"I seen him on the front porch with Miss Grossman. Say, you’ll want to be going now, won’t you, huh? You ken get to New York to-night if you hurry." The Watermelon rattled the coins in his pockets and looked down at the thin, crafty face of the youngster. "Kid," said lie, "if you keep on as you’ve begun, you’ll be doing time, sure. You’re a thieving little snipe and ought to be the head of a corporation some day, or a United States senator, ’cause you haven’t as much honor as a grasshopper, see? I don’t know why you shouldn’t land in Sing Sing, if you miss the corporation job or the senate." "Huh," said the boy, reddening with the praise of the great man. "If you let on that you have shown this to me, you will lose your job here, you know. So, until I can see my friend, J. Pierpont, about that other job for you, you’d better keep your mouth shut. Understand?" "Sure," cried the boy. "Course I understand." The Watermelon handed him a quarter. "When I reach New York," said he airily, "I’ll send you me check for a thousand." *CHAPTER VII* *WATERMELON YIELDS* Eager to accomplish the plan he had suddenly conceived, the Watermelon turned and strolled back to Billy, while the boy gazed after such majesty in awed admiration. "Who was it?" asked Billy, looking up as the Watermelon approached. "The telegraph clerk," said the Watermelon calmly. "A telegram—and he brought it to me." He made no motion to sit down and Billy rose. "I suppose you have to go back," said she. She had to throw back her head to see into his face, for the top of her beflowered hat only reached to his shoulder. "No," said the Watermelon, preparing the way for the future. "I could take a few days off, if I wanted to. Come on. I might as well try and save the remains of my car after the general has done his best to ruin it. I heard him go into the garage as we got out of sight. The general is more expensive than a motorcar." "I like the general," said Billy, as they started slowly back. "I suppose he has been like a grandfather to you," said the Watermelon, glancing down at the top of the big hat. "Don’t you want me for a relative of some kind?" "You said relatives were afflictions," objected Billy. "I know; but it is only through our afflictions that we can rise to higher things." "What higher things?" "Why, Heaven, as I described it last." They found the general with Henrietta and Bartlett in the garage. The general was kindly superintending the filling of the absent Batchelor’s car with gasolene, Bartlett was expounding the merits of his make of car as superior to any other make, while Henrietta sat on the step of the general’s car and pretended to be listening. "I took the liberty," apologized the general, as the other two appeared in the doorway, feeling, on the contrary, that he was doing the young man an inestimable favor. "Go ahead," said the Watermelon.