about it myself? You've been gone two days."

"Thirty-seven hours and a half, father," replied Ford, taking out his
watch. "I've kept an exact account of my expenses. We've saved the cost
of advertising."

"And spent it on railroading," said his father, with a laugh.

"But, Ford," asked Annie, "did you find a house?--a good one?"

"Yes," added Mrs. Foster: "now I'm sure you're safe, I do want to hear
about the house."

"It's all right, mother," said Ford confidently. "The very house you
told me to hunt for. Neither too large nor too small. I've only seen the
outside of it, but every thing about it is in apple-pie order."

There were plenty of questions to answer now, but

Ford was every way equal to the occasion. Some of his answers might have
made Mrs. Kinzer herself open her eyes, for the material for them had
been obtained from her own neighbors.

Ford's report, in fact, compelled his father to look at him with an
expression of face which very plainly meant,--

"That's my boy. He resembles me. I was just like him, at his age. He'll
be just like me, at mine."

There was excellent reason, beyond question, to approve of the manner in