rn attire that somewhat astonished
the country dressmaker but were gratefully received. There was no
question but that Mary Louise was stylishly, if simply, dressed on all
occasions, and so Miss Huckins was glad to follow the young girl's
advice.

They were in the dressmaker's shop a long time, fitting and planning,
and when at length they came down the stairs they saw Sol Jerrems
standing in his door and closely scrutinizing through his big horn
spectacles something he held in his hand. As Mary Louise wished to make
a slight purchase at the store she approached the proprietor, who said
in a puzzled tone of voice:

"I dunno what t' say to you folks, 'cause I'm up in the air. This money
may be genooine, but it looks to me like a counterfeit," and he held up
a new ten-dollar bill.

"I want a roll of tape, please," said Mary Louise. "I hope your money
is good, Mr. Jerrems, but its value cannot interest us."

"I dunno 'bout that," he replied, looking hard at Ingua, "Ol'
Swallertail gimme this bill, not ten minutes ago, an' said as his
gran'darter was to buy whatever she liked, as fur as the money would
go. That order was so queer that it made me suspicious. See here: a few
days ago ol' Cragg bought Ingua a dress--an' paid for it, by gum!--an'
now he wants her t' git ten dollars' wuth o' shoes an' things! Don't
that look mighty strange?"

"Why?" asked Mary Louise.

"'Cause it's the first money he's spent on the kid since I kin
remember, an' he's allus talkin' poverty an' says how he'll die in the
poorhouse if prices keep goin' up, as they hev durin' the furrin war
that's now hummin' acrost the water. If he's _that_ poor, an' on a
sudden springs a ten-dollar bill on me for fixin's fer his kid, there's
sure somethin' wrong somewhere. I got stuck on a bill jus' like this a
year ago, an' I ain't goin' to let any goods go till I find out for
sure whether it's real money or not."

"When can you find out?" inquired Mary Louise.

"To-morrer there's a drummer due here f'm the city--a feller keen as a
razor--who'll know in a minute if the bill is a counterfeit. If he says
it's good, then Ingua kin trade it out, but I ain't goin' to take no
chances."

Ingua came close to the storekeeper, her face dark with passion.

"Come," said Mary Louise, taking the child's arm, "let us go home. I am
sure Mr. Jerrems is over particular and that the money is all right.
But we can wait until to-morrow, easily. Come, Ingua."

The child w