"'Dear Sir:--As you are no doubt aware, the Coalville Coal Company offered a reward of five thousand dollars for the recovery of the chest, with contents intact, which was stolen on the night of the 10th inst. Mr. Jed Hopkins and yourself succeeded in finding the chest, and an examination proved the contents to be undisturbed. It is with great pleasure, therefore, that I enclose the company's check for twenty-five hundred dollars, your share of the reward, and the company desires also to thank you for the great service which you assisted in rendering it. Please acknowledge receipt of check. "Very truly yours, "'S. R. Alderson, "'_President_.'" For a moment, Jack stood staring at Allan, incapable of utterance; then, by a mighty effort, he pulled himself together. "But that ain't right!" he protested, violently. "I didn't find th' chest! I didn't do nothin'! It was Jed Hopkins. I jest went along! I didn't do a blame thing! I won't take it!" Mary looked at him, her face alight with love and pride. "That's right, Jack!" she cried. "We don't want nothin we hain't earned honest--we won't wrong nobody in this world!" Allan sat looking at the slip of pink paper he held between his fingers. "I don't know," he said, slowly. "It seems to me that you are certainly entitled to a portion of the reward--perhaps not to half of it. You surely helped some." "If I did, I don't remember it," said Jack. "Besides--" A knock at the door interrupted him. Mary opened it, to find a tall, lean figure standing on the threshold. "Why, it's Jed Hopkins!" cried Allan. "Come in! Come in!" "Sure I will," laughed Jed, stooping a little as he entered the door. "An' how is the kid?" "The kid's first-rate," Allan assured him, clasping warmly the great palm held out to him. "Mary and Jack," he went on, turning to the others, "this is the man who saved my life. He was on fire himself and the flames were all about him, but he stopped long enough to get hold of me and pull me out." "Oh, shet up!" protested Jed. "I didn't stop at all. I jest sort o' hooked on to you as I was goin' past." Mary came up to him, all her heart in her face. "We can't thank you," she said. "They ain't no use in our tryin' t' do that. But if that boy'd died like that--it--it--it would 'a' broke our hearts." "An' this is th' feller they think I'll rob," broke in Jack. "Rob?" repeated Jed, looking at him. "Do ye think fer a minute," cried Jack, fiercely, "I'd take one penny o' that reward? Not me! I didn't earn it! Here!" and he seized the check from Allan's fingers and crushed it into Jed's hand. "Take it. It's yourn." Jed, his face very red, stared from the check to Jack and from Jack to the check. Then a queer twinkle came into his eye. "Oh, all right," he said, "if you feel that way."