"Take my advice, and put it in a savings-bank. Then it will be safe. No man who offers to pay ten per cent. for money can be relied upon."
"Perhaps you want to rob me yourself?" said the farmer suspiciously.
"Do I look like it?" asked Luke, smiling. "Isn't my advice good, to put the money in a savings-bank? But I will tell you how I fell in with Mr. Coleman, and how he tried to swindle me, and then you can judge for yourself."
This Luke did briefly and his tone and manner carried conviction. The farmer became extremely indignant at the intended fraud, and promised to have nothing to do with Coleman.
"I will take my old seat, then," said Luke. "I don't want Coleman to know who warned you."
Presently, Coleman came back and was about to resume his seat beside the farmer.
"You see I have come back," he said.
"You needn't have troubled yourself," said the farmer, with a lowering frown. "You nearly took me in with your smooth words, but I've got my money yet, and I mean to keep it. Your friend can't have it."
"What does all this mean, my friend?" asked Coleman, in real amazement. "Is it possible you distrust me? Why, I was going to put myself to inconvenience to do you a service."
"Then you needn't. I know you. You wanted to swindle me out of my two hundred and fifty dollars."