"Why Tom, don't you know me? Are you going back on an old friend? I am Ben, your old friend Ben."
"I'll—be—blowed!" and Tommy said no more, but gazed upon him in astonishment.
"Come Tommy, shake hands, little partner."
"Great guns! The prodigal's got home, the calf's been slaughtered, he's got his ring on, and—Ben is it you?"
"Me for a fact, Tommy. Do I look so much altered?"
"Altered! Why you are a regular swell. Who'd ever think you'd been a tramp!" and Tommy was again lost in astonishment. Then in the old familiar tone, he said, seizing Ben's hand and caressing it in his own peculiar way, "but I'm so glad Bennie, so glad you are in luck. Do you live here? Do your folks live here?"
"No, Tommy dear, I do not live here nor have I any relatives here—nor am I in luck. But never mind that, I want you to come with me and get a new suit of clothes."
"Oh, never mind my togs, Ben, these will do very well," and Tommy blushed, and laughed a little. "This suit I'm used to and it suits me. I want you to walk over there to a bench in the park, and we will sit down and have a long chat."
After they had seated themselves the boy said:
"I never expected to see you again, Ben, and I've cried night after night thinking about you. I thought you were drowned. When we were thrown into the water I caught hold of a spar, but a piece of timber struck against it and knocked me off. I got hold of the timber, however, and was picked up by another boat, an Arkansas River packet, and brought clear down here. Now tell me how it all happened with you."