traits that characterized his nephew.

"You are the Carr boy," said the squire, pompously, looking over his
spectacles at Herbert, as he entered the door.

"My name is Herbert Carr," said Herbert, shortly. "You have known me all
my life."

"Certainly," said the squire, a little ruffled at the failure of his
grand manner to impose upon his young visitor. "Did I not call you the
Carr boy?"

Herbert did not fancy being called the Carr boy, but he was there to ask
a favor, and he thought it prudent not to show his dissatisfaction. He
resolved to come to the point at once.

"I have called, Squire Walsingham," he commenced, "to ask if you will
use your influence to have my mother retained in charge of the post
office."

"Ahem!" said the squire, somewhat embarrassed. "I am not in charge of
the post-office department."

"No, sir, I am aware of that; but the postmaster general will be
influenced by the recommendations of people in the village."

"Very true!" said the squire, complacently. "Very true, and very proper.
I do not pretend to say that my recommendation would not weigh with the
authorities at Washington. Indeed, the member from our district is a
personal friend of mine."

"You know how we are situated," continued Herbert, who thought it best
to state his case as briefly as possible. "Father was unable to save
anything, and we have no money ahead. If mother can keep the post
office, we shall get along nicely, but if she loses it, we shall have a
hard time."

"I am surprised that in your father's long tenure of office he did not
save something," said the squire, in a tone which indicated not only
surprise but reproof.

"There was not much chance to save on a salary of four hundred dollars a
year," said Herbert, soberly, "after supporting a family of three."

"Ahem!" said the squire, sagely; "where there's a will there's a way.
Improvidence is the great fault of the lower classes."

"We don't belong to the lower classes," said Herbert, flushing with
indignation.

Squire Walmsgham was secretly ambitious of representing his district
some day in Congress, and he felt that he had made a mistake. It won't
do for an aspirant to office to speak of the lower classes, and the
squire hastened to repair his error.

"That was not the term I intended to imply," he condescended to explain.
"I meant to say that improvidence is the prevailing fault of those whose
income is small."

"We haven't had much chance to be