interested in but little outside of his business. "Of course that has
got to be settled before you leave."

"We will pay up, never fear. But we want to sell off all our stuff
first. Will you let me write out a notice to that effect and post it
outside?"

"Yes, you can do that. Going to sell off, eh? What have you got?"

Earl enumerated the various articles he and Randy had listed to sell.
They were not of great value, and the storekeeper smiled grimly.

"They won't bring much."

"They ought to bring thirty or forty dollars."

"You'll be lucky to get ten."

"Ten dollars won't see us through. We have got to get enough to pay our
bills and secure our passage down to Boston."

"And how much will that be?" questioned Peleg Andrews, cautiously. Earl
made a rapid calculation. With the money already on hand and that owing
for tools and groceries, twenty-five dollars ought to see them through.

"We must have thirty dollars for the stuff."

Peleg Andrews said no more, but turned away to wait on a customer that
had just come in. Procuring sheets of paper, Earl set to work and penned
two notices, both alike, stating that the goods and chattels of the
Portney brothers would be sold within the next three days, to the
highest bidders, and a list of the articles followed. One of the notices
was tacked up in front of the store and the other in front of the hotel,
and then Earl returned home.

As the big brother had expected, Randy was much put out about the loss
of the letter, but he was glad that Earl had gone ahead, nevertheless,
and before he retired that night, he brought forth some of the articles
to be sold, and mended and cleaned them up.

The two were eating breakfast when the first prospective buyer rode up
in a farm wagon. It was a lumberman from over the ridge behind Basco,
who was thinking of settling down to cabin life by himself. He made an
offer of fifteen dollars for everything in sight, but Earl held out for
forty dollars.

The man was about to drive away, when a second lumberman drove up,
followed by Peleg Andrews in his store wagon. Both of the newcomers were
eager to buy, although they affected indifference. Bidding became rather
lively, and at last the goods were split up between the first comer and
the storekeeper, the former paying thirty dollars and the latter twenty
dollars for what they got. This made fifty dollars in all, and out of
this amount Earl settled with Peleg Andrews on the spot.

I