"Here is the list. I was sure I had them."
Luke's eyes lighted up with exultation.
It was clear that he had succeeded in his mission. He felt that he had justified the confidence which Mr. Armstrong had reposed in him, and that the outlay would prove not to have been wasted.
"May I copy them?" he asked.
"Certainly, since you are the agent of Mr. Armstrong—or you may have the original paper."
"I will copy them, so that if that paper is lost, I may still have the numbers. And now, what can I do for you?"
The resources of Fenton's Gulch were limited, but Luke succeeded in getting together materials for a breakfast for the sick man. The latter brightened up when he had eaten a sparing meal. It cheered him, also, to find that there was someone to whom he could look for friendly services.
To make my story short, on the second day he felt able to start with Luke for Deadwood, which he reached without any serious effect, except a considerable degree of fatigue.
Arrived at Deadwood, where there were postal facilities, Luke lost no time in writing a letter to Mr. Armstrong, enclosing a list of the stolen bonds. He gave a brief account of the circumstances under which he had found Mr. Harding, and promised to return as soon as he could get the sick man back to his farm in Minnesota.
When this letter was received, Roland Reed was in the merchant's office.