nd after asking numerous questions returned to Millville in
excellent spirits.

Then he invited Thursday Smith and Hetty to dine at the farm on Saturday
evening, which was the one evening in the week they were free, there
being no Sunday morning paper. Thursday had bought a new suit of clothes
since he came to the _Tribune_, and Hetty, after much urging, finally
prevailed upon him to accept the invitation. When the young man appeared
at the farm he wore his new suit with an air of perfect ease that
disguised its cheapness, and it was noticed that he seemed quite at home
in the handsome living-room, where the party assembled after dinner.

"I am in search of information, Thursday," said Uncle John in his
pleasant way. "Will you permit me to question you a bit?"

"Certainly, sir."

"And you, Hetty?"

"Ask anything you like, sir."

"Thank you. To begin with, what are your future plans? I understand, of
course, you are to be married; but--afterward?"

"We haven't considered that as yet, sir," replied Thursday thoughtfully.
"Of course we shall stay with the _Tribune_ as long as you care to
employ our services; but--"

"Well?"

"I have been given to understand the young ladies plan to return to New
York at the end of September, and in that case of course the paper will
suspend."

"My nieces will be obliged to abandon journalism, to be sure," said Mr.
Merrick; "but I see no reason why the paper should suspend. How would
you and Hetty like to remain in Millville and run it?"

Both Thursday and Hetty smiled, but it was the man who answered;

"We cannot afford such a luxury, sir."

"Would you care to make your future home in Millville?"

"Oh, yes!" exclaimed Hetty. "I love the quaint little town dearly, and
the villagers are all my friends. I'm sure Thursday doesn't care to go
back to New York, where--where Harold Melville once lived. But, as he
truly says, we couldn't make a living with the _Tribune_, even if you
gave us the use of the plant."

"Let us see about that," said Uncle John. "I will admit, in advance,
that a daily paper in such a place is absurd. None of us quite
understood that when we established the _Tribune_. My nieces thought a
daily the only satisfactory sort of newspaper, because they were used to
such, but it did not take long to convince me--and perhaps them--that in
spite of all our efforts the _Millville Daily Tribune_ would never
thrive. It is too expensive to pay its own way and require