Halsey Co. | Page 4

boys went out and Bob said, when they reached the sidewalk:
"I've got to go back to the office, but won't have to stay long as it is nearly three o'clock. Come along and wait for me."
Fred went with him and waited downstairs at the street entrance for him while he was standing there. Manson, whose name had been forged to the check which Fred had been instrumental in stopping, came down the stairs, accompanied by a tall, white-haired old man.
"Ah! There's the boy now, general," said Manson, on seeing Fred. "He threw the villain twice and then held him with the revolver till others secured him."
"Well, really, my lad," said the general, extending his hand to Fred. "I honor courage wherever I find it. Shake hands with me. I am glad to know you."
Fred shook hands with the old man without uttering a word, the meeting taking him quite by surprise. Just as he was going to speak several brokers came up and shook hands with the general, and he was forgotten. In a little while Bob came down, and the two went away together.
"See here, Fred," Bob said, "we must not say a word about this thing. I got the tip in the office, you know."
"Yes, I know."
"At 47 one thousand will get 21 shares." Bob continued. "Par value is 100. They will try to run it in to that; if they do, we'll make more than $300."
"But if it goes backwards or down instead of up, we won't know what hit us," remarked Fred.
"That's true. But it's going up," said Bob, with a good deal of emphasis. "I have seen it done before, and know just how it works."
They walked up to Broadway and turned toward the City Hall. All the newsboys knew them, and, as a late edition of the afternoon papers had an account of the arrest of the forger, in which Fred's name was mentioned, some of the boys ran to him to ask him about it. The account said nothing about the money that had been given Fred, so he felt relieved. Of course he had to stop and tell them about it. While he was doing so a man came by and asked:
"Do any of you know a newsboy named Fred Halsey?"
"Yes, I do," replied Fred very promptly, ere any of the others could do so.
"Where can I find him?"
"Oh, he's around somewhere, He never stops long in one place," and he winked at the boys as he spoke.
They all understood at once that Fred did not wish them to give him away, and not one would have done so under any circumstances.
"I'd like to give one of you a dollar to find him and point him out to me."
"Show us your dollar and I'll tell you how to find him yourself," said Fred.
"Here's your money," and the man handed him a dollar bill. Fred took it and said:
"That cop over there by the Astor House corner is his dad. Just go over there and stand there a while and you'll see him come up to the old man. He meets him there about this time every day."
The man, who seemed to be in earnest, seemed half inclined to doubt what Fred had told him.
"Is that so, boys?" he asked, appealing to the boys.
"Yes!" the entire crowd sung out.
He turned away and walked over to the Astor House corner.
"What's yer givin' 'im, Fred?" one of the boys asked.
"Whist!" half whispered Fred. "He's a pal of that forger and is looking for me to do me up. Come on and we'll eat up this dollar," and he led the way to a fruit stand up beyond the City Hall, where he spent the money the man had given him for bananas for the boys.
"Well, that was the slickest thing I ever saw done," said Bob. "Why don't you have him arrested and sent to join the other fellow?"
"Got no proof on him."
"You said he was his pal."
"Yes, but I couldn't prove it, only my word for it, that's all. He wants to lay me out for giving the snap away."
"How do you know he does?"
"Do you think he wants to thank me, give me a new suit of clothes and invite me to dine with him at Del's?" and Fred gave the least tinge of a sneer to his tones as he spoke.
"Well, hardly," Bob replied, laughing good-naturedly. "It is well enough to know what the fellow wants, though."
Fred did not reply, and Bob added:
"He'll find you out, anyway."
"Yes, so he will. Better go back and see what he wants. I'll go with you. He can't do us both up."
"Come on. Let's go and see if he is there," and the two young friends turned and made their way back to the Astor House