e deacon don't know everything. I'm goin' to make Nat toe the
mark until he is twenty-one. After that I'll wash my hands o' him."

The farmer finished his supper and then went out to see that everything
was all right around the farm for the night. A little later he took a
lamp and went upstairs. Tiptoeing his way through an upper hall he came
to a pause in front of Nat's room.

"Asleep, jest as I thought," he told himself, after listening to the
boy's breathing. Then he peeped into the room, to behold Nat lying under
the cover of the bed, with his face turned to the wall.

"I'll give him another talkin' to in the mornin'," the farmer told
himself; and then retired, with no thought of what was going to happen
before the sun arose upon another day.

CHAPTER III

NAT LEAVES THE FARM

Farmer Balberry was mistaken; Nat was not asleep, nor was there any
thought of sleep in the boy's mind.

The youth had not even gone to bed. He had been sitting on a chair by
the open window when he had heard his uncle coming upstairs, and to
deceive his relative had jumped into bed and pulled the blanket up over
him.

When Nat was thrust up the stairs his mind was in a tumult. He felt that
his uncle was not treating him fairly--and he wanted his supper very
much.

It is bad enough to have a real grievance of any kind--it is worse when
one must bear it on an empty stomach. As he made his way to his room the
boy was in a savage humor and fit to do almost any deed.

"Uncle Abner is getting worse every day!" he muttered to himself. "He
treats me worse than I would treat a dog!"

Sitting by the open window Nat thought of many things--of the death of
his parents, and of the taking off of his aunt--and of how his miserly
uncle had treated him ever since.

"It's not fair!" he told himself, over and over again. "Uncle Abner
doesn't believe in giving a boy a fair show. I wish I lived with
somebody else."

The more he thought over the situation the more he felt that he ought
not to stand such treatment. He felt that he was entitled to his supper,
and also to some spending money if not to regular wages. At the present
time he had not a cent in the world.

"If I had a few dollars I might strike out for myself," he reasoned.
"But I haven't even a few cents. Wonder how I could raise a few
dollars?"

As said before Nat's worldly possessions were few. In his room he had
some trinkets from home and also an old silver watch which had