James Fairchild.
P. S. I haven’t got a dime and I send you two nickels which I trust will be agreeable to you.
J. F.
I must acknowledge that it took a good deal of resolution on Kid’s part to drop those two nickels in and seal them up. They looked very large and desirable just then. And after he had sealed the letter he was strongly tempted to recover his money and postpone embarking in business until after the receipt of his next remittance from home. But to his credit be it said that he nobly resisted the temptation and, lest his resolution might not hold out, hurried downstairs and dropped the letter irrevocably in the post box outside the front door. Then, somewhat excited by the prospect of so much wealth, he returned to the window-seat and with pencil and paper carried on his business in imagination to a point where he had disposed of some ten dozen boxes of Tinkham’s Throat-Ease and was rich beyond the dreams of avarice. He would have been still richer if the dinner bell had not sounded just then.
After that there was nothing to do but wait for the tablets to arrive. Kid tried to bear himself modestly, but the thought of so much riches couldn’t fail to reflect itself on his countenance and in his bearing. Stanley Pierce asked him what the trouble was and Kid, smiling knowingly, said “Nothing, thank you.”
“You look like the cat that swallowed the canary,” growled Stanley. “You’ve been up to some mischief, that’s what, Kid. What you been doing?”
“Nothing,” replied Kid virtuously.
Stanley viewed him suspiciously. “Well, don’t try anything on me, Kid, or I’ll tan your hide for you. No more mutinies, either. Run over and tell Sam I want to borrow his lexicon; left mine in hall.”
The next day Small appeared with his design for the trophy. As the school at large was to know nothing about it until the presentation was made, Small had to be very careful with his design, and it was only exhibited when none of the older fellows were about. That is why Small hung around Kid’s room until Stanley took offense and put him out. Later, though, Small, having watched through the crack of his door for Stanley’s departure, returned stealthily and Kid was accorded a look at the drawing.