"By the way, Bob," said his uncle, "when I settled with you last November, I paid you up to only November first, so here's a check for $225 for your wages to date. I figured it out at the new rate rather than the old one. Hereafter, I'll give you a check on the first day of each month."
Bob took the check and looked at it. Then he discovered that he had not one check, but two.
"Why, who is this other check for, Uncle Joe?" he asked, handing back the second one.
"That's for you, too, Bob."
"You don't owe me this money, Uncle Joe," he said, looking at the check.
"Yes, I do, Bob. Do you remember the day we let the water out of the pond?"
"But we took that into account when you paid me in November."
"Oh, no, Bob, I didn't. I just paid you for your actual work then, not for any ideas you furnished. This is for the suggestions you furnished. It was you who suggested the draining of the pond and the selling of the sand and gravel—and more than that, you saved me several thousand dollars by advising me not to sell the sand pit to Brady when I needed a little money so badly. Now, I'm paying you what I think is yours by right."
"I couldn't think of taking any money from you for that kind of work,
Uncle Joe," persisted Bob.
"Your Aunt Bettie, John White and I have talked it over, Bob, and we felt that one-third of the money earned by the sand pit should be paid to you. Our records show that after paying Duncan Wallace and a few other charges, the pit has earned a little over $9000, and one-third of this, or your share, is $3000, so you must take the check for that amount, Bob."