The Tin Box, and What it Contained

CHAPTER XXXII

PHILIP DOES NOT FEEL HAPPY

At supper time Philip seemed so sober and preoccupied that his mothersaid:

"What ails you, Philip?"

"Nothing. What makes you ask?"

"I thought you were looking unusually sober."

"I suppose it is because I have a headache," answered the boy.

It was not a falsehood, for the burden upon his mind had actually givenhim a slight headache.

"You'd better let me mix you some chamomile tea," said Mrs. Ross, withwhom this was a specific against more than one bodily disability.

"No, thank you," answered Philip, with an involuntary grimace; for, inhis younger days, when it was useless to resist, he had more than oncehad an opportunity of learning how far from agreeable chamomile tea wasto the taste. "It doesn't ache much. It will be better soon."

"The tea will cure you immediately, my son."

"I won't take it," said Philip, roughly.

"Don't speak in that way to your mother, Philip," said his father, reprovingly.

"Do you ever let her give you chamomile tea, father?"

"No," smiled the Colonel, "I don't require it."

"Nor I; and, if I did, I prefer the headache."

"I am not sure whether I don't agree with you," said his father, smilingagain.

When supper was over, Philip lounged about restlessly. Nothing could bedone as yet – nothing, indeed, till his father had retired and was fairlyasleep – and, in the meantime, he had to wait in suspense.

He strolled out to the stable without any definite object to take himthere. He was in an unquiet, irritable frame of mind, which was likelyto exhibit itself on the smallest provocation.

A boy of seventeen, Tom Calder by name, was employed by Colonel Ross tolook after his two horses and attend to any errands or light duties thatmight be required about the house.

Philip, as he entered the stable, saw Tom sitting on a kitchen chair, which had been transferred to the stable, engaged in reading a weeklypaper.

"What are you doing there, Tom?" he demanded, in an imperious tone.

If Philip had asked in a civil tone, Tom would have answered him withcivility, but the boy's tone was offensive, and Tom was too spirited tobear it.

"What's that to you, Phil?" he retorted.

"You'll find out what it is!" answered Philip, angrily.

"That's just what I'm wanting to do."

"And don't you presume to call me Phil, either."

"Why – isn't it your name?"

"Yes; but it isn't for you to call me by it."

"What am I to call you, now?"

"You can call me Master Philip, or Mr. Philip."

"Ho! ho! It's a joke you're playing on me!"

"No, it isn't. It is your duty to treat me with respect. But you haven'tanswered my question."

"What is it?"

"What are you doing there?"

"Reading a paper. Can't you see for yourself?"

"That isn't what my father pays you for. Go right to work."

"Shure, you want me to work day and night! That's what Tom Calder won'tdo for no man last of all for a boy like you!"

"If you ain't careful, my father will send you away."

"If he does, I'll get another place soon," said Tom, indifferently.

"You're an impudent loafer!"

"The same to yourself," said Tom, indifferently.

After a little further altercation, Philip walked off in dudgeon. It wasclear that he couldn't bully Tom.

CHAPTER XXXIII

STEALING THE BONDS

Contrary to his usual custom, Philip spent the evening at home; and, ashe must have something to occupy him, he spent it in reading. Usually, he cared very little for reading, and was prone to spend the eveningout.

Mrs. Ross regarded her son with approval, as she saw him steadilyreading all the evening.

"I do believe you're getting studious, Phil," she said.

"I'm interested in a story," remarked Phil.

"How much better it is to spend the evening at home reading than to begadding about?" said his mother.

"Well, you know a boy can't be always reading," observed Philip.

If Mrs. Ross had been a close observer, she might have noticed thatPhilip got over wonderfully few pages. Indeed, he sometimes held thebook open at the same place for half an hour together. The fact was thatPhilip cared very little for reading, unless he could get hold of somehighly sensational story about highwaymen or pirates. He simply used thebook as a cover.

The Colonel, his father, was sitting in a room which he called hisoffice, opening out of the family sitting-room, and Philip had seatedhimself so that he could look into that room, and watch what his fatherwas doing.

Near his desk, Colonel Ross kept a small, iron-bound trunk, which heused as a sort of safe, or a repository for valuable papers, andsometimes for bonds and securities. It was imprudent, for anyone mightreadily have carried it off; but the Colonel didn't think of this, or, at any rate, didn't feel inclined to go to the expense of a safe. Indeed, most of his bonds and securities were deposited in the strongroom of the county bank, and, therefore, his imprudence was less.

Philip's eager attention was roused when he saw his father rise from hisdesk, take up the trunk and open it, as it lay on the desk where heplaced it.

"Now, I may find out what he has inside," thought Philip.

Colonel Ross opened it, as I have said, and took out several envelopes. Opening one of these, he drew therefrom what Philip recognized to begovernment bonds, and spread them out before him.

What was the object of this examination, Philip could not divine, nordid he particularly care, though he might had he known that his fatherwas considering the expediency of selling them, and buying anothersecurity – the stock of a certain railroad – which would pay largerdividends. His main interest was to ascertain whether his father had anygovernment bonds, and this question he was now able to answer in theaffirmative.

After a brief inspection, Colonel Ross replaced in the trunk thesecurities he had taken from it, and locked the trunk. The bunch ofkeys, one of which opened the trunk, he laid on the desk, unconsciously, probably.

"I hope he'll forget 'em," said Philip to himself. "It'll save me a goodbit of trouble."

It seemed likely that the keys would be forgotten, for Colonel Ross, asthough his business were ended, took the lamp from his desk, and enteredthe sitting-room, where his wife and son were seated.

"I don't know how it is, wife," he said, "but I feel sleepy."

"It isn't your bed hour yet. It is only half-past nine."

"That is true, but I shall go to bed earlier than usual to-night."

"All the better for me," thought Philip. "Now, if mother would only go, too!"

It seemed as if everything was turning out favorably for his plan, forhis mother answered:

"Well, I think I will accompany you – that is, if Philip won't feellonely."

Philip's heart beat with eager satisfaction. He had expected that hewould be obliged to go to bed, and wait there till his father and motherwere asleep, then steal downstairs, running the risk of detection, lighta lamp, and commit the theft. Now it looked as if he could do it muchmore easily.

He answered, in as indifferent a voice as he could assume:

"I am not at all sleepy. I'll stay up a little longer and read."

Mrs. Ross nodded, in a satisfied way, to her husband.

"I do believe Phil's getting fond of reading," she said.

"I hope he is," returned the father.

"Phil," said his mother, "the servant is out tonight. A cousin of hersis sick, and I gave her permission to stay with her all night. Are youwilling to close up the house?"

"Oh, yes," answered Phil, briskly. "I'm glad she's away," he thought. "She won't be spying round and see what I'm about. Besides, I can leavethe door open, so that it will be easier to accuse Harry Gilbert."

"Good-night," said his mother.

"Good-night, mother."

"Don't stay up too late reading."

"No, I won't."

"How many more pages are there, Philip?" asked his father.

"About four hundred," answered Phil, looking over to the end.

"Then I wouldn't advise you to sit up till you've finished the book," hesaid, jocosely.

"I guess not. I shan't sit up more than half an hour."

So Colonel and Mrs. Ross went upstairs, and the coast was clear.

When he was left alone, and felt that the hour so long anticipated hadcome, Philip's heart beat fast.

"Come; it's easier than I hoped," he said to himself. "And father lefthis keys, too, on the desk. I hope he won't think of them, and comedownstairs after them. That might upset my plans, though I've got a lotof old keys in my pocket, and one of them might answer. However, there'snone so good as the real thing."

Philip had to consider whether he would wait till his father and motherwere asleep, or act sooner. He at length decided, in the words ofShakespeare, though he was not familiar with them:

"If 'twere done with when 'tis done,

Then, 'twere well it were done quickly."

The argument was this: If he acted soon, he could make use of hisfather's keys, and that would save him trouble. On the other hand, therewas some risk that his father might think of them, and, comingdownstairs, surprise him. However, Philip didn't think this was likely, and, in any event, he resolved to take the risk. He could pretend thathe had just caught sight of his keys, and was going to carry themupstairs for safekeeping.

Indeed, Philip did not wait more than ten minutes.

"Father must be in bed by this time," he said to himself.

He took the small lamp by which he was reading, and entered his father'soffice.

There lay the keys, and there stood the trunk.

He took the bunch of keys and selected a small one, which he thoughtlikely to fit the trunk.

It did.

The lid was lifted, and Philip, with eager hand, took the envelope whichhe knew contained the government bonds. It was a bulky envelope, andcontained probably eight or ten bonds.

Of course, Philip didn't venture to take all. He selected two, of onehundred dollars each, and replaced the others in the envelope, andafterward in the trunk.

He put the bonds in his inside coat pocket, and, hastily refastening thetrunk, replaced the keys on his father's desk.

He breathed a sigh of relief to think the thing was done, and walkedover to the window.

What was his gratification to see Harry Gilbert walking by on the otherside of the street.

"All happens right," he said. "Now, Harry can't say he was at home. I'llfix him. I'll say I saw him at the window, looking in, and his denialwon't amount to much, when he admits, as he will, that he was near thehouse."

He would have felt differently had he seen the face of Tom Calderpeering in at one of the side windows. Tom had spent the evening in thevillage, and was now on his return to his chamber, on the second floorof the stable. His attention was attracted by the light in the room, and, as the curtain was partly raised, he took the liberty of peeringin, unobserved.

"By gracious!" he exclaimed, in amazement. "Phil is stealing gov'mentbonds from his father. He's a bad one, but I didn't think that of him."

Tom slipped out, resolved to consider at his leisure what he had betterdo about imparting his secret information. It was well he did, for Philhimself almost immediately came to the same window.

CHAPTER XXXIV

PHILIP GETS RID OF HIS PLUNDER

"Philip," said his mother, at the breakfast table the next morning, "theservant tells me she found the outside door unlocked this morning. Didn't I ask you to lock it before you went to bed?"

"So you did, mother. I really hope you'll excuse me. When I got ready togo to bed, I forgot all about it."

"It might have proved serious," remarked his father, "for I found thismorning that I had left my bunch of keys on my desk. I don't see how Icame to be so negligent."

"It's lucky no burglar or dishonest person knew of it," said Mrs. Ross.

"You might have met with a serious loss."

"So I might, for I had about a thousand dollars' worth of governmentbonds in my trunk, besides certificates of various kinds of stock. Thelatter would have done no one any good, though the loss would haveannoyed me, but the government bonds might readily be sold."

"I shouldn't think you'd keep the trunk downstairs, father," saidPhilip, who felt easy, as there seemed no likelihood of suspicion beingfixed upon him.

He resolved so to act as to divert any future suspicion.

"I don't know but it is imprudent," said Colonel Ross.

"Of course it is," said his wife. "You deserve to suffer loss."

"I will take it upstairs hereafter," said her husband, "especially," headded, jocularly, "if Philip is to be trusted to lock the front door."

Philip smiled, but his smile was not exactly an easy one, for he wasevery minute apprehensive that it would occur to his father to open thetrunk and examine the contents. He did not want this to happen till hewas out of the way, for it would be rather a trial to his nerves to hearthe announcement made of the loss, while he knew that the missing bondswere concealed in his inside coat pocket.

Philip was in a hurry to see Congreve, and get rid of his troublesomedeposit. He hurried through his breakfast, therefore, and rose from thetable.

"You've eaten very little, Phil," said his mother.

"Oh, I'm not hungry," said Philip, carelessly. "I didn't get up earlyenough to raise an appetite."

"You got up as early as usual," said his father.

"Perhaps reading in the evening didn't agree with me," replied Philip, smiling.

"Where are you going?" asked his mother.

"Just out for a walk."

"Will you call at the grocery store and tell them to send up a barrel offlour?"

"All right."

Usually Philip, who was far from obliging naturally, made a fuss whenasked to do an errand, but now he spoke very good-humoredly. He was soanxious to get out of the house that he was ready to promise anything.

"I really think Philip is improving," said his mother, after he had goneout.

"There's some room for it," remarked his father, dryly.

Philip, as may be supposed, made his way as quickly as possible to thehotel. As he came up, he saw the one of whom he was in search – JamesCongreve – standing on the piazza, smoking a cigarette.

"Well?" he said, guessing something from the evident excitement of

Philip's manner.

"Let us go up to your room, Congreve," said Phil.

"All right."

He led the way upstairs to the small room which he occupied as abedroom, and Philip followed him in. The latter carefully closed thedoor.

"I've got 'em," he exclaimed, triumphantly.

"The bonds? You don't say!"

"As true as you stand there."

"Let me see them."

Philip drew the bonds from his pocket, and handed them to Congreve.

The latter said, joyfully:

"You're a trump, Phil!"

"Yes, I think I managed pretty well," said Phil, complacently.

"Tell me how you did it."

So Phil explained.

"You were in precious luck, I can tell you. I had no idea things wouldturn in your favor so. Let me see – here are two one-hundreds."

"Yes; that's what you said."

"True. Were there more in the trunk?"

"Yes; I heard father say there were a thousand dollars in bonds."

James Congreve's face was overspread by an expression of covetousness.

"It's a pity you didn't take more," he said.

"But what was the need of taking more? These will pay my debt to you."

"Of course. Still, it seemed such a good chance."

"You don't think I'm going to set up as a thief, do you, Congreve?" asked Philip, in surprise.

"No, of course not. I didn't mean anything. Well, Phil, the sooner theseare disposed of the better."

"You are going to attend to that?"

"Yes. I believe I will take the next train up to the city."

"When will you be back?"

"To-night. I will bring you the balance of the money – say, fiftydollars."

"There ought to be more than that for me."

"Oh, it will be all right! Only, you know, I will have to sell thembelow the market price, at some place where no questions are asked."

"I've no doubt you'll do the square thing," said Philip, who did notknow that this statement of Congreve's was only a flimsy pretense toenable him to appropriate a larger share of the plunder, as it mayfairly be called.

"I'll promise you fifty dollars, whatever the bonds bring," said

Congreve.

"Thank you."

"Now, I must get ready, for the next train leaves for the city in halfan hour."

"I'll go along with you to the depot," said Philip.

"No, you'd better not. After the loss is discovered, it might excitesome remark, and possibly suspicion, if it were remembered."

"Then I'll be going. I've got an errand over at the store. Shall I seeyou to-night?"

"You'd better not come around till to-morrow morning. It may help avertsuspicion."

"Just as you say."

"A pretty good haul!" said Congreve to himself. "I didn't think thelittle fool would have spunk enough to do it, but he has. I may pay himthat fifty dollars, and then again I may not. I don't think I shall careto come back again to this dull hole to-night. I shall have to leave mytrunk, but it isn't worth the sum I owe the landlord, and he is welcometo it. With the price of these bonds I can start anew cheaper."

Philip left his friend, without the least suspicion that he intended toplay him false. He felt very comfortable. He had got the bonds out ofhis possession, so that there was no danger of their being found on him, and he was to receive, the next morning, fifty dollars, a larger sumthan he had ever possessed at one time in his life. He made up his mindthat he would put it away in his trunk, and use it from time to time ashe had occasion for it.

He went to the grocery store, and left his mother's order. Then he tookan aimless walk, for Congreve was away, and there was no one else hecared to be with.

So he turned to go home. He rather dreaded to enter the house, lest hisfather might have discovered his loss. In the yard he saw Tom Calder. Tom, remembering what he had seen the evening before, looked at Philipwith a significant grin, but said nothing.

"What are you grinning at?" demanded Philip,

"Nothing. I feel gay and festive, that is all," responded the stableboy.

"Where's my father?"

"He went out to ride in the buggy."

Philip felt relieved. Evidently the loss had not been discovered yet. Hewas glad to have it put off.

"Is there any news?" asked Tom, with another grin.

"News? Why should there be any?"

"I don't know. I thought you might know of some."

"You talk like a fool," said Philip, angrily, and went into the house.

"There'll be some news soon, I reckon," said Tom to himself, with agrin. "I won't say nothing till the time comes. Wonder if Philip'llthink I am talking like a fool then?"

CHAPTER XXXV

THROWING SUSPICION ON HARRY

During the day Colonel Ross had no occasion to look into his trunk ofsecurities. Clearly, he had no suspicion that he had met with a loss.

It might strike the reader as curious that Philip began to be impatientto have his father make the discovery. An impending blow always leads toa state of suspense which is by no means agreeable. When the blow falls, a certain relief is felt. So Philip knew that the discovery would bemade sooner or later, and he wanted to have the matter settled, andclear himself at once from suspicion by diverting it to Harry Gilbert.

In the hope that his father would find out his loss, he lingered roundthe house through the afternoon, filling up the time as well as hecould. Usually, he would have passed at least a part of the time withJames Congreve, but the latter had gone to the city.

"Don't you feel well, Philip?" asked his mother.

"Certainly! What makes you ask?"

"You don't generally stay at home all the afternoon."

"Oh, well, there isn't anything going on in the village."

"Where is that friend of yours who is staying at the hotel?"

"He went away this morning to the city."

"Isn't he coming back?"

"Oh, yes, I suppose so."

"I suppose you feel lonely without him?"

"Yes, mother."

"Have you seen anything of Uncle Obed lately?" asked Mrs. Ross, making awry face as she pronounced the word admitting the relationship.

"Yes; I saw him walking with the Gilbert boy the other evening."

"Did you speak to him?"

"No; I just nodded. I don't care about getting intimate with him. I wishhe'd leave town."

"As likely as not, he'll use up all his money, and then come on yourfather for help."

"I hope father won't give him anything, then," said Philip.

"I am willing that he should give him enough to get him back toIllinois. He ought never to have left there. If he thinks we are goingto pay his board here, all I can say is that he is very much mistaken," said Mrs. Ross, pressing her thin lips together with emphasis.

"That's the talk, ma! I am glad you don't mean to be imposed upon. Isuppose old Wilkins thinks you are soft, and won't see him suffer. You'dbetter keep a stiff upper lip."

"He will know me better after a while," said Mrs. Ross.

The afternoon wore away, and supper came. Philip partook as usual, andwaited afterward in the confident expectation that his father would openthe small trunk. He was not mistaken.

Upon retiring to his special apartment, Colonel Ross took up the trunk, and, producing the key, opened it.

It so happened that he was after some papers, and did not immediatelytake up the envelope containing the government bonds. Philip was ratherafraid he wouldn't, and ventured to remind him of them by a question.