Two hours were spent in a way that pleased Laura and Jessie greatly. The girls purchased several things, to be mailed to the folks left behind.
Then all walked around to the post-office, both to see the building and to send the things away.
It was while the others were addressing their packages and also some picture postcards, that Dave saw a sight that interested him greatly.
Near one of the doorways was a small and ragged newsboy with half a dozen papers under his arm. An older youth had him by the shoulder and was shaking him viciously.
"I say it was a five-dollar gold piece I gave you yesterday by mistake!"
the older boy was saying. "I want it back."
"No, it wasn"t, mister," the boy answered. "It was a cent, nothing but a cent."
"I know better, you little thief! Give me that gold piece, or I"ll call a policeman." And again the big youth shook the ragged newsboy, causing the papers to fall to the sidewalk.
"Why, it"s Link Merwell!" murmured Dave to himself, and he stepped in the direction of the pair who were disputing. Merwell had his back to Dave and did not see him.
"Are you going to give me my gold piece or not?" demanded Link Merwell, and now he gave the newsboy such a twist of the shoulder that the ragged lad cried out with pain.
"I don"t know anything about your gold piece!" cried the boy for at least the tenth time. "Let me go, please, mister! I ain"t no thief!"
"I"ll twist your little neck off for you!" muttered Merwell, and was on the point of hitting the boy in the face when Dave stepped up behind him and caught his arm.
"Don"t you know better than to hit a little chap like this, Merwell?" he demanded.
"Porter!" muttered the western youth, and his face took on a sour look.
"Say, this ain"t none of your affair!" he burst out. "You keep your hands off."
"Please don"t let him hurt me!" pleaded the ragged newsboy. "I didn"t do wrong, mister. I ain"t seen no gold piece. He gave me a cent yesterday for a newspaper, that"s all." And the boy looked imploringly at Dave.
"He"s got a five-dollar gold piece of mine," cried Link Merwell. "I want it. And what"s more, Dave Porter, I want you to keep your nose out of my business!" he added, fiercely.
"Merwell," answered Dave, as calmly as he could, "I have no desire to interfere in your business. But I am not going to stand by and see you abuse this boy, or anybody else. I know just the sort you are--a bully."
"Bah! Just because you had me expelled from Oak Hall you think you can do anything, don"t you? Well, just wait till you get out West, that"s all! I"ll show you a thing or two you won"t forget as long as you live!"
"Take care that you don"t get the worst of it, Merwell. Now let that boy go." And Dave came a step closer and clenched his fists.
"Going to help the rascal steal five dollars from me?"
"He says he knows nothing of your gold piece and he looks honest to me.
Why aren"t you more careful of your money?"
"He"s got my gold piece and I know it!" declared Link Merwell, loudly.
"If he don"t pa.s.s it over, I"m going to have him arrested."
Quite a war of words followed, the loud talking attracting a crowd, including Phil and Roger and the girls. The ragged newsboy broke down completely and commenced to cry bitterly.
"This is a shame, Merwell," said the senator"s son. "I think as Dave does, that the newsboy is honest. If you are so hard up, I"ll give you five dollars out of my own pocket," and he produced a roll of bills.
"I don"t want your money, Morr!" answered Merwell, in a rage. "I am going to make this boy give me back my gold piece."
"Say, you," said a man who had listened to the talk for several minutes.
"When did you lose that five-dollar gold piece?"
"Yesterday morning," answered Link Merwell. "I bought a newspaper from this boy and after a while I found out I had given him a five-dollar piece in place of a cent."
"Did you buy any postage stamps about the same time?" went on the man.
"Why--er--yes, I did." Link Merwell gave a start. "Say, did----"
"You did," answered the man, with a sarcastic grin. "I"m the clerk at that window and I"m just going to lunch," he explained to the crowd.
"You bought five two-cent stamps and threw down a nickel and what I supposed were five pennies. When I looked at them I saw one was a five-dollar gold piece. I tried to call you back, but you got out in such a hurry I couldn"t locate you. If you"ll come back with me I"ll give you the gold piece in exchange for one cent."
"There you are, Merwell!" cried Dave. "Now you can see how you were mistaken in this boy."
Link Merwell"s face was a study. He felt his humiliation keenly, and it is safe to say he would rather have lost his five dollars than have been shown up in the wrong.
"All right, I"ll go back and get my gold piece," he muttered.
"I think you owe the newsboy an apology," said Phil.
"Oh, you go to thunder!" snapped Merwell, and pushed out of the crowd as fast as he could. Several followed him and saw him get his gold piece, and they pa.s.sed all sorts of uncomplimentary remarks on his actions.
The girls had become interested in the ragged newsboy, and after he had picked up his newspapers, they took him to an out-of-the-way corner and questioned him. He said his name was Charley Gamp and that he was alone in the world.
"My mother died some years ago," he said. "I don"t know where my father is. He left us when I was a baby."
"And do you make your living selling newspapers?" asked Laura.
"Mostly, but sometimes I carry bundles and run on other errands,"
answered Charley Gamp.
"And where do you live?" questioned Jessie.
"Oh, I live with an old woman named Posey--that is, when I can pay for my bed. When I haven"t the price I go down to the docks and find a bed among the boxes and things."
"You poor boy!" murmured Jessie, and something like tears came into her eyes. She turned to Laura. "Can"t we do something for him?"
"Perhaps," answered Laura. "At any rate, we can give him some money."
The boys came over, and all had a talk with Charley Gamp, who told much about his former life, when his mother had been alive. Of his father he knew little or nothing; excepting that he had not treated his mother fairly according to the story told by some former neighbors.
"I wish we could get him some sort of regular employment and give him a chance to go to school," said Dave. "Let us ask Uncle Dunston about it.
He knows quite a number of people in Chicago."
"If you want to do something for me, I"ll tell you what," said Charley, eagerly. "I need a new pair of shoes." And he looked down at his foot coverings, which were full of holes.
"And I should say that you needed a new suit of clothes, too," said Laura.
"And a new cap," added Jessie. "I"ll get you the cap," she went on. "A real nice one, too."