ter after her father's own heart,--one of those rare, sensible
girls who cannot be spoiled by indulgence, who was equally fond of her
parent and who stood unflinchingly by her brother in the little
differences between father and son, which, sad to say, were becoming
more frequent and serious with the passing weeks and months. It is
probable that the affection of the parent for the daughter prevented
him from ever thinking of marrying again, for she was a model
housekeeper, and he could not bear the thought of seeing anyone come
into the family and usurp, even in a small degree, her functions and
place.

Mr. Hunter was getting on in years, and nothing was more natural than
that he should wish and plan that Tim should become his successor in
the development of the valuable quarry that was not likely to give out
for many a year to come. But the boy showed no liking for the
business. He was among the best scholars in the village school, fond
of play and so well advanced in his studies that his parent determined
to begin his practical business training in earnest. He looked upon a
college education as a waste of so many years, taken from the most
precious part of a young man's life, and it must be said that Tim
himself showed no wish to attend any higher educational institution.

Tim had assisted about the quarry, more or less for several years. Of
course he was too young to do much in the way of manual labor, but
there were many errands that he ran, beside helping to keep his
father's accounts. He wrote an excellent hand, was quick in figures
and had such a command of language that all his parent had to do was to
tell him the substance of the letter he wished written, to have the boy
put it in courteous but pointed and clear form. The elder had never
detected an error in the computations of the younger, who had no
trouble at all when the operations included difficult fractions.

All this was good in its way, but it could not be denied that Tim had
no liking for the business itself. His father had told him repeatedly
that he must prepare himself for the active management of the stone
works, and that to do so required something more than quickness in
figures and skill in letter writing. But it was in vain. Tim was
never at the works unless by direct command of his parent, and seized
the first opportunity to get away.

"No person can succeed in a business which he dislikes," remarked Mr.
Hunter to Maggie who on t