"Half of that belongs to me," said Martin.
"Of course it does. Do you think I wouldn't treat you fair?"
"No," said his dupe. "I know, Mr. Smith, you're a man of honor."
"Of course I am. I'd like to see anybody say I wasn't. I've left everything in the box just as it was, so you might see it was all right."
He went to the cupboard, and, unlocking it, produced the box, of which he lifted the lid. The certificates of stock were at the bottom. Above them, folded up, was the five-twenty U. S. bond for five hundred dollars, and upon it a small roll of green-backs.
"You see it's just as I say, Martin," said Smith, with an air of frankness. "There's the shares that we can't do anything with, here's the bond, and there's the money. Just take and count it, I may have been mistaken in the amount."
Martin counted the roll of bills, and made out just one hundred dollars. Of course he could not be expected to know that there had been three hundred more, which, together with the other bond, were carefully concealed in his confederate's breast-pocket.
"Yes, it's just a hundred dollars," he said, after finishing the count.
"Well, take fifty of them, and put in your pocket."
Martin did so.