“I haven’t got any money, but I want to pay you as I promised you. Take that.”
“What, mister?” and then Andy learned what the man meant. The latter hunched one shoulder towards the timber on which he sat, and there lay a small open-faced silver watch.
Andy wondered how he had managed to get it out of his pocket, but he had, and there it lay.
“It’s worth about eight dollars,” explained the man. “You can probably get four for it. Anyhow, you can trade it off for some shoes and clothes, which you seem to need pretty badly.”
“Yes, I do, for a fact,” admitted Andy, with a slight laugh. “But see here, mister, I don’t want your watch. I couldn’t ask any pay, for I wanted to come down the creek myself, and I was just waiting to find the chance to work my way when you came along.”
“You’ll take the watch,” insisted the stranger in a decided tone, “so say no more about it, and put it in your pocket. There’s only one thing, youngster—I want to ask a favor of you.”
“Yes, sir.”
“Forget you ever saw me.”
“That will be hard to do, but I will try.”