"He was disappointed when he failed to find you--said he owed you something for gumming his game. Well, he found you all right--and when he gets out of the hospital he is slated for twenty years in Joliet." The man paused and glanced at his watch. "Bless my soul! It is after two o'clock! We will have luncheon served here." "It is a peculiar situation," mused the invalid. "The last thing I remember is being in the thick of a railroad wreck, and here I wake up in bed, with a trained nurse in the room, to find myself the guest of a man whose name I do not even know." "Appleton--H. D. Appleton, of Minneapolis. I am a lumberman--just returning from the National Lumberman's Convention in Buffalo. And yours?" He was interrupted by a tap at the door and a couple of waiters entered bearing trays. CHAPTER IX BILL GETS A JOB After luncheon, over cigars, the conversation again became personal. Appleton regarded the younger man thoughtfully. "You spoke of being temporarily out of funds. Allow me to loan you what you require." "Thank you, sir, but I could not think of it. I am already deeply indebted to you. If it were only a temporary embarrassment I wouldn't mind. But I have no definite plans. I must find work, and I freely confess I don't know exactly how to go about it. It might be a long time before I could repay the loan. Then, too, if a man is broke he will tackle the first job that comes along, whereas if he had money in his pocket he would be tempted to wait for something better, no matter what was offered." "If you work it right you can easily get a couple of thousand out of the railroad company--damages, you know." The younger man looked up quickly. "Not me," he smiled. "I have not sustained any loss to speak of. That crack on the head when the coach tipped over didn't even knock me out. And as for the pummeling I got afterward with the knucks--that was my own lookout--the railroad company is not to blame for that. No. Getting something for nothing is not playing the game--it savors too strongly of the methods of our friend the pickpocket." As he talked the elder man subjected him to a careful scrutiny. He noted the deep-set, unwavering eyes, the smiling lips, and the firm, square set of the jaw. "So you are really in earnest about going to work?" "In earnest! Mr. Appleton, you have just witnessed a fair demonstration of the demands of my appetite," with a nod toward the array of empty dishes. "I am subject to those attacks on an average of three times a day. In my pocket are just four one-dollar bills. Can you guess the answer?" The lumberman smiled. "What kind of position were you thinking of? What is your business?" "Haven't any. And I am not thinking of a position--what I want is a _job_." "Know anything about lumber?" "No."