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are top goocTfriends for that, but you
will never know how irresistible was
the influence that has brought new
joy and impulse into my life until you
have seen Ethel Prothero."
"That's her name, is it, Bob? Well,
you are a good fellow and she must
be a good girl to attract you. but "
The speaker made a comical, wry
grimace indicative of the penniless
prospect facing them. Bob under
stood him.
"Oh, I shall soon mend all that,"
declared Bob buoyantly. "She loves
me. She will wait for me and" I am
sure it will not take me long to find
some work a start towards building
up a competency to care for us." ,
"Love in a cottage and all that
good!" cried Tom cheerily, with an
encouraging slap on he shoulder-of
his good friend. "You've got a star
of hope ahead, sure, but just at this
moment, what about something to
eat?"
They were about a mile from a
bustiif.;; little manufacturing town
unci Vom took the lead' in that direc
tion. "An old schoolmate used to live
here," he said. "If he hasn't moved,
qr died, or got hard hearted and sel
fish, he'll surely stake me' till I get on
my feet with my new enterprise."
"Which is what?" Insinuated
Bob. v
"Biography. Yes, sir! hard' as we've
fallen down on it, the same is, now our
sole rock and refuge. I. propose to
arrange with the local paper hre for
a supplement write-up of prominent
citizens. Why won't it work? The
big scheme would have, if the capital
hadn't given ' out. We can surely
round up wages for a couple, of weeks
on our plan, and take none of the
financing -or risk. Hello see there,
Bob!"
Tom suddenly interrupted himself
"with a sharp cry. A horse attached
to a light wagon waB visible where
the road drooped past a bluffy spot.
The lines were trailing, the driver, an
old man, had been thrown from his,
seat over into the wagon box and lay
there either helpless or fnsensible.
The horse suddenly veered, dashing '
on at breakneck speed towards a
sharp decline in the highway. Peril
menaced. In a flash Bob was on a
sharp run, aiming to.head off the run
away steed. There was only one thing
to do, Bob found, as he neared the
runaway this was 1 to describe a
quick leap, land directly on the back
of the horse and pull him to a sharp
halt right at the edge of a pit where
destruction loomed.
Some men came running from the
field. They knew the old man. He
was simply stunned and they carried
him into the house near by and the
two friends, went on their way and
fqrgot the episode.
Tom was staked by his friend and a
clean, brisk campaign of publicity
commenced It was quite successful.
One day Bob went to visit a person
said tothe richest man in the vil
lage Ezra Bartley.
He had heard that the old man was
miserly and difficult to approach. The
minute he appeared at the door of his
house, however, his keen, ferret eyes
scanned - Bob closely.-
"See here," he observed, "from de
scription you are a young man I've
been inquiring about. You are the fel
low who stopped my runaway horse
the other day and probably saved my
life." ,
"Oh, not so serious "as that;" dis
claimed Bob modestly. . -
"I'm the judge of that," retorted
the old' man in his characteristic
terse way. "Now, then, what can I do
for you?"
Bob told of the write-up proposi
tion, to which his host listened rather
impatiently.
"Humph!" -he observed. "I've not
much vanity, so I don't cotton tolyour
scheme. I owe you a good deal,
though, and if you will not garble it,
I'll go in for a column. I'm rather
proud of my old -family history, al
though today I have neither kith nor
kin in all the wide world."
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