“Oh, I haven’t got any kick coming,” he answered, with a laugh.  “Of course, this cut foot will make me travel slow for a while, and I can’t get to all my customers on time.  But I guess they’ll save their trade for me—­the regulars will.

“I might be worse off,” the lad continued, after a pause.  “I might be in as bad a hole as that fellow I saw on the train not long ago.”

“How was that?” asked Betty, more for the sake of saying something rather than because she was interested.  The boy himself had carefully washed out the cut at a roadside spring, and as it was clean, the girl applied the salve and was; skillfully wrapping the bandage around the wound.  “What man was that?” she added.

“Why,” said the boy, “I had a long jump to make from one town to another, and, as there weren’t any customers between, I rode in the train.  The only other passenger in our car was a young fellow, asleep.  All of a sudden he woke up in his seat, and begun hunting all through his pockets.  First I thought he had lost his ticket, for he kept hollerin’, ’It’s gone!  I’ve lost it!  My last hope!’ and all things like that.  I was goin’ to ask him what it was, when he shouted, ’My five hundred dollar bill is gone! and out of the car he ran, hoppin’ off the train, which was slowin’ up at a station.  That was tough luck, losin’ five hundred dollars.  Of course I couldn’t do it, for I never had it,” the boy added, philosophically, as he watched Betty adjusting the bandage.

CHAPTER XXI

THE LETTER

The effect of the boy’s words on the girls was electrical.  Betty paused midway in her first-aid work and stared at him.  Grace, who had, unconsciously perhaps, been eating some of her chocolates, dropped one half consumed.  Amy looked at Betty to see what the Little Captain would do.  Mollie murmured something in French; just what does not matter.

“Did—­did he really lose a five hundred dollar bill?” faltered Betty, as she resumed her bandaging, but her hands trembled in spite of herself.

“Well, that’s what he said,” replied the boy.  “He sure did make an awful fuss about it.  I thought he was crazy at first, and when he ran and jumped off the train I was sure of it.”

“Did he get hurt?” asked Amy, breathlessly.

“No, ma’am, not as I could see.  The train was slowing up at a station, you know.  I think it was Batesville, but I’m not sure.”

“That’s the next station beyond Deepdale,” murmured Grace.

“What’s that, ma’am?” asked the boy, respectfully.

“Oh, nothing.  We just know where it is, that’s all.  A five hundred dollar bill!  Fancy!” She glanced meaningly at her companions.

“Well, that’s what he hollered,” said the boy.  “And he was real excited, too.”

“Did you know him?” asked Betty, as she finished with the bandage.