him on the suspicion of
having stolen money from his drawer. Under these circumstances, no one
in town would take you into his store as clerk; so you may as well give
up, first as last, the idea of becoming a trader."

"Couldn't I get a place in Boston, or somewhere else?"

"I think not; and if you could, I should not be willing to have you go
away from home."

"Why not, father? Wouldn't it be better than for me to stay here, where
I can get nothing to do?"

"No, my son; you are too young to go away from home, where you would
have no one to look after you, and where you would be subject to many
evil influences."

"Here every one will think I am a thief, and probably my friends will
not speak to me," added Fred, in a more sorrowful tone than ever.

"So much the more reason why you should remain here. Were you to go away
now, the people would surely think you guilty. No, no, my son! You must
stay here, where circumstances have conspired against you, and show by
your life that you are innocent. Then, too, by living here, you can
gather evidence that may be of value to you."

"Where can I get any evidence?"

"You can give it, if you can't get it," replied his father, "by going to
work tomorrow morning, and thus showing your good intentions."

"There is nothing to do in this dull town that I know of."

"There is always something to be done. But work won't come to you; you
must look it up. The important thing with you now is to find something
to do; for nothing so injures a boy or man in the sight of others as
loafing."

"Can't I be with you in the shop, father?"

"No, I don't want you to learn a shoemaker's trade. If I had been in
some other business, I might, perhaps, have been rich now. Shoemaking
doesn't afford one much chance to rise, however hard he works. You will
have to give up the idea of being a merchant, for the present, at least,
and perhaps forever; so I want you to engage in something where your
opportunities for advancement will not be limited as mine have been. No
matter if you have to commence at the very bottom of the ladder; you can
build yourself up by hard and intelligent work."

Fred now began to brighten up a little, and after some further
conversation with his father and mother, in which they tried to
encourage him as much as possible, he said:

"Father, you know I have always had an ambition to be somebody. When I
saw that De Vere was trying to turn my friends against me, because I