[“Rather an unusual proceeding, Emerson,” pursued the doctor]
“Why,” replied Russell a trifle blankly, “to make money.”
“I see. But do you really need money? That is, more money than, I presume, your parents allow you?”
“Yes, sir,” answered the boy emphatically. “My tuition is paid until the end of this term, sir, but if I’m to remain here for the rest of the year I’ll have to pony up—I mean I’ll have to pay for it myself.” Russell paused, frowned a little and looked speculatively at the Principal. The latter smiled faintly and nodded.
“Yes, I would,” he said.
Russell looked a bit startled and a bit questioning.
“Tell me all about it,” explained the Doctor. “You were wondering whether you should, weren’t you?”
“Well, I—” Russell began apologetically. Then he smiled and began anew. “You see, sir, my father isn’t very well off. I guess I oughtn’t to have come here in the first place, but I wanted to pretty badly, and father said I might as well have the best as any, and so I came. It went all right the first two years, but last spring things got sort of bad in our town. Folks got out of work and went away, and those that stayed didn’t have much money and didn’t spend much of what they had. And a good many didn’t pay their bills. So father’s business sort of ran down and we didn’t have much money.”