hat Henry should go into the
store and gradually take charge of the whole thing, and he positively
refuses. He wants to ran a newspaper." The merchant grunted and shook
his feet.

"But is there anything so bad about that?" she asked. "I am sure it is
no more than natural. My uncle Louis used to write for the Salem
_Monitor_."

He looked at her--he did not say a word, but he looked at her.

"And Uncle Harvey"--

He grunted, flounced out of his chair and quitted the room.

"Mother," said Henry, getting up and taking her hand, "I am grieved
that this dispute arose. I know that he is set in his ways, and it is
unfortunate that I was compelled to cross him, but it had to come
sooner or later."

"I am very sorry, but I don't blame you, my son. If you don't want to
go into the store, why should you?"

They heard Witherspoon's jolting walk, up and down the hall.

"You have but one life here on this earth," she said, "and I don't see
why you should make that one life miserable by engaging in something
that is distasteful to you. But if your father has a fault it is that
he believes every one should think as he does. Don't say anything more
to him to-night."

When Henry went out Witherspoon was still walking up and down the
hall. They passed, but took not the slightest notice of each other.
How different from the night before. Henry lay awake, thinking of the
dead boy, and pictured his eternal sleeping-place, hard by the stormy
sea.

CHAPTER X.

ROMPED WITH THE GIRL.

The morning was heavy and almost breathless. The smoke of the city
hung low in the streets. Henry had passed through a dreamful and
uneasy sleep. He thought it wise to remain in his room until the
merchant was gone down town, and troublously he had begun to doze
again when Ellen's voice aroused him. "Come on down!" she cried,
tapping on the door. "You just ought to see what the newspapers have
said about you. Everybody in the neighborhood is staring at us. Come
on down."

Witherspoon was sitting on a sofa with a pile of newspapers beside
him. He looked up as Henry entered, and in the expression of his face
there was no displeasure to recall the controversy of the night
before.

"Well, sir," said he, "they have given you a broad spread."

The reporters had done their work well. It was a great sensation.
Henry was variously described. One report said that he had a
dreaminess of eye that was not characteristic of this strong,
pragmatic fa