Year: 1868

should not see them. Indeed, it is
better that they should not know
where [ am. Iwant to surprise them
as l hope to do, by coming back a so.
ber man, and with money enough to
make them comfortable. I prefer that
you and your wife should be the only
persons in the place who shall know
where [ am and what | am doing"


Thus while riding towards the qui
ct farm house of the Quaker, the who'll
thing was arranged. When the
reached the place, the horse was pit
in the barn, and they entered th
house. He said as they took seat, b,
the fire: /


"Amy, thee may put on anotIei
plate; Daniel will stay with US few
days and then he will go to Califol
MIA"


The benevolent Quaker was conf
dent that Daniel Akin would keep hi
resolve.


At length when everything was ii
readiness the old horse was harnessed
and before daylight Daniel Akin was
On his way to a railway station. He
had not been in the village since the
night when the words, Not a dror
more, Daniel" were uttered. He was
missed from his customary haunts, but
it was supposed he had gone off on a
spree, and so nothing was thought of
his absence. His wife's father lived
in the adjoining town, and some tho't
he had gone there.


No inquiries were made, for all were
rejoiced that he was missing, and cared
not for his return.


He had been gone somewhat more
than a year when the Quaker was in
the store of Haskins and remarked
that he wished to hire a pasture the
coming season.


" L have got one | will let you have
free of rent if you will put up the
fences on the place" said Haskins.
Where is it ?" said the Quaker.


"On the Akin farm"


If thee will let it at that rate thee
must have let it get out of repair"


1T IS so indeed; | cannot leave the
store to see to it. The house is poor,
and the family that lived in it last
were too shiftlesS to buy wood, and
burnt up the rails. | had rather sell
it than rent il"


What will thee take for it ?"


1t cost me some sixteen hundred
dollars"


Yes, but thee paid in goods and
charged thine own price on them"


To be sure L did; Akin could not
get trusted anywhere else, and | felt
| was running a great risk in letting
him have his goods, and l charged ac-
cordingly, just as everybody else wo'd
under the circumstances.


"Thee has not told me what thee
would take for the place. l will give
thee eight hundred for it, if that is any
object to thee"


Haskins thought long enough to
conclude that the interest of eight
hundred dollars was far better for
him than the farm, for the use of which
he realized scarcely anything, land said,
d" You can have it."


Thee can make out the deed to-
morrow, and thee shall have thy mon
ey. By the way, does thee know what
has become of Daniel Akin ?"


"No. He has not been in the vii
lage for more than year. At any
rate, | have not seen him."


We may tell the reader what Has
kins did not know. The Quaker had
that day received a letter from Daniel
Akin stating that he was at the mines
hard at work, and was sticking to his
motto, "Not a drop more, Daniel" +"
and that he had laid up few hundred
dollars, and desired him to inquire
what the place which he once owned
could be bought for. Mr.. Edgerton
had taken the method above mention
ed to find out Haskins' views. So
confident was he that Daniel Akin
would come home a sober man, with
money in his pocket, that he ventured
to purchase it, for the purpose of
keeping it for him.


He wrote to Akin what he had
done, and about three months after re-
ceived letter stating that by express
he had sent five hundred dollars in
gold to banker in New York, with
orders to sell it and remit the pro-
cceds to him, to go towards the farm.
Gold commanded a large premium,
and the five hundred became more
than eight hundred before it reached
Friend Edgertou's hands. Akin re-
quested him to draw a deed giving the
whole property to his wife, Mary, and
have it duly recorded and left with
the Register of Deeds.


In his letter: +" If perchance sho'd
ever break my resolution, l shall have
secured a home for my wife and chill
dren. | prefer, however, that they
should not know anything of this for
the present. If | live to come home,
| will give Mary the deed with my own
hands-if not you can do it. Now
that the farm is bought, you had bet
ter stock it, for | still stick to my mot
to, Not drop more, Daniel"


Another year past. By this time
Friend Edgerton had stocked the farm
with young cattle and sheep. The
fences were put in repair, and every
thing but the house wore a tidy ap.
pearance.


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