Ebenezer Graham had taken no stock in his son's charge against Herbert.He was not prejudiced in favor of Herbert, nor did he feel particularlyfriendly to him, but he was a man of shrewdness and common sense, and heknew that Herbert was not a fool. When Eben made known to him the factthat the stamps and money were missing, he said keenly: "What has becomeof 'em?"
"I don't know," answered Eben, "but I can guess well enough."
"Guess, then," said his father, shortly.
"You know Herbert Carr took my place last evening?"
"Well?"
"There's no doubt that he took the stamps and money."
"That isn't very likely."
"I feel sure of it--so sure that I mean to charge him with it."
"Well, you can see what he says."
Ebenezer did not understand that Eben intended to have the boy arrested,and would not have consented to it had he known. But Eben slipped out ofthe store, and arranged for the arrest without his father's knowledge.Indeed, he did not learn till the trial had already commenced, Ebenhaving made some excuse for his absence.
When Eben returned his father greeted him in a tone very far fromcordial.
"Well, Eben, I hear you've gone and made a fool of yourself?"
"I have only been defending your property, father," said Eben, sullenly."I thought you'd appreciate it better than this."
"You've charged an innocent boy with theft, and now all his friends willlay it up agin' us."
"Were you going to be robbed without saying a word?" asked Eben.
"No, I'm not, Eben Graham; I'm goin' to say a word, and now's the timeto say it. You can't pull wool over my eyes. The money's gone, and thestamps are gone, and somebody's got 'em."
"Herbert Carr!"
"No, it isn't Herbert Carr. It's somebody nearer to me, I'm ashamed tosay, than Herbert Carr."
"Do you mean to say I took them?" asked Eben.
"I won't bring a charge unless I can prove it, but I shall watch youpretty closely after this."
"In that case, I don't wish to work for you any longer; I throw up thesituation," said Eben, loftily.
"Verv well. When are you going to leave town?"
"I ain't going to leave town at present."
"Where are you going to board, then?"
Eben regarded his father in dismay.
"You're not going to send me adrift, are you?" he asked, inconsternation.
"I'm not going to support you in idleness; if you give up your situationin the store, you'll have to go to work for somebody else."
"I wish I could," thought Eben, thinking of the rich young man at thehotel, from whom he had sought a position as companion.
"Then I shall have to leave Wayneboro," he said; "there's nothing to dohere."
"Yes, there is; Farmer Collins wants a hired man."
"A hired man!" repeated Eben, scornfully. "Do you think I am going--tohire out on a farm?"
"You might do a great deal worse," answered Ebenezer, sensibly.
"After being a dry-goods salesman in Boston, I haven't got down to that,I beg to assure you," said Eben, with an air of consequence.
"Then you will have to work in the store if you expect to stay at home,"said his father. "And hark you, Eben Graham," he added, "don't reportany more losses of money or stamps. I make you responsible for both."
Eben went back to his work in an uneasy frame of mind. He saw thathe had not succeeded in imposing upon his father, and that theclear-sighted old gentleman strongly suspected where the missingarticles had gone. Eben might have told, had he felt inclined, thatthe five-dollar bill had been mailed to a lottery agent in New York inpayment for a ticket in a Southern lottery, and that the stamps wereeven now in his possession, and would be sold at the first opportunity.His plan to throw suspicion upon Herbert had utterly failed, and thecold looks with which he had been greeted showed what the villagersthought of his attempt.
"I won't stay in Wayneboro much longer," Eben inwardly resolved. "It'sthe dullest hole in creation. I can get along somehow in a large place,but here there's positively nothing. Hire out on a farm, indeed! Myfather ought to be ashamed to recommend such a thing to his only son,when he's so well off. If he would only give me two hundred dollars, Iwould go to California and trouble him no more. Plenty of peoplemake money in California, and why shouldn't I? If that ticket draws aprize--"
And then Eben went into calculations of what he would do if only he drewa prize of a thousand dollars. That wasn't too much to expect, forthere were several of that amount, and several considerably larger. Hepictured how independent he would be with his prize, and how he wouldtell his father that he could get along without him, displaying at thesame time a large roll of bills. When he reached California he could buyan interest in a mine, and perhaps within three or four years he couldreturn home twenty times as rich as his father. It was pleasant to thinkover all this, and almost to persuade himself that the good luck hadactually come. However, he must wait a few days, for the ticket had notyet come, and the lottery would not be drawn for a week.
The ticket arrived two days later; Eben took care to slip the envelopeinto his pocket without letting his father or anyone else see it, forunpleasant questions might have been asked as to where he got the moneythat paid for it, Mr. Graham knowing very well that his son had not fivedollars by him.
For a few days Eben must remain in Wayneboro, until the lottery wasdrawn. If he was unlucky, he would have to consider some other plan forraising money to get away from Wayneboro.
It was not till the day after the trial and his triumphant acquittal,that Herbert saw Eben. He came to the store to buy some groceries forhis mother.
"Good-evening, Herbert," said Eben.
"Eben," said Herbert, coldly, "except in the way of business, I don'twant to speak to you."
"You don't bear malice on account of that little affair, do you,Herbert?" said Eben, smoothly.
"That little affair, as you call it, might have been a very seriousaffair to me."
"I only did my duty," said Eben.
"Was it your duty to charge an innocent person with theft?"
"I didn't see who else could have taken the things," said Eben.
"Probably you know as well as anybody," said Herbert, contemptuously.
"What do you mean?" demanded Eben, coloring.
"You know better than I do. How much do I owe you?"
"Thirty-three cents."
"There is your money," said Herbert, and walked out of the store.
"I hate that boy!" said Eben, scowling at Herbert's retreating figure."He puts on too many airs, just because a city man's taken him incharity and is paying his expenses. Some time I'll be able to come upwith him, I hope."
Herbert was not of an unforgiving nature, but he felt that Eben hadwronged him deeply, and saw no reason why he would not repeat the injuryif he ever got the chance. He had at least a partial understanding ofEben's mean nature and utter selfishness, and felt that he wished tohave nothing to do with him. Ebenezer Graham was very "close," but hewas a hard-working man and honest as the world goes. He was tolerablyrespected in Wayneboro, though not popular, but Eben seemed on the highroad to become a rascal.
A week slipped by, and a circular containing the list of prizes drawnwas sent to Eben.
He ran his eyes over it in a flutter of excitement. Alas! for his hopes.In the list of lucky numbers the number on his ticket was not included.
"I have drawn a blank! Curse the luck!" he muttered, savagely. "The oldman needn't think I am going to stay here in Wayneboro. If he won't giveme money to go out West, why, then--"
But he did not say what then.
CHAPTER XIV. A TRIP TO BOSTON.
Do and Dare — a Brave Boy's Fight for Fortune Page 13