"
"I am glad to hear you speak so," said Luke, relieved. "To me
it seemed a great deal of money. You gave me two hundred dollars,
and I have less than five dollars left. Here it is!" and Luke
drew the sum from his pocket, and tendered it to the merchant.
"I can't take it," said Mr. Armstrong. "You don't owe me
any money. It is I who am owing you. Take this on account,"
and he drew a roll of bills from his pocketbook and handed it
to Luke. "Here are a hundred dollars on account," he continued.
"This is too much, Mr. Armstrong," said Luke, quite overwhelmed
with the magnitude of the gift.
"Let me be the judge of that," said Mr. Armstrong kindly.
"There is only one thing, Luke, that I should have liked
to have you do."
"What is that, sir?"
"I should like to have had you bring me a list of the numbers
certified to by Mr. Harding."
Luke's answer was to draw from the inside pocket of his vest
a paper signed by the old bookkeeper, containing a list of the
numbers, regularly subscribed and certified to.
"Is that what you wished, sir?" he asked.
"You are a wonderful boy," said the merchant admiringly.
"Was this your idea, or Mr.
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