. Baxter."
"Then carry out my instructions at your earliest opportunity. Now fetch
Samuel Bronson to see me."
Accustomed to the curt commands of the wealthy woman, her attorney
hastened to the offices of the distinguished lawyer, and soon returned
with him.
"I understand you are representing Benjamin Markham, Mr. Bronson," she
said, when the introduction had been completed.
"Yes, Mrs. Baxter."
"I want you to tell me just how his case stands. I am his friend and
desire to help him."
After courteously assuring himself on this point, Mr. Bronson briefly
told her all the details, adding that he was convinced Gibbs had
changed the record of the deed, had forged the check, and, in company
with Mr. Montgomery, had taken the money from the bank at one of their
evening visits.
"The great difficulty, however, is to prove these things," he concluded.
"Would it help if I should obtain control of the bank's stock?" asked
Mrs. Baxter.
"Undoubtedly."
Quickly Fred's benefactress told of her orders to attorney, and it was
agreed that the day she was in possession of the majority of the stock,
Mr. Bronson should go to Baxter as her representative, call a meeting
of the directors and elect himself president. And they further agreed
that no word of their plan should be communicated to the Markhams until
its success was assured.
But the task of securing control of the bank without arousing Mr.
Montgomery's suspicions was difficult, and it was not until late in the
fall that it was accomplished.
In the meantime, Mr. Markham had passed the Fourth of July with his
family, and Fred had made himself so valuable that his employer had
doubled his wage and allowed him to assist in keeping the books. But as
the time approached for the opening of school, Fred was in a quandary
whether to give up his work or his school. In his perplexity, he
appealed to his father, who, in turn, sought the advice of Mr. Bronson.
"By all means have Fred go back to school," counselled the lawyer. "If
you are short of money, I will gladly advance you some which you can
repay when you are on your feet again."
"You must be mighty confident I'm going to get back," smiled Mr.
Markham.
"I am."
The opening day of school found all the First Form back, and cordial
were their greetings to Fred.
After the formality of enrolling had been gone through, Bart summoned
the boys to lay out the football campaigns for the different Forms.
By virtue of his election as captain of the Second eleven the previous
fall, he had inherited the leadership of the School Team.
"If I've aroused any one's ill-will in the past, I want them to
remember it was in the past, and, forgetting it, to work with me to
wrest the championship from Landon this fall," he said. "By working in
harmony, each one doing his best, I think we can win--and if we do, the
Baxter 1912 football team will never be forgotten."
So unusual was such good nature in the rich bully, that Buttons, Soda,
Bronson and Fred were first amazed and then delighted.
"If he really means what he says, I shall come out and try for full
back," exclaimed Clothespin.
That the boy could kick the pigskin had never occurred to his
companions, but mindful of his prowess as a pitcher, they refrained
from poking fun at him.
"Ever play at the Military Academy?" laughed Shorty.
"Yes, indeed."
"What was your record there--never being thrown when running with the
ball?" grinned Soda.
"Oh, shut up," returned Bronson. "It wasn't my fault my record with the
nine was brought out."
"If you'll do as well with the eleven as on the diamond, we'll forgive
you," declared Buttons.
Just then Tompkins joined the group, fairly bubbling with excitement.
"What is it, Ned?" asked the group in chorus.
"I've got the dandy scheme. You all know 1912 is no ordinary Form, like
those that have graduated before us. But that we may carve ourselves
firmly into Baxter tradition, let's start the custom of a cane rush on
opening night."
"Won't do for us--too frivolous," returned Buttons judiciously. "But
it'll be a bully good stunt to put up to the Thirds and Seconds. The
Seconds are a scrawny bunch, anyway, this year, so the Thirds can give
them a good rush."
But, as luck would have it, the headmaster had come up as the boy
spoke, and he peremptorily refused to allow the rush.
"You for a spoil-sport," growled Ned at Buttons, as Mr. Vining left
them. "If you hadn't wanted to butt in and change my plan, we could
have gone about making arrangements, and wouldn't have been here when
the Head came along."
To make sure that all manner of hazing or rushing would be avoided,
Mr. Vining stated to the students, when they assembled for class and
lesson assignments in the afternoon, that suspension faced the first
boy discovered trying them. And his ultimatum was effective.
Being deprived of this amusement, the Firsts turned their attention to
football.