Here! here's enough more money to pay
your fare that far, and buy your dinner"; and he held out, scornfully,
toward the young man, another bank-bill.
Rhyming Joe declined it with a courteous wave of his hand, and,
rising, began, with much dignity, to button his coat.
"I have already received," he said, "the _quid pro quo_ of the
bargain. I do not sue for charity nor accept it. Reserve your
financial favors for the poor and needy.
"Go find the beggar crawling in the sun,
Or him that's worse;
But don't inflict your charity on one
With well filled purse."
Sharpman looked amused and put the money back into his pocket. Then a
bit of his customary politeness returned to him.
"I shall not expect to see you in Scranton again for some time, Mr.
Cheekerton," he said, "but when you do come this way, I trust you will
honor me with a visit."
"Thank you, sir. When I return I shall expect to find that your
brilliant scheme has met with deserved success; that old Craft has
chuckled himself to death over his riches; and that my young friend
Ralph is happy in his new home, and contented with such slight remnant
of his fortune as may be left to him after you two are through with
it. By the way, let me ask just one favor of you on leaving, and
that is that the boy may never know what a narrow escape he has had
to-night, and may never know that he is not really the son of Robert
Burnham. It would be an awful blow to him to know that Old Simon is
actually his grandfather; and there's no need, now, to tell him.
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