am making money, you and Captain will come down to the city and we'll
all smoke our pipes together--eh, Captain?"

The hound leaped up and Tim caught his forepaws and the two went
dancing around the room until a long-drawn howl warned us that such
bipedic capers were not to the dog's liking.

"Captain isn't going to leave home, Tim," I cried. "You mustn't expect
him to take so active a part in your demonstrations of joy."

"It wasn't the delight of leaving home made me dance," returned the
boy. "It was the contemplation of the time we'll have when we get
together again."

"Then why go away at all?"

"There you are. A minute ago you agreed with me; you were right with
me in my plan to do something in this world. Now you are using your
cunning arguments to dissuade me. But you can't stop me, Mark. I've
accepted the place. Mr. Weston has sent word that I am coming, and
there you are. I must keep to my bargain."

"When did Weston arrange all this for you?"

"This morning. We were on Blue Gum Ridge hunting squirrels, and we got
to talking over one thing and another. I guess I kind of opened
up--for he's a clever man, Mark. Why, he pumped me dry. We hadn't sat
there on a log very long till he knew the whole family history and
about everything I had ever learned or thought of. He asked me if I
intended to spend all my life here, and I said it looked that way, and