“I can’t wait any longer for that train!” cried the stranger, and without another word he placed the pocket-book into his coat-pocket and disappeared into the crowd.
For the instant Matt stared after him, and then a light burst upon the boy’s mind.
“He is a confidence man and was trying to swindle me!” he murmured to himself. “If that pocket-book contained much it was a single dollar 120 bill on a pile of green paper! How lucky I was not to jump at his offer when he first made it!”
As soon as he had reached this conclusion, Matt made after the man. But the crowd was too thick and too large to find him, and after a quarter of an hour’s search the young auctioneer gave it up.
It was now getting late, and as soon as he was satisfied that the confidence man was gone, Matt hurried along on his errand.
He found that the lady who had purchased the goods had just reached home. She had heard of the brown bear episode, and insisted upon Matt giving her the particulars, which he did. She was very much interested in his story, and after she had heard how the affair terminated she plied him with questions concerning the auction business.
“You may think me very curious,” she said at length. “But the reason I ask is because my only son, Tom Inwold, ran away with a traveling auctioneer about three months ago.”
“Ran away?” repeated Matt.
“Yes; he got into a difficulty in school, and when I insisted that he apologize to his teachers, he grew angry and left the house.”
“How old was he?”