his afflicted son.

"And won't he be surprised when he learns that it wasn't Papa Sherwood,
after all, but that wicked negro porter, who stole his wallet and watch?"
Nan mused. "I hope they find the man and punish him. But--it really does
seem as though Mr. Bulson ought to be punished, too, for making my father
so much trouble."

Later "Nosey" Thompson _was_ captured; but he had spent all Mr. Bulson's
money in a drunken spree, and while intoxicated had been robbed of the
watch. So, in the end, the quarrelsome fat man, who had so maligned Mr.
Sherwood and caused him so much trouble, recovered nothing--not even his
lost temper.

"Which must be a good thing," was Bess Harley's comment. "For if I had a
temper like his, I'd want to lose it--and for good and all!"

"But there must be some good in that fat man," Nan said, reflectively.

"Humph! Now find some excuse for _him_, Nan Sherwood!" said her chum.

"No. Not an excuse. He maligned Papa Sherwood and I can't forgive him.
But his little boy thinks the world of him, I can see; and Mr. Bulson is
very fond of the little boy--'Junior,' as he calls him."

"Well," quoth Bess, "so does a tiger-cat love its kittens. He's a gouty,
grumpy old fellow, with an in-growing grouch. I couldn't see a mite of
good in him with a spyglass."

Her chum laughed heartily at that statement. "Well, let us hope he will
keep so far away from us after this that we will have to use a spyglass
to see him at all."

"And there's another person who can stay away from us," said Bess,
suddenly.

"Who's that?" queried Nan, looking up at the change in Bess' voice.

"Linda Riggs. She's coming this way," Bess said, tartly.

This conversation occurred in the skating rink, and while Nan was having
her skates strapped on by an attendant, for Walter Mason was not at the
moment in sight.

The haughty daughter of the railroad president evidently proposed
speaking with the chums from Tillbury. They had not seen her since the
runaway and more than once Nan had wondered just what attitude Linda
would take when they again met.

For Nan's part, she would rather not have met the rich girl at all. She
had no particular ill-feeling toward her now; although time was when
Linda had done all in her power to hurt Nan's reputation--and that not so
very long past. But having actually helped to save the girl's life, Nan
Sherwood could not hold any grudge against Linda. Bess, on the other
hand, bristled like an angry