ut it. And that's not the worst of
it--he's suspected of being a crook."

"For G--'s sake!" murmured Perry; and thought a while.

"Had I better tell her?" asked Sadie.

"I guess so; she'll soon find out, anyway."

Miss Hall found Frankie admiring a flower-bed, lonesomely, and
approached her with the news she had. She knew that her Alfred hated
Evan, who in his turn hated Alfred, and it was quite a satisfaction to
circulate the truth about an enemy when it was unpleasant. To give her
credit, Sadie was rather sorry she had done it, when she saw the effect
produced on Frankie.

The following day Miss Hall met the girl whom Frankie Arling, of
Hometon, had been visiting.

"Where's your friend?" she asked.

"Gone," replied the other girl. "She took it into her head to go home
on the noon train, and we couldn't coax her out of it. I think she was
lonesome."

"No doubt," replied Sadie, abstractedly.

Mrs. Nelson sat reading a letter, with tears in her eyes; another
letter lay on the table. The one she read was from a woman-friend in
Toronto. One paragraph of it puzzled Mrs. Nelson; it read: "One of the
bankboys who boards here told me that your son had been discharged from
the S---- Bank on suspicion. I think my boarder has made a mistake; he
declares it was Evan Nelson of Hometon, though. Let me hear from you,
Caroline, for I'm anxious to know that there has been a blunder."

The letter on the table was from Evan; one of those garden compositions
sent through Sam Robb. It spoke about health, a good time and good
board.

Frankie and Lou entered the kitchen where Mrs. Nelson sat in misery.
She showed them the letter from Evan and the other one from Toronto.
Frankie was silent, but Lou exclaimed:

"Why, mother! I'm surprised! Do you think for a minute that Evan
would deceive us like that?"

"I can't believe it, dear; but what am I to do?"

"There's a mistake somewhere," replied Lou; "why, even if they have
fired him it's all a mistake. 'On suspicion'--imagine! Why brother
wouldn't take a--a--"

The thought was too much for Lou. What with lonesomeness for her
brother and anger at the mere thought of anyone suspecting him, she
gave way to a June storm.

Frankie was not free from signs of lamentation, either. She filled up
more and more until there were raindrops from that quarter, too, and
Sadie Hall's story came out.

Mrs. Nelson was overcome. Why had not her boy written about the
trouble?