house.

It developed that Cousin Charley had been doing quite a business in
hounds. The pair Alfred had, or a similar pair, had been sold to Doctor
Playford, at least twice during the past six months. When Charley needed
a little money, he just sold the Doctor a pair of his own hounds.

The Doctor took it all good naturedly as he remarked: "Charley has
stolen more hounds for me than he has sold me, therefore, I still owe
him."

The mother, when the facts came out, forthwith sent Alfred to the Doctor
with the five dollars. The Doctor laughed and said: "Alfred, go home and
tell Mary (his mother) that I gave you the five dollars for keeping the
dogs. And say--If Charley steals them again you just grab them, come and
tell me and I'll give you five dollars more."

Alfred played spy on Charley for some time but Charley seemed to have
lost interest in the hound business.

After the old play-ground, Jeffries Commons was abandoned, Sammy
Steele's tan-yard became the favorite practicing place of the
athletically inclined boys of the town. The soft tan bark was even more
suitable for tumbling, leaping and jumping than the old saw-dust ring on
the commons.

The owner of the tan-yard, Sammy Steele--no one ever called him
Samuel--was thought, by those who did not know him intimately, to be
hard and severe. And so he was to those who fell under his displeasure.
Only a few of the boys of the town were permitted to enjoy the
practicing place. Alfred was one of them. To Alfred, the dignified, hard
working, honest tanner, was always kindly.

Alfred performed many errands and did many chores with quickness and
willingness for the owner of the tan-yard. The willingness of the boy
caught the fancy of the industrious man. One day he called Alfred up to
his office.

The big, earnest man began by saying, (he always repeated his words)--:
"Little Hatfield boy, little Hatfield boy, you are not big enough to do
much work, much work, but you are willing, you are willing, to do all
you can. You are here a greater part of your time, the greater part of
your time. The bark is thrown down, thrown down, from the loft to the
mill, to the mill, where they grind it; I say grind it, little bits of
bark fly off, fly off on the ground bark. I want the ground bark kept
clear of the unground, of the unground bark. You are spry, I say you are
spry. It will take you but a little while morning and afternoon to clear
the ground bark pile of the unground p