“Oh, yes,” smiled the young athlete; “I believe I was once on a time.”
“Did you ever have any fun?”
“Lots of it.”
“But you never played any pranks, did you?”
Merry smiled again, seeing how the lad was seeking to turn the tables on him.
“Yes,” Frank confessed unhesitatingly, “I have, and some of them I afterward regretted. I want you to profit by my experience. I know how much you think of Felicia, yet you did not pause to consider that while you were having sport with her donkey, Billy, you might give her pain. There is such a thing as harmless fun, Dick. This prank of yours, like most of the pranks you play, caused somebody pain. You are my brother, Dick, and I want you to be a little more careful.”
“How do I know I’m your brother? My father never told me anything about you—that is—until——”
Frank’s clear eyes had disconcerted the boy, causing him to hesitate and falter in the declaration he had started to make.
“He told you about me before he died,” said Frank positively. “He told you how my mother was his first wife, which made us half-brothers, and he also told you that I would come to take you and care for you.”
“I don’t want you to take me! I won’t let you take me! I am satisfied here, and I’m going to stay here! You shall not take me away!”