CHAPTER XXVIII
THE RENOWNED DOCTOR
Larry’s mother could scarcely believe the good news that the boy brought her when he showed the thousand-dollar check. It seemed almost like a dream to all of them, and several times Larry pinched himself to see if he would not wake up.
But the check remained firm, and, the next day at the suggestion of Mr. Newton, the lad deposited it in a savings bank, and received a book with his name on it, and one thousand dollars on the credit side.
“What are you going to do with it?” his mother asked Larry several times. “I hope you will not spend it foolishly.”
“Don’t worry,” replied Larry. “I’m not going to spend it right away, but when I do it will be for something worth while,” and he smiled over some pleasant thought.
Many persons, on receiving such a large sum, would, if they were as poor as the Dexters, have at once moved into a better house, bought a lot of new furniture, and begun to live better. But this did not enter Larry’s head, though his mother wondered if that was what his plan was.
She would have liked to have moved into a better house, though they were fairly well off where they were. True, they had not many articles of luxury, and sometimes their comforts were few. But Larry was now earning good wages, and, with what Mrs. Dexter got from her sewing, they had enough to eat, good substantial clothing, and did not need to worry over the coal supply, even though winter was coming on. But Larry was not yet ready to disclose his plans.
There was much wonder in the vicinity of the apartment where the Dexters lived over the fact that with so much money they did not move to better quarters, and several of their neighbors mentioned this.
“It’s Larry’s money,” said Mrs. Dexter, in answer to these questions. “He can do what he likes with it, in reason. Of course I would not let him spend it foolishly, and I know he will not. When he gets ready he will let me know what he is going to do with it.”