eagerly.

"Actually accused my son of stealing twenty dollars from him."

"Gracious!"

"Isn't that enough to provoke a saint, Benjamin? Do you wonder I wish to
take him in hand?"

"Not at all, squire; not at all."

"And you will vote to remove him, won't you?"

"Certainly--if you wish it," replied Benjamin Hooker, who was under
obligation to the squire, for money loaned. "But we can't remove him
without another vote in the board."

"I know that. Come with me to Uriah Dicks', and I'll tell him about the
matter. Uriah will stand by us, I know, in a case like this."

As there would be nothing to do in the office for at least half an hour,
the postmaster readily consented to accompany the squire, leaving the place
in charge of the clerk.

Five minutes later the two stepped into Uriah Dicks' general store. They
found the old man talking earnestly to Ralph and a stranger, who was none
other than Horace Kelsey.

CHAPTER IX.

AT THE GENERAL STORE.

Both Squire Paget and the postmaster were surprised to see Ralph in
conversation with Uriah Dicks and the young gentleman who was a stranger to
them.

The squire had expected to hold a quiet talk with the keeper of the general
store, and he was much disappointed to learn that this was to be denied to
him.

However, he put on a bold front, and approached Uriah without hesitation,
just as the latter looked up.

"Why, here is Squire Paget now!" exclaimed Uriah Dicks. "Squire, you are
just the man I want to see!"

"I can say the same for you," returned the squire, with a sharp glance at
Ralph.

"I got a twenty-dollar bill from your son yesterday, and it looks like it
was going to make trouble for me," went on the storekeeper.

"It has already made enough trouble for me," retorted the squire,
pointedly.

"Squire Paget, this is Mr. Kelsey, the gentleman that gave me the
twenty-dollar bill," put in Ralph.

"Humph! He might have given you a twenty-dollar bill, but this is not the
one," growled the squire.

"I believe it is, sir," said Horace Kelsey.

"You do?"

"Yes, sir. It is, as you see, a new one, issued by the First National Bank
of Chambersburgh. That is the bank at which I drew it."

"It's all rot!" roared the squire. "My son Percy received that bill, and in
Chambersburgh, too!" he added, suddenly. "He said so last night."

Again Ralph's hopes fell. He had felt almost certain that his city friend
would be able to prove the property, but now