Bart Stirling's Road to Success; Or, The Young Express AgentChapman, Allen
General
Bart Stirling's Road to Success; Or, The Young Express Agent
Chapman, Allen
Boys -- Juvenile fiction; Express service -- Juvenile fiction; Railroads -- Juvenile fiction
Farther away was a flying excited figure. Bart recognized the
disenthroned cabman. They met where the colonel sat.
"All gone to smash, I suppose!" hailed Carey.
"No, a window broken, wheels scraped a little--nothing worse," reported
Bart.
"Where is the team?" panted Carey.
Bart pointed and explained, and the cabman forged ahead with a gratified
snort.
"You stuck till you landed 'em," applauded Carey. "Stirling, you're
nerve all through!"
Bart went up to Colonel Harrington and the latter got on his feet. Bart
could see that either the druggist's potion or his succeeding violent
experience had quite restored the magnate to his original self. He
nursed a slight abrasion on his chin, looked at Bart sheepishly, and
then stepped over to a big bowlder and rested against it.
"Are you feeling all right now, Colonel Harrington?" asked Bart
courteously.
"Me? Now? Ah yes! Quite--er--er--thank you."
Bart was somewhat astonished at the words and manner of his whilom
enemy.
Colonel Harrington looked positively embarrassed. He would glance at
Bart, start to speak, lower his eyes, and, turning pale as he seemed to
remember, and turning red as he seemed to realize, would fumble at his
watch fob, run his fingers through his hair and act flustered generally.
"The cab will be back in a few minutes," remarked Bart. "It was a pretty
bad shaking up, but I hope you are none the worse for it. Good day,
Colonel Harrington."
Bart turned to leave. He heard the colonel spluttering.
"Hold on," ordered the magnate. "I want to give you--I want to give
you--some money," he observed.
"I can't take it, Colonel Harrington," said Bart definitely. "If I have
been of service to you I am glad, but you will remember I was in the
same danger as yourself, and quite anxious to save my own skin."
"Bosh! I mean--maybe," retorted the colonel, getting bombastic, and then
humble.
"Well, put up your money, Colonel," advised Bart. "As I say, if I have
been of service to you I am glad."
"You hold on!" ordered Colonel Harrington, as Bart again moved to leave
the spot.
The speaker poked in his wallet and brought out a strip of paper, which
Bart recognized as the one he had so menacingly waved in his face an
hour previous at the express shed.
Colonel Harrington again poked about in his pockets till he found a
pencil. With somewhat unsteady fingers he inscribed his name at the
bottom of the paper, and handed it to Bart.
"You take that," he directed.
"Why, this is a receipted bill for the damage done to your statue," said
Bart.
"Eighty-five dollars--just so."
"But I haven't paid it!"
"You needn't. Serious mistake--I see that," said the colonel. "That is,
I see it now. Satisified you didn't mean any harm. Sick of whole muddle.
And about getting you discharged and all that rot--didn't mean it.
Forget it! Was a little mad and excited; see!"
"I can't take your receipt for what I haven't paid, and what I am
willing to pay as fast as I can," said Bart.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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