“GIVE ME THAT MONEY”
From the village store Robert went to the baker’s and bought a loaf of
bread for six cents, making his entire expenditures sixty-four cents.
He was now ready to go home. He walked rapidly and soon reached the
humble cabin, where he found his aunt waiting for him.
She looked with surprise at the three bundles he brought in and asked:
“What have you got there, Robert?”
“First of all, here is a pound of tea,” said the boy, laying it down on
the kitchen table. “Here is a pound of sugar and here is a loaf of
bread.”
“But I didn’t order all those, Robert,” said his aunt.
“I know you didn’t,” answered her nephew, “but I thought you’d be able
to make use of them.”
“No doubt I shall, but surely you did not buy them all for twenty-five
cents?”
“I should say not. Why, the tea alone cost fifty cents! Then the sugar
came to eight cents and the loaf cost six cents.”
“Mrs. Jones didn’t pay you enough to buy all those, did she?”
“Mrs. Jones is about as mean a woman as you can find anywhere,” Robert
said warmly. “She didn’t pay me a cent.”
“Why? Didn’t she like the work?”
“She said uncle owed her husband money for drink and the work would part
pay up the debt.”
But for the presence of the groceries, this would have had a
discouraging effect upon Mrs. Trafton, but her mind was diverted by her
curiosity, and she said apprehensively:
“I hope you didn’t buy on credit, Robert? I never can pay so much
money!”
“Mr. Sands isn’t the man to sell on credit. Aunt Jane. No, I paid cash.
And the best of it is,” continued our hero, “I have some money left.”
Here he produced and spread on the table before his aunt’s astonished
eyes the balance of the money.
Mrs. Trafton was startled. The possession of so much money seemed to her
incomprehensible.
“I hope you came by the money honestly, Robert?”
“What have I ever done, Aunt Jane, that you should think me a thief?”
asked Robert, half amused, half annoyed.
“Nothing, my dear boy; but I can’t understand how you came to have so
much money.”
“I see I must explain, aunt. A strong wind blew it to me.”
“Then somebody must have lost it. You shouldn’t have spent it till you
had tried to find the owner.”
“I’ll explain to you.”
And he told her the story of the lost hat and the liberal reward he
obtained for chasing and recovering it.
“Think of a straw hat costing fifty dollars, aunt!” he said
wonderingly.
“It does seem strange, but I am glad it was worth so much or you
wouldn’t have been so well paid.”
“This Mr. Tudor is a gentleman, aunt. Why, plenty of people would have
given me only ten cents. I would have thought myself well paid if he had
even given me that, but I couldn’t have brought you home so much tea.
Aunt Jane, do me a favor.”
“What is it, Robert?”
“Make yourself a good strong cup of tea to-night. You’ll feel ever so
much better, and there’s plenty of it. A pound will last a long time,
won’t it?”
“Oh, yes, a good while. I shall get a good deal of comfort out of that
tea. But I don’t know about making any to-night. If you would like
some----”
“If you’ll make some, I’ll drink a little, Aunt Jane.”
Robert said this because he feared otherwise his aunt would not make any
till the next morning.
“Very well, Robert.”
“Don’t let uncle know I’ve brought so much money home,” said Robert with
a sudden thought.
“Why not?”
“Because I don’t want him to know I have any money. If he knew, he would
want me to give it to him.”
“I don’t think he would claim it. It was given to you.”
“I’ll tell you why I am sure he would.”
And Robert told how his uncle demanded the scanty pittance which he
supposed Mrs. Jones had paid for the sewing.
Mrs. Trafton blushed with shame for her husband’s meanness.
“Drink changes a man’s nature completely,” she said. “The time was when
John would have scorned such a thing.”
“That time has gone by, aunt. For fear he will find out that I have the
money, I believe I will go and hide it somewhere.”
“Shall I take care of it for you, Robert?” asked Mrs. Trafton.
“No, Aunt Jane; he would find it out, and I don’t want to get you into
any trouble. I know of a good place to put it--a place where he will
never find it. I will put it there till we need to use it.”
“You must buy something for yourself with it. The money is yours.”
Robert shook his head decidedly.
“I don’t need anything--that is, I don’t need anything but what I can do
without. We will keep it to buy bread and tea and anything else that we
need. Now, aunt, while you are steeping the tea, I will go out and
dispose of the money.”
Here it is necessary to explain that though John Trafton started for
home when he heard from Mr. Sands about Robert’s unexpected wealth, he
changed his mind as he passed the tavern. He thought he must have one
more drink.
He entered and preferred his request.
“Trafton,” said the landlord, “don’t you think you’ve had enough?”
“Not quite. I want one more glass and then I’ll go home.”
“But you are owing me several dollars. Clear off that score and then you
may have as much as you will.”
“I’ll pay you a dollar on account to-morrow.”
“Do you mean it?”
“Yes. Bob’s got some money of mine--over a dollar. I’ll get it to-night
and bring it round to-morrow.”
“Of course, Trafton, If you’ll keep your credit good, I won’t mind
trusting you. Well, what shall it be?”
John Trafton gave his order and sat down again in the barroom. He felt
so comfortable that he easily persuaded himself that there was no hurry
about collecting the money in his nephew’s hands. Robert was at home by
this time and would have no way of spending the balance of his cash.
“It’s all right,” said the fisherman; “I’ll wait till ten o’clock and
then I’ll go home.”
Meanwhile Robert went out on the cliff and looked about him. He looked
down upon the waves as they rolled in on the beach and he enjoyed the
sight, familiar as it was, for he had a love of the grand and beautiful
in nature.
“I think if I were a rich man,” thought the poor fisherman’s boy, “I
would like to build a fine house on the cliff, with an observatory right
here, where I could always see the ocean. It’s something to live here,
if I do have to live in a poor cabin. But I must consider where I will
hide my money.”
At his feet was a small tin box, which had been thrown away by somebody,
and it struck Robert that this would make a good depository for his
money. Fortunately the cover of the box was attached to it.
He took the money from his vest pocket and dropped it into the box. Then
he covered it, and, finding a good place, he scooped out the dirt and
carefully deposited the box in the hole.
He carefully covered it up, replacing the dirt, and took particular
notice of the spot, so that there would be no difficulty in finding it
again whenever he had occasion.
Having attended to this duty, he retraced his steps to the cabin and
found that the tea had been steeped and the table was covered with a
neat cloth and two cups and saucers were set upon it.
“Tea’s all ready, Robert,” said his aunt cheerfully. “The smell of it
does me good. It’s better than all the liquor in the world!”
Robert did not like tea as well as his aunt, but still he relished the
warm drink, for the night was cool, and more than ever he rejoiced to
see how much his aunt enjoyed what had latterly been rather a rare
luxury.
About nine o’clock Robert went to bed and very soon fell asleep.
He had not been asleep long before he was conscious of being rudely
shaken.
Opening his eyes, he saw his uncle with inflamed face and thickened
utterance.
“What’s wanted, uncle?” he asked.
“Where’s that money, you young rascal? Give me the dollar and forty-two
cents you’re hiding from me!”