"Yes, he has a good deal of property, but not in his own name. He persuaded your father, who was a kind-hearted and easy-natured man, to release a mortgage, promising to give him some other security the next week. But, meantime, he put his property in such a shape as to cheat all his creditors. I don't think we shall ever get anything." "I am going to be an educated man, anyhow." "But you will have to go to work at something next fall," said the mother. "That will make it harder, but I mean to study a little every day. I wish I could get a chance to spend next winter in school." "We'll see what can be done." And long after Jack went to bed that night the mother sat still by the candle with her sewing, trying to think what she could do to help her boy to get on with his studies. Jack woke up after eleven o'clock, and saw her light still burning in the sitting-room. "I say, mother," he called out, "don't you sit there worrying about me. We shall come through this all right." Some of Jack's hopefulness got into the mother's heart, and she took her light and went to bed. Weary, and sore, and disappointed, Jack did not easily get to sleep himself after his cheerful speech to his mother. He lay awake long, making boy's plans for his future. He would go and collect money by some hook or crook from the rascally Gray; he would make a great invention; he would discover a gold mine; he would find some rich cousin who would send him through college; he would----, but just then he grew more wakeful and realized that all his plans had no foundation of probability. CHAPTER XI COLUMBUS AND HIS FRIENDS When he waked up in the morning, Jack remembered that he had not seen Columbus Risdale go past the door after his cow the evening before, and he was afraid that he might be ill. Why had he not thought to go down and drive up the cow himself? It was yet early, and he arose and went down to the little rusty, brown, unpainted house in which the Risdales, who were poor people, had their home. Just as he pushed open the gate, Bob Holliday came out of the door, looking tired and sleepy. "Hello, Bob!" said Jack. "How's Columbus? Is he sick?" "Awful sick," said Bob. "Clean out of his head all night." "Have you been here all night?" "Yes, I heerd he was sick last night, and I come over and sot up with him." "You good, big-hearted Bob!" said Jack. "You're the best fellow in the world, I believe." "What a quare feller you air to talk, Jack," said Bob, choking up. "Air you goin' to school to-day?" "No. Mother'd rather have me not go any more." "I'm not going any more. I hate old Ball. Neither's Susan Lanham going. She's in there," and Bob made a motion toward the house with his thumb, and passed out of the gate, while Jack knocked at the door. He was admitted by Susan. "Oh, Jack! I'm so glad to see you," she whispered. "Columbus has asked for you a good many times during the night. You've stood by him splendidly."