The Squire then turned to Quincy. "If you will name a day we will go
over to the county town, present the will for probate, and at any time
thereafter my books will be ready for inspection."

Quincy named the following Wednesday, and then both men congratulated
Miss Pettengill on her good fortune, bade her good morning, and then
started to go to the store.

As they passed through the kitchen Mandy was not in sight. She evidently
did not intend to have a second interview with the Squire.

When they reached the store they found Strout and Hiram and Mr. Hill and
his son already there. The business with Mr. Hill was soon concluded,
and he delivered the keys of the property to Squire Rundlett; then the
co-partnership papers were duly signed and witnessed, and then the
Squire passed the keys to Mr. Obadiah Strout, the senior partner of the
new firm of Strout & Maxwell, who formally took possession of the
property in his own name and that of his partners.

Since Abner's curt declination of a position in the store, Strout had
been looking around for some one to take his place, and had finally
settled upon William Ricker, or, as he was generally called, Billy
Ricker, a popular young resident of Montrose, as it was thought he could
control a great deal of trade in that town.

For a similar reason, Quincy and Hiram had united in choosing young
Abbott Smith, who was known by everybody in Eastborough Centre and West
Eastborough. Abbott had grown tired of driving the hotel carriage and
wished to engage in some permanent business.

The choice was naturally not particularly palatable to Strout, but he
had consented to let bygones be bygones and could offer no valid
objection. These two young men were to report for duty that Saturday
evening, and the close of that day's business terminated Benoni and
Samuel Hill's connection with the grocery store.

Sunday morning all of the Pettengill family went to church and listened
to a sermon by Mr. Howe, the minister, from the text, "Blessed are the
peacemakers, for they shall inherit the kingdom of Heaven."

As they were driving home, Uncle Ike remarked in his dry, sarcastic way,
"I s'pose Mr. Howe was thinkin' of Mrs. Putnam when he was praisin' the
peacemakers; it's a fashion in the country, I understand, the Sunday
after a funeral to preach in a general way about the departed one."

"Mrs. Putnam has been very kind to me," protested Alice, "and you should
forgive her for my sake."