“I don’t know. If there was any likelihood of this being the case, I think Miss Bartlett would have written to that effect.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“I am going to write to her again, telling her just how matters stand with me, and ask her if she thinks it will do any good for me to come on. If she thinks it will, I’ll try to manage it some way to take a run to New York.”
“You can do that whenever you wish, Matt. I will take care of things the same as you did when I was gone.”
On the way to the stable where the wagon and Billy were located they talked the matter over at a greater length. Andy took a warm personal interest in the matter, and did not hesitate to say so.
“If this Fenton swindled your father, I trust you are able to prove it and get your money back,” he said. “I don’t know of any one that deserves money more than you do.”
The wagon was soon driven around to the store, and the goods unloaded. Then the show-window and the shelves were arranged to attract the eye, after which Andy hung out the red flag, which now began to look to the young auctioneers like an old friend.
As soon as everything was in shape for business Matt brought out paper, pen and ink, and set to work upon the letter to Ida Bartlett. At first he hardly knew how to express himself, but before he had finished he had filled eight pages, and told the 255 young lady exactly how matters stood. He begged for her further assistance, and assured her that she should not lose through her kindness to him.
The letter finished, Matt did not place it in a letter-box, but marched with it to the post-office, that it might be included with the first out-going New York mail.