"Well, I see you won," he remarked pleasantly, and the young chief,
looking up, saw the tramp he had rescued from the water.
"Yes. Were you there?"
"I saw the final contest. Couldn't get away to spend the whole day,
though I would have liked to. I had to work."
"Where are you working? In town here?" asked Bert, for he was quite
interested in the young man.
"Yes, I'm employed at the Stockton mansion."
"At the Stockton mansion?" repeated Bert, greatly surprised. What he
had heard regarding that mysterious house came freshly to his mind.
"Why, I didn't know there was any business being done there, Mr.--er--
Mr. ah--"
He paused, for it just occurred to him that he did not know the
tramp's name.
The tramp--no, we shall call him that no more, for he was no longer of
that class--the man, then, smiled.
"Decker is my name," he said. "Mortimer Decker, though most of my
friends--what few I have left--call me Mort. As I consider you a
friend of mine, you may do so, Herbert. You see I know your name, for
you're sort of a public character."
"I don't know about that, but I'm glad you've gotten a place, Mort."
"Yes, after my little experience in the brook I decided to get some
work to do here if possible.
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