he news he had heard in New York.

"Just as I thought," he said to himself, "Chester Rand ought never to
have left Wyncombe. He ain't calc'lated to succeed in the city. He'd
orter have stayed in my store. In two or three years he might have been
earnin' four or five dollars a week, and he could have boarded at home.
It costs a sight to live in the city. I ain't sure that I could afford
it myself."

Mr. Tripp decided to offer Chester his old place at two dollars and a
half a week. Abel Wood was again in his employ, but he didn't like him
as well as Chester.

The latter he had always found reliable, while Abel was rather apt to
forget what Silas told him. Once he had stopped in the street and
played ball, losing ten or fifteen minutes in that way. Mr. Tripp was
obliged to confess that he never had a more satisfactory boy than
Chester.

The store closed at nine, and Silas, instead of going into the house,
walked over to Mrs. Rand's cottage.

She was rather surprised when she saw who her visitor was.

"Good-evening, Mr. Tripp," she said, politely. "Won't you come in?"

"Thank you, widder. It's rather late to call, but I thought you might
like to hear about York, seein' Chester is there."

"Have you been to New York to-day?"

"Yes; I went up on a little business."

"Did you see Chester?"

"No, I didn't see him," answered Silas, significantly.

"Did you hear anything of him?" Mrs. Rand naturally asked.

Mr. Tripp coughed.

"Well, yes, I heered somethin' about him."

"Is he--sick?" asked the mother, anxiously, made apprehensive by his
tone.

"Not that I know of. Hain't he writ anything special to you?"

"I had a letter yesterday, but there was nothing special in it."

"I suppose he didn't say nothin' about his place?"

"Yes; he likes it very much."

"I don't like to say it, widder, but he's deceivin' you. I saw his
employer myself, and he said that he had to discharge Chester."

Somehow Mrs. Rand did not seem so much disturbed by this intelligence
as the storekeeper thought she would be.

"Oh, you mean the real estate office," she said.

"Yes; I was treated quite handsome by Mr. Mullins, the bookkeeper, who
is runnin' the business while Mr. Fairchild is away. He says Chester
wasn't spry enough, that he wasn't wide awake enough to work in the
city."

Mrs. Rand actually smiled.

"So that is what he said," she returned. "I can tell you why Chester
was discharged. Mr. Mullins wanted to give the pla