."

Our hero at once made this proposal by letter. This is a paragraph
from his father's letter in reply:--

"I am glad, my dear son, to find you so considerate and dutiful, as
your offer indicates. I have indeed had a hard time in supporting my
family, and have not always been able to give them the comforts I
desired. Perhaps it is my own fault in part. I am afraid I have not
the faculty of getting along and making money that many others have.
But I have had an unexpected stroke of good fortune. Last evening a
letter reached your mother, stating that her cousin Nancy had
recently died at St. Albans, Vermont, and that, in accordance with
her will, your mother is to receive a legacy of four thousand
dollars. With your mother's consent, one-fourth of this is to be
devoted to the purchase of the ten acres adjoining my little farm,
and the balance will be so invested as to yield us an annual income
of one hundred and eighty dollars. Many would think this a small
addition to an income, but it will enable us to live much more
comfortably. You remember the ten-acre lot to the east of us,
belonging to the heirs of Reuben Todd. It is excellent land, well
adapted for cultivation, and will fully double the value of my farm.

"You see, therefore, my dear son, that a new era of prosperity has
opened for us. I am now relieved from the care and anxiety which for
years have oppressed me, and feel sure of a comfortable support.
Instead of accepting the half of your salary, I desire you, if
possible, to save it, depositing in some reliable savings
institution. If you do this every year till you are twenty-one, you
will have a little capital to start you in business, and will be able
to lead a more prosperous career than your father. Knowing you as
well as I do, I do not feel it necessary to caution you against
unnecessary expenditures. I will only remind you that extravagance
is comparative, and that what would be only reasonable expenditure
for one richer than yourself would be imprudent in you."

Harry read this letter with great joy. He was warmly attached to the
little home circle, and the thought that they were comparatively
provided for gave him fresh courage. He decided to adopt his
father's suggestion, and the very next week deposited three dollars
in the savings bank.

"That is to begin an account," he thought. "If I can only keep that
up, I shall feel quite rich at the end of a year."

Several weeks