The boy tugged at the lid, but it stubbornly resisted his efforts.
From the furnace room, the waiting Brad now called impatiently:
“Hey, slow poke! Hurry up with that coal, will you? You’ve been in that bin a couple of hours!”
Dan emerged into the light. His hands were smeared with coal dust. So was his blue Cub Scout uniform. A long black smudge lay across his cheek.
“Say, what you been doing in there?” Brad demanded, staring at him. “If you aren’t a sight!”
Dan ignored the gibe. Grinning triumphantly, he thrust the metal box into the astonished Brad’s hand.
“Look at this,” he directed. “What d’you say? Did I waste my time in that coal bin?”
Brad stared at the box and then shook it hard.
“You found this under the coal?” he demanded almost in disbelief.
“You catch on fast,” Dan grinned. “I found it under the coal.”