have the
satisfaction of knowing that this house was all paid for with his
earnings."

Squire Moses soon left, with the feeling that he had lost at least a
thousand dollars by the finding of the hidden treasure.

CHAPTER XVII.

THE FIRST OF JULY.

"Hurrah! hurrah! hurrah!" shouted Stumpy, as soon as the door had closed
upon his amiable grandfather.

He threw up his hat to the ceiling, and demonstrated in the most
extravagant manner, to the great amusement of Mr. Hamilton and Leopold.
Mrs. Wormbury cried with joy, and was not less happy than her son.

"Come, Stumpfield, don't go crazy," said she.

"The house is paid for, mother, and you don't owe a single dollar in the
whole world to any man, woman or child--except Leopold," shouted Stumpy,
checking himself at the end of his enthusiastic discourse. "We ought to
give him five hundred dollars of this money."

"Not a cent of it to me!" protested the skipper of the Rosabel; "but you
may do it in the other way if you like."

"I will, and I know mother will.--Mother," continued Stumpy with energy,
"we owe all this to Leopold. He was honest, clear up to the hub; if he
hadn't been, we shouldn't have got a cent of this money which father
earned. We should have been turned out of the house on the first of
August, and had to grub our way worse than ever. Now the house is paid
for, and we have nearly eighteen hundred dollars in cash. That will give
us over a hundred dollars interest money, which will make it a soft
thing for us. No interest money to pay, either; so that we shall be a
hundred and fifty dollars better off than we were before; and all
because Leopold was honest, and did the right thing."

"I am sure I am very grateful to him, for my own and my children's
sake," added Mrs. Wormbury.

"That don't pay any bills, mother," protested Stumpy. "Leopold's father
is in trouble. My beloved grandad will come down upon him like a
thousand of bricks, on the first of July, if he don't pay the interest
on his note; and Le says his father can't do it."

"I'm very sorry," sighed Mrs. Wormbury.

"That don't pay any bills, mother; and we must do something more than
being sorry. I want to lend this money--this eighteen hundred
dollars--to Mr. Bennington right off. He will be able to pay us after
this season."

"I think you can safely do this, Mrs. Wormbury," added the merchant. "I
will indorse the landlord's note, and thus guarantee its payment."

"I'm sure I s