When Fred Sheldon saw Bud Heyland standing before him in the path, his impulse was to whirl about and run, for he knew too well what to expect from the bully; but the latter, reading his thoughts called out:  
"Hold on, Freddy, I won't hurt you, though you deserve a good horsewhipping on account of the mean way you cheated me out of the reward for capturing the lion; but I have a little business with you."
 
Wondering what all this could mean Fred stood still while the red-faced young man approached, though our hero wished as fervently that he was somewhere else as he did when he found himself face to face with the lion in the lane.
 
"Jake sent me," added Bud in his most persuasive manner, and with a strong effort to win the confidence of the boy, who was somewhat reassured by the last words.
 
"What does Mr. Kincade want?" asked Fred.
 
"Why, he told me to hurry after you and say that he had made a mistake in paying you that money."
 
"I guess he didn't make any mistake," replied the surprised boy.
 
[Pg 120]
 
"Yes, he did; it's twenty dollars short."
 
"No, it isn't, for Squire Jones and I counted it over twice."
 
"That don't make any difference; I tell you there was a mistake and he sent me to correct it."
 
"Why didn't you come over to Squire Jones' office, then, and fix it?"
 
"I didn't know you was there."
 
Fred knew this was untrue, for Bud sat on the porch and watched him as he walked across the street with the squire.
 
"Well, if you are so sure of it, then you can give me the twenty dollars and it will be all right."
 
"I want you to take out the money and count it here before me."
 
"I sha'n't do it."
 
"I guess you will; you've got to."
 
"But I can't."
 
"What's the reason you can't?"
 
"I haven't got the money with me."
 
"You haven't!" exclaimed Bud, in dismay. "Where is it?"
 
"Locked up in Squire Jones' safe."
 
The bully was thunderstruck, and gave expression to some exclamations too forcible to be recorded.
 
It was evident that he was unprepared for such news, and he seemed to be eager to apply his cruel whip to the little fellow toward whom he felt such unreasonable hatred.
 
"I've got a settlement to make with you, any way," he said, advancing threateningly toward him.
 
[Pg 121]
 
"What have I done," asked Fred, backing away from him, "that you should take every chance you can get, Bud, to hurt me?"
 
"What have you done?" repeated the bully, "you've done a good deal, as you know well enough."
 
But at this juncture, when poor Fred thought there was no escape for him, Bud Heyland, very curiously, changed his mind.
 
"I'll let you off this time," said he, "but it won't do for you to try any more of your tricks. When I come to think, it was ten dollars that the money was short. Here is a twenty-dollar bill. I want you to get it changed and give me the ten dollars to-morrow."
 
Fred Sheldon was bewildered by this unexpected turn to the interview, but he took the bill mechanically, and promised to do as he was told.
 
"There's another thing I want to say to you," added Bud, stopping as he was on the point of moving away: "You must not answer any questions that may be asked you about the bill."
 
The wondering expression of the lad showed that he failed to take in the full meaning of this warning, and Bud added, impatiently.
 
"Don't tell anybody I gave it to you. Say you found it in the road if they want to know where you got it; that's all. Do you understand?"
 
Fred began to comprehend, and he resolved on the instant that he would not tell a falsehood to save himself from a score of whippings at the hands of this evil boy, who would not have given the caution had he not possessed good reasons for doing so.
 
[Pg 122]
 
Bud Heyland repeated the last warning, word for word, as first uttered, and then, striding by the affrighted Fred, continued in the direction of Tottenville, while the younger boy was glad enough to go homeward.
 
The sun had not set yet when he reached the house where he was born, and he hurried through with his work and set out for the old brick dwelling, which had been the scene of so many stirring incidents within the last few days.
 
He was anxious to see his mother, who had been away several days. He felt that she ought to know of his great good fortune, that she might rejoice with him.
 
"If she doesn't get there by to-morrow or next day I'll have to go after her," he said to himself, "for I'll burst if I have to hold this news much longer. And won't she be glad? It's hard work for us to get along on our pension, and I can see she has to deny herself a good many things so that I can go to school. I thought I would be happy when I got the money, and so I am, but it is more on her account than on my own—halloo!"
 
It seemed as if the lane leading to the old brick mansion was destined to play a very important part in the history of the lad, for he had reached the very spot where he met the lion the night before, when a man suddenly stepped out from behind one of the trees and stood for a moment, with the setting sun shining full on his back, his figure looking as if it were stamped in ink against the flaming horizon beyond.
 
As Fred stared at him, he held up his right hand and[Pg 123] crooked his finger for him to approach, just as he did when sitting on the porch of the village hotel, for it was Cyrus Sutton.
 
The boy was not pleased, by any means, to meet him in such a place, for he had felt suspicious of him ever since he saw him sitting in such familiar converse with Bud Heyland and Jacob Kincade.
 
Nevertheless, our hero walked boldly toward him, and with a faint "Good-evening, sir," waited to hear what he had to say.
 
"Your name is Frederick Sheldon, I believe?"
 
Fred nodded to signify that he was correct in his surmise.
 
"You met Bud Heyland in the woods over yonder, didn't you?"
 
"Yes, sir; how could you know it?"
 
"I saw him going in that direction, and I saw you come out the path; what more natural than that I should conclude you had met? He gave you a twenty-dollar bill to get changed, didn't he?"
 
"He did, sir," was the answer of the amazed boy, who wondered how it was this person could have learned so much, unless he got the news from Bud Heyland himself.
 
"Let me see the money."
 
Fred did not like this peremptory way of being addressed by a person whom he had never seen until that afternoon, but he drew the bill from his pocket.
 
As he did so he brought several other articles with it, among them his new knife, which dropped to the[Pg 124] ground. He quickly picked them up, and shoved them hurriedly out of sight.
 
Mr. Sutton did not seem to notice this trifling mishap, but his eyes were bent on the crumpled bill which was handed to him.
 
As soon as he got it in his hands he turned his back toward the setting sun, and placing himself in the line of some of the horizontal rays which found their way between the trees he carefully studied the paper.
 
He stood full a minute without moving, and then merely said, "Ahem!" as though he were clearing his throat. Then he carefully doubled up the piece of national currency, and opening his pocket-book placed it in it.
 
"Are you going to keep that?" asked Fred. "It isn't yours."
 
"He wanted you to get it changed, didn't he?"
 
"Yes, sir; but he didn't want me to give it away."
 
"Of course not, of course not; excuse me, but I only wanted to change the bill for you. Here you are."
 
Thereupon he handed four five-dollar bills to Fred, who accepted them gladly enough, though still wondering at the peculiar actions of the man.
 
"One word," he added. "Bud told you not to answer any questions when you got the bill changed. I haven't asked you any, but he will have some to ask himself, which he will be very anxious you should answer. Take my advice, and don't let him know a single thing."
 
"I won't," said Fred, giving his promise before he thought.
 
[Pg 125]
 
"Very well, don't forget it; he will be on the lookout for you to-morrow, and when you see him, hand him his ten dollars and keep the rest for yourself, and then end the interview. Good evening, my son."
 
"Good evening," and Fred was moving on, when Mr. Cyrus Sutton said:
 
"Hold on a minute," at the same time crooking his forefinger in a way peculiar to himself; "I understand you were in the house there the other night, when it was robbed by a tramp."
 
"I was, sir; the whole village knows that."
 
"You were lucky enough to get away while it was going on, though you were deceived by the man whom you met here in the lane."
 
The lad assured him he was correct, as he seemed to be in every supposition which he made.
 
"Do you think you would know either of those men if you met them again?"
 
The question was a startling one, not from the words themselves, but from the peculiar manner in which it was asked.
 
Cyrus Sutton bent forward, thrusting his face almost in that of the boy and dropping his voice to a deep guttural bass as he fixed his eyes on those of Fred.
 
The latter looked up and said:
 
"The voice of the man I met in the lane sounded just like yours. Are you the man?"
 
It surely was a stranger question than that to which the lad had made answer, and Sutton, throwing back his head, laughed as if he would sink to the earth from excess of mirth.
 
[Pg 126]
 
"W............