Page 98 - An Amateur Fireman

inclination to spend the time in his lodgings, where he could do nothing save dwell upon the painful situation
of the boy who had tried to injure him.

After a short time Dan succeeded in partially banishing his partner's sorrowful thoughts by speaking of his
own plans regarding the prospective store on Third Avenue, and broached the subject by paying to Seth his
share of the room-rent.

"Did you make all that to-day?" the amateur asked in surprise.

"Yes, an' thirty-two cents more."

"You must have humped yourself."

"That's jest what I did do. You see, if I count on ever ownin' that store I've got to work, same's you did to get
into the Department, an' I never lost a minute this mornin'. I'd made a big pile if it hadn't been for goin' to see
Jip."

Then Dan pictured to his partner in words the establishment he intended one day to own, giving all the details
with such exactness as to prove that he must have spent considerable time reflecting upon the matter.

"That's what I want," he said as he concluded his description of the store; "but when you come to think that
I've only got thirty-two cents towards it, there don't seem much chance I'll ever pull through."

"You'll have twice as much to-morrow night, an' every day it'll keep on growin' till in a little while you'll have
a pile that'll make your eyes stick out. A feller can do pretty near what he counts on, if he sticks right at it."

"You can bet I'll stick at the store part of it, though I ain't certain as I'd ever believed it could be done if you
hadn't got into the Department. When you was runnin' to fires like as if there might be big money in it, I
counted it was foolishness; but now the thing looks different."

At this point the conversation was interrupted by Sam Barney, who suddenly appeared from around a corner
much as if he had popped out with the purpose of frightening them.

Seth would have passed the would-be detective without a word, for after what had been done he felt no desire
to so much as speak with him; but now was the hour of Master Barney's triumph, and he did not intend to lose
any opportunity of sounding his own praises.

"Well," he cried, stepping directly in front of the boys, "what do you think now 'bout my bein' a detective?"

"If you are one, nobody knows it but yourself," Dan replied angrily.

"Didn't I get Jip Collins arrested?"

"Yes, an' anybody might er done the same thing, without startin' in by goin' to Philadelphy. It seems you
wasn't much of a detective when you figgered that he was over there."

"If you fellers hadn't been so smart with your railroad ticket I'd never gone, 'cause it didn't take me very long
to see how I'd made a mistake in figgerin', after I put my mind right down to it."

"I notice you hung 'round here two days waitin' for us to raise the money. Couldn't you find the mistake before
then?"