company."

"No doubt of it," said Ford. "I may be useful to him too. He looks as if
he could learn if he only had a fair chance."

"I should say so," responded Mr. Foster. "We must not expect too much of
fellows brought up away out here, as he has been."

Ford gravely assented, and they went back to report their success to
Mrs. Foster and Annie.

There was a great surprise in store, consequently, for the people of the
village. Early in the following week it was rumored from house to
house,--

"The Kinzers are all a-movin' over to Ham Morris's."

And then, before the public mind had become sufficiently settled to
inquire into the matter, the rumor changed itself into a piece of
positive news:--

"The widder Kinzer's moved over into Ham's house, bag and baggage."

So it was; although the carpenters and painters and glaziers were still
at work, and the piles of Kinzer furniture had to be stored around as
best could be. Some part of them had even to be locked up over night in
one of the barns.

The Kinzers, for generations, had been a trifle weak about furniture;
and that was one of the reasons why there had been so little room for