"I cannot," began the boy.
"Nonsense! I will take no refusal. He must stay, mustn't he, Mr. Anderson?"
"By all means," smiled the mayor.
"And we will talk about his heroic deed," went on Mrs. Anderson. "It was a fortnight ago, but the scene comes up before me as vividly as if it had been only yesterday—the maddened horses, our child directly in their path, her rescue by this noble boy at the imminent risk of his own life. In another moment she would have been crushed under the feet of the runaway animals had he not sprang forward and dragged her out of danger."
"It was a heroic act," said the mayor.
"It was nothing more than almost anyone would have done, sir," said the blushing lad.
"It was more than anyone else did," returned Mr. Anderson, "and I understand that the affair was witnessed by a dozen or more persons. But why have you not called before? I understood my wife to say that she asked you to come that afternoon. You did not come, and we tried in every way to discover your identity, even going so far as to advertise for you."
"I saw the advertisements, sir," replied Al.
"Ah! and that is why you are here?"
"Oh, no, sir. The advertisements mentioned that you wanted to give me a reward."