sion of this matter. Moreover, I suspect the feeling that
kept you away from me this morning would have influenced you to leave my
class at the Sunday school. But now you won't do that, will you?"

"No, I will not. Father and mother would not allow me to, any way."

"You are fortunate in having such parents; but as to coming here to
work, I want to see you get something better. You are too smart and
ambitious a boy to come into a factory, for such labor, as a rule, makes
one stupid and unfits him for anything else."

"I would like something better," replied Fred more cheerfully. "I
couldn't bear the thought of always being a common mill hand; still I
should be very glad to get even this for a while, rather than lie idle.
Isn't there a chance to work up, the same way that you did?"

"Yes, there is a chance, but it is a small one; for I should say that
from the great number who enter a factory, not one out of ten thousand
ever gets as high as an overseer. Still, you are right in wanting to get
to work, and you had better be here than on the street corners; but
instead of taking up with this, can't it be shown what became of the
missing money? If so, perhaps I can influence Mr. Rexford to take you
back. Or, if I couldn't, yet by your showing yourself innocent of his
charge you would then be in a fair way of getting a position in some
other store, for you were popular with customers, I understand."

"I don't know of any way to account for the missing bill. I never saw it
at all."

"You never saw it, and you say there were just eighteen dollars
missing?"

"Yes, sir."

Mr. Farrington mused thoughtfully a moment, then muttered to himself,
yet audibly: "Eighteen dollars missing!"

Presently he said aloud: "I will think this matter over, and see what I
can do for you. Come and see me tomorrow forenoon."

XII.

John Rexford cared very little for the interests of others. His humanity
was dwarfed and his regard for Fred's feelings or reputation amounted to
nothing. In fact, he cherished malice against the boy for getting the
better of him in the matter of his dealings with his customers.

That our young friend should have found out so much about his business
methods, and should dare to hold the threat of exposure over his head,
rankled in the breast of J. Rexford, Esq. With something of a spirit of
revenge he took good care to let his suspicions become generally known
regarding his former clerk, knowing, as he