it?" he went on; and from
the look in his cold, blue eyes, it was apparent that he would have
enjoyed having the woman on her knees before him.

Darius Quarles was a very small-minded man evidently; even a boy like
Darry could understand that.

"No, she does not know I have come here," replied our hero.

"Then where did you get the money? Boys as a rule don't sport such sums
as fourteen dollars in a bunch. I haven't heard of any bank being
robbed, or a sportsman being held up; but you understand, it looks
suspicious, boy."

Darry flushed with mortification at the insult; but because of Mrs.
Peake he managed to bite his lips and refrain from telling the
curmudgeon just what he thought of him.

"I received that fourteen dollars not ten minutes ago from a merchant in
this village. He will vouch for it if you ask him," he said, quietly,
though his eyes flashed fire.

"Just mention his name, if you please. I might take a notion to drop in
and see if he corroborates your assertion. As I am a magistrate as well
as a lawyer, it is my bounden duty to make sure there is nothing crooked
in such transactions as come under my observation. Who is the man?"

He tried to look stern, but the attempt was a failure. Nature had made
Mr. Quarles only to appear small and mean.

"It was Mr. Ketcham, the hardware man," the boy answered.

"And what would he be paying you this munificent sum for? So far as I
know you have never worked for Ketcham, boy. Now, be careful not to
commit yourself. What was this money given to you for doing?"

Darry smiled as he drew out a paper.

How fortunate that the hardware merchant who sold traps and purchased
such furs as were taken in that region had insisted upon giving him a
little bill of sale, in order to bind the transaction, and prove
conclusively what the reigning price happened to be at the time.

"Please glance at that, sir."

Darius Quarles did so, and a shade of disappointment crossed his face.

"I see you have taken up the same foolish pursuit that young Joe Peake
followed--wasting your time loafing in the marsh when you had better be
going to school and perhaps learning to become a useful man, a lawyer
like myself for instance."

Darry shrugged his shoulders, and his action brought a frown to the face
of the narrow-minded man who sat there before him; perhaps he jumped to
the conclusion that this frank-faced lad did not entertain such an
exalted notion of his greatness as he woul