ll tell him how I came to
do it."

"No; don't you touch the contents of the pocket-book!" exclaimed the
stranger, hastily snatching the article in question from Matt's hand.
"That would not be right!"

"Yes, but I will make it right with the owner, if I----"

"I can't wait any longer for that train!" cried the stranger, and
without another word he placed the pocket-book into his coat-pocket
and disappeared into the crowd.

For the instant Matt stared after him, and then a light burst upon the
boy's mind.

"He is a confidence man and was trying to swindle me!" he murmured to
himself. "If that pocket-book contained much it was a single dollar
bill on a pile of green paper! How lucky I was not to jump at his
offer when he first made it!"

As soon as he had reached this conclusion, Matt made after the man.
But the crowd was too thick and too large to find him, and after a
quarter of an hour's search the young auctioneer gave it up.

It was now getting late, and as soon as he was satisfied that the
confidence man was gone, Matt hurried along on his errand.

He found that the lady who had purchased the goods had just reached
home. She had heard of the brown bear episode, and insisted upon Matt
giving her the particulars, which he did. She was very much interested
in his story, and after she had heard how the affair terminated she
plied him with questions concerning the auction business.

"You may think me very curious," she said at length. "But the reason I
ask is because my only son, Tom Inwold, ran away with a traveling
auctioneer about three months ago."

"Ran away?" repeated Matt.

"Yes; he got into a difficulty in school, and when I insisted that he
apologize to his teachers, he grew angry and left the house."

"How old was he?"

"Tom was fifteen last May."

"He was very young to become an auctioneer," smiled Matt. "I am
hardly old enough for the business."

"He has made a friend of this auctioneer--who used to stand up in a
wagon and sing songs, and then sell cheap jewelry--and he went off
with him one Saturday, when I thought he had gone to New York with his
uncle."

"And doesn't he want to come back?" asked Matt, deeply interested.

"I have never heard of him since he went away." Mrs. Inwold put her
handkerchief to her eyes to dry the tears which had started. "One
reason I wished these goods delivered was because I thought I might
get a chance to talk to you about Tom. You intend to travel from