that people often do themselves an injury when they take offence too
easily.

"I see it all, papa," chuckled Merton; "if you had gone off mad when
he the same as called you a fool, you would have lost all his good
advice."

"I should have lost much more than that, my boy, I should have lost
the services of a good friend and an honest man to whom we can send
for its full worth whatever we can't sell to better advantage at
home. But don't mistake me, Merton, toadyism never pays, no matter
what you may gain by it; for you give manhood for such gain, and
that's a kind of property that one can never part with and make a
good bargain. You see the old man didn't mean to be insolent. As he
said, it was only his rough, blunt way of saying what was uppermost
in his mind."




CHAPTER VII

MR. JONES SHOWS ME THE PLACE


The next day, according to appointment, I went to Maizeville. John
Jones met me at the station, and drove me in his box-sleigh to see
the farm he had written of in his laconic note. I looked at him
curiously as we jogged along over the melting snow. The day was
unclouded for a wonder, and the sun proved its increasing power by