Page:St. Nicholas (serial) (IA stnicholasserial321dodg).pdf/461

1905.] means in one of the smaller and, for him, very unsatisfactory substitutes.

There were several people in the store, most of them children bent on the same errand as Pinkey. He looked at all the valentines whose prices were within the limits of his funds, and at last selected one that seemed to him the best he could do for the money.

As he stood there, waiting to make his purchase, he saw a boy, older and larger than himself, pick up from the floor a fountain-pen which had fallen from a card on which several were displayed, glance furtively about him, and then drop it into his overcoat pocket and deliberately walk out of the door. Mrs. Betts had her back turned at the time, and so knew nothing of the occurrence.

Pinkey was much disturbed by what he had seen. His first impulse was to tell Mrs. Belts; but, before he had a chance to do so, he dropped that suggestion of his conscience as being decidedly unwise. Pinkey had no desire to become a party to the deed by keeping mum, but he was only a boy, and he did have a wholesome regard for his own bodily welfare. He knew that if he told on the culprit the latter would “lay for” him, as Pinkey said to himself, and he also knew only too well how he should fare in the result.

While he was studying over the matter another idea struck him, which, while it involved a deal of uncertainty, would, if it succeeded, accomplish the same result and at the same time be of benefit to himself Pinkey pondered long and hard over the matter. He counted his pennies over and over, and at length decided to try his scheme, though it meant the postponement of his purchase until noon the next day and might prevent it altogether.

So, without even spending the one penny he had set aside for a “comic” to send to Red Feather, he left the book-store and went home.

Next morning he felt rather guilty as he went with the crowd to school, being one of a very few who were not carrying one or more jealously guarded envelops to be deposited in the box.

When Pinkey reached the school-house he immediately instituted a search for the boy with the fountain-pen. It was Pinkey’s intention to procure the pen, if possible, and return it to Mrs. Betts, having in view its restoration to the rightful owner as well as the possibility of

reward—which reward, Pinkey hoped, might take the form of the long-wished-for valentine. If it did not, he would endeavor, by neat diplomacy, to secure the return of his purchase- money, at any rate.

Pinkey soon located a group of boys in the basement, and rightfully surmised they were “trading.” He approached the group, and there, sure enough, among the participants in the arguments attending exchange, was the boy he was seeking. He was engaged in a discussion of the relative values of the fountain-pen, in its present empty state, and a four-bladed, bone-handled, “I X L” knife. The owner of the knife argued that “I X L” was a solemn guaranty of “razor-steel,” while the boy with the pen declared that ‘‘X L N T” were the mystic letters that denoted that quality.

Not desiring to betray special interest in the pen, Pinkey devoted a few moments of his attention to other bargains that were being driven with all the arts known to the juvenile trades