But when the morrow came, a little late in the morning, the talk was prefaced by a bit of news. A few hours before the bearded German had eluded his jailors just long enough to swallow a dose of poison and he had died in half a minute and almost without a tremor. Prussic acid, Doctor Richards said, and added that the wound inflicted by Don’s bullet was a mere flesh scratch in the leg and had only caused a temporary paralysis, largely imaginary. In the darkness the boy had aimed to hit the fellow just above the knee. They were all at the Stapley mansion, most comfortably seated. The president of the mills and the doctor were old friends, knowing nothing of the long feud between the lads here in the town and at Brighton, and now pleased that the boys had acted together. “We want to know the whole story; just how it all happened and all that you did; eh, Doc?” Mr. Stapley demanded. Between them the boys managed to make a complete narrative, though the latter part of it--the taking of the two Germans and the shooting--Clem told, after much cross-questioning. Mr Stapley then commented: “It’s pretty easy to grasp the merits of this, Doc. My son’s part has been anything but that which a proud father could be ashamed of and I’m glad the boy has shown so much nerve and spunk. But it is your son, Donald here, who has really carried the thing through. That boy’s going to be a regular young Napoleon one of these days, Doc, you may be sure! Better give his scrapping ability all the development possible.” “Oh, now, Mr. Stapley, I didn’t do any more than Clem did. He was right there on the job. Why, he wheeled the wheelbarrow and he--” “Oh, very good indeed! A rather hard task! But something of a laborer’s job wasn’t it? You seem to have done--” “‘Comparisons are odious,’ Stapley. There’s glory enough in this to go round,” suggested the doctor. “Sure, sure, but nevertheless we’ve got to discriminate when the rewards are forthcoming. Our company is greatly indebted to these boys and so is the country. That fellow might have gotten off and have done a lot more damage, probably to us. Now we’ve got only one rascal to hunt down. It is wonderful, I must say, very, for boys to have carried this out as you did. Clem, you deserve high praise for getting on to those fellows in the train. But now look here son, the strategy of the actual capture and the nervy manner in which it was carried out seems to have depended mostly upon Donald and I want you to act with me in this matter. The company will reward this act with five hundred dollars and, my boy, in this case I want it all to go to Donald. You shall reap your reward otherwise; I’ll see to that in various ways. Of course you’re willing?” “I’m not willing!” spoke up Don and his father shook his head. Clem gazed straight before him with a solemn, hurt expression.