Year: 1870

with feet steps down the gravel Sidewalk
toward the common.


The family circle thus divided was thai
of the cashier of the Blue River Nationa
Bank of ElmGeld. Foster Houghton was
a man past middle age, and older than hi.
years in appearance and in heart. He
had petted his only son in his childhood
enough to spoil most boys, and now made
the balance even by repressing the exuber-
ance of his youth with a sharpness some
times no more than just, sometimes queru-
lous and unreasonable. The boys grand
father, old Peleg Houghton, who died a
year before at ninety and over, had almost
worshipped Harry, and, on his death h-bed
had presented his own superb Frodsham
watch to the lad; and both father and
mother knew he must be deeply moved to
speak SO lightly at parting with it.


IL fear Henry is getting in very bad
way" said Mr.. Houghton, gloomily, after
pause in which the sharper click of his
wife's needles told that her thoughts were
busy. ''lle goes to the other church too
often to begin with. He smokes, after
have repeatedly told him how the habit
hurt me in my boyhood, and what fight
| had to break it off. He is altogether too
much in Harrison Fry's company. He
has been twice before to Tinborough, driv-
ing home across country in the gray of
the morning. And this project of going
alone to Lake George on a weeks trip is
positively ridiculous"


every likely you are the best Judge,
my DEAR" said Mrs. Houghton She al
ways began in that way when she meant
to prove him otherwise. II fully agree
with you about that reckless young Fry
But as to Harry's going to the brown
church, and his visits to Tinborough, |
think the same cause is at the bottom of
both Grace Chamberlain has been sing
ing in the choir over there this spring
and now she is visiting her aunt at Tin
borough. And as to that, she is going
with her aunt's family to Lake George to
spend July, and | suppose they have ex-
pressed a wish to meet him there Grace
Chamberlain is very pretty girl; and
Harry is like what you were at his age"


BLESS my soul, Mary" said the cash
Ter, "then why didn't the boy tell me what
he was driving at? Chasing across the
country after pretty face is foolish enough
at his age, but it is not so bad as going to
a watering place merely for the fashion of
it like some rich old nabob or professional
dandy. IF Harry had told me he wanted to
danglc after Grace Chamberlain, instead
Of talking in that desperate way about the
watch, might have received it different
.lv. There is "A charm on the chain with
my mothers hair, that | wouldn't have go
ont of the family for fortune"


Just here the door-bel rang, .as if a
powerful, nervous hand were at the knob.
Mr.. Houghton answered the ring, for
their one domestic had been called away
by message from a sick sister, and the
mistress of the house was "getting along
alone" for day. SO when her quick ear
told her the visitor was one to see her hus-
band on business, she quilted the room to
set away the milk and lock up the rear
doors of the house for the night.


The caller was Mr.. Sins Bixby lie
would have been sharp man in Elm6eld
estimation who could predict the object of
one of Silas Bixby's calls, though there
were few doors in the village at which his
face was not frequently seen. He was the
constable, but he was also superintendent
of the Sunday School, and the assessor of
internal revenue in the district, to say
nothing of his being the agent of two or
three sewing machine firms, and one life
insurance company, and the correspondent
of the Tinborough Trumpet" He own
ed farm, and managed it at odd hours
He gave some of his winter evenings to
keeping writing school, with which he
sometimes pro6tably combined a singing
school, with lucrative concerts at the end
of the term. He was the clerk of the fire
company, and never had been absent from
Are. though some of his manifold duties
kept him riding through the neghboring
towns in his light gig a great deal of the
time. He had raised a company and com
manded it, in the nine months army OF
'62 He kept little bookstore in one
corner of the village quadrangle, and man
aged very small circulating library, with
the aid of the oldest of his ten children
and he was equal partner in the new fac
tory enterprise at the Falls. So Mr..
Houghton did not venture to guess on
what errand Mr.. Bixby came to see him,
and showed him to chair in the twilight
ed sitting-room, with face composed to
decline request to discount note, or to
join with interest in conversation ON the
Sunday School. or to listen to a report on
the new fire-engiue fund, with equal ease
and alacrity.


Mr.. Bixby looked about him to see that
nobody was in hearing. you'll excuse
me, know. Squire, if I shut the win
dows, hot as it Isl" and before his host
could rise to anticipate him he had suited
the action to the word. It's detective
business It's big thing. It's nigh
ty big thing. Do you know told you.
Mr.. Houghton, the first of the week, that
there was dangerous characters about town
and asked you to keep your eyes open at
the bank Will you bear witness of that?''


II remember it very well, Mr.. Bixby,
and also that there has not been single
person in the bank since that day, other