“I hope they don’t molest me further,” answered our hero. “If they’ll only let me alone I’ll let them alone.”
“That Sagger is certainly on the downward path,” said Frank. If he doesn’t look out he’ll land in jail.”
What Frank said was true, and less than a week later they heard through another hotel boy that Jack Sagger had been arrested for stealing some lead pipe out of a vacant residence. The pipe had been sold to a junkman for thirty cents and the boy had spent the proceeds on a ticket for a cheap theater and some cigarettes. He was sent to the House of Correction, and that was the last Joe heard of him.
With the coming of winter the hotel filled up and Joe was kept busy from morning to night, so that he had little time for studying. He performed his duties faithfully and the hotel proprietor was much pleased in consequence.
“Joe is all right,” he said to his cashier, “I can trust him with anything.”
“That’s so, and he is very gentlemanly, too,” replied the cashier.
Ulmer Montgomery was still at the hotel. He was now selling antiquaries, and our hero often watched the fellow with interest. He suspected that Montgomery was a good deal of a humbug, but could not prove it.
At length Montgomery told Joe that he wa{s} going to the far West to try his fortunes. The man seemed to like our hero, and the night before he left the hotel he called Joe into his room.
“I want to make you a present of some books I own,” said Ulmer Montgomery. “Perhaps you’ll like to read them. They are historical works.”
“Thank you, Mr. Montgomery, you are very kind.”
“I used to be a book agent, but I gave that up as it didn’t pay me as well as some other things.”
“And you had these books left over?”
“Yes. The firm I worked for wouldn’t take them back so I had to keep them.”
“And now you are selling curiosities.”
At this Ulmer Montgomery smiled blandly.
“Not exactly, Joe–I only sell curiosities, or antiquities, when I am hard up. On other occasions I do like other folks, work for a living.”
“I don’t quite understand.”
“I dropped into selling curiosities when I was in the South and hard up for cash. I wanted money the worst way, and I–well, I set to work to raise it. Maybe you’d like to hear my story.”
“I would.”
“Mind you, I don’t pose as a model of goodness and I shouldn’t advise you to follow in my footsteps. But I wanted money and wanted in badly. So I put on my thinking cap, and I soon learned of a very zealous antiquary living about five miles from where I was stopping. He was wealthy and a bachelor, and spent no inconsiderable portion of his income on curiosities.”
“And you went to him?” said Joe, becoming interested.
“I at once determined to take advantage of this gentleman’s antiquarian zeal. I will own that I had some qualms of conscience–about imposing upon the old gentleman, but I didn’t know of any other way to procure the money I absolutely needed.
“Having made all of my preparations, I set off for Mr. Leland’s house. To disguise myself I put on a pair of big goggles and an old- fashioned collar and tie.
“ `I understand, Mr. Leland, that you are in the habit of collecting curiosities,’ I said.
“ `Quite right, sir,’ said he. `I have got together some few,’ and he gazed with an air of pride at the nondescript medley which surrounded him.
“ `I have in my possession,’ I proceeded, `two or three of great value, which I had hoped to retain, but, well, I need money, and so I must part with them, much as I wish to call them mine. But I wish to see that they get into the proper hands, and I have been told that you are a great antiquarian, understanding the true value of such things, and so–‘
“ `Pray, show them to me at once!’ cried the old man, eagerly.
“ `I have traveled a good deal, and been a pilgrim in many climes,’ I went on. `I have wandered along the banks of the Euphrates and dipped my feet in the currents of the Nile. I have gazed upon ruined cities–‘