“I don’t know.  He seems a mighty independent sort of boy.”

Conrad lost no time in trying to purchase the boat of Andy, but of course without success.

“I would rather keep it myself,” was the reply.

“But you can’t use it.”

“Not at present, perhaps, but I may be able to some time.  Besides, Mr. Gale gave it to me, and I shouldn’t be willing to part with it.  At any rate, I wouldn’t sell for thirty dollars.”

“Never mind, Conrad,” said his father.  “When the next interest is payable, Andrew will probably be glad to accept your offer.”

Andy enjoyed the short visit home.  He managed to see the boys with whom he was most intimate, and promised to look out for positions in the city for two of them.  At home his presence was a source of comfort and joy to his mother.  It gladdened him to see the bright look on her face, which had been grave and anxious when he arrived.

On Monday, morning he set out for New York on an early train, feeling that his visit had been in every way a success.  Several boys were at the station to see him off, but among them he did not perceive Conrad Carter.

CHAPTER XXX.

AN UNEXPECTED PROPOSAL.

Three months later, when Andy entered the office one morning, he found
Mr. Crawford in a thoughtful mood.

“I wish you were older, Andy,” he began, abruptly.

“Why, sir?”

“Because I have a commission I could then intrust to you.”

“Then I am too young for it now?”

“I am afraid so.  And yet—­but I will tell you what it is, and see if you consider yourself equal to it.  How old are you now?”

“Seventeen, sir.”

“I will explain myself.  I am intimately acquainted with the men who are engineering the Northern Pacific Railroad, and I have reliable advices that work will at once be resumed on it, and probably the road will be completed in less than a year.”

“I suppose this will raise the price of our land in Tacoma?”

“Precisely.  Still, I think it will not be advisable to sell for some time to come.  My object is rather to buy more land.”

“I should think it would be a good idea.”

“The time to buy is now, before the public learn of the probable early completion of the railroad.  If I could spare the time from my business I would go out there at once.”

“I should think it would pay, Mr. Crawford.”

“Doubtless it would, but I cannot arrange to leave now.  I expect to have some large transactions in real estate during the next two or three months.”

“I see the difficulty, sir.”

“I will come to the point.  Do you think you could go to Tacoma, look carefully over the ground, and secure desirable lots for me?”

“I think I could, sir, under instructions from you.”

“That is what I had in view when I said I wished you were older.”