lady before him now.

"Yes, madam," he said, with a ceremonious bow: "I wish to report to my
father that I have found an acceptable house in this vicinity."

"You do!"

Mrs. Kinzer was reading the young gentleman through and through, as she
spoke; but she followed her exclamation with a dozen questions, all of
which he answered with a good deal of clearness and intelligence. She
wound up at last, with,--

"Go right home, then, and tell your father the only good house to let in
this neighborhood will be ready for him next week. I'll show it to him
when he comes, but he'd better see me at once. Dabney, jump into the
buggy. I'm in a hurry."

The ponies were in motion, up the street, before Ford Foster quite
recovered from the shock of being told to "go right home."

"A very remarkable woman," he muttered, as he turned away, "and she did
not tell me a word about the house, after all. I must make some more
inquiries. The boy is actually well dressed, for a place like this."

"Mother," said Dabney, as they drove along, "you wouldn't let 'em have
Ham's house, would you?"

"No, indeed. But I don't mean to have our own stand empty."

With that reply a great deal of light broke in upon Dab's mind.