en to him.
There were a number of finely dressed planters who sat at the table with
him, but not one had had a word to say to him, and would have allowed
him to go on his way to ruin if it had not been for this solitary man.
And how he had trusted him! Was there a planter on the boat who would
have given him so large an amount of money on so short an acquaintance?

"There's one thing about it," said Tom, as he thrust his hands deep into
his pockets. "If I make a success of this thing, I shall not have any
planters, who have already made their mark in the world, to thank for my
salvation."

The sight of the revolver that was placed upon the stool at the head of
his bed did not startle Tom as it had done on a former occasion.
Answering the cheerful "Morning" of the sleepy gambler he made a trip to
the barber shop to get a "shake up," for Tom had not yet had opportunity
to buy a brush and comb, and then went out and seated himself on the
guards. He felt more lonely now than he had at any time since leaving
home. Memphis was only forty miles away,--he had heard one of the
customers in the barber shop make that remark,--and he knew that when he
got there the last friend he had on earth was to take leave of him.

"How will I ever get along without him?" was the question he kept
constantly asking himself. "Two hundred dollars and a good overcoat
besides. I think I shall need the overcoat, for if the weather is as
cold as it is this morning, I should prefer to hug the fire."

While he was thinking about it, Mr. Bolton came out and beckoned to him.
Tom followed him into the office, and when the blinds had all been
closed, the clerk unlocked his safe and took out three official
envelopes; for the thirty thousand made so large a roll of money that he
could not get the bills all into one. Selecting one of the envelopes, he
tore it open, counted out two hundred dollars from it, placed it in a
second envelope, sealed it with a blow of his fist upon the counter, and
placed Tom's name upon it.

"That's yours, Tom," said he. "I need hardly tell you to be careful of
it. When you leave the boat at Fort Gibson, the clerk will give it to
you."

"Must I change boats again?" asked Tom.

"Yes, for this boat draws so much water that she can't run any farther,"
said the clerk. "I'll keep an eye on you and see that you get through
all right."

Mr. Bolton then proceeded to count out fifty dollars, which he pushed
over toward the clerk, a