sed, but never formally made, she shook her head
decisively, and his heart collapsed.

He had strolled by the house early in the evening, having fully recovered
from the injuries resulting from the runaway, and was on the point of
passing through the gate, when he observed a figure ahead of him. One
quick glance disclosed that it was young Gordon, on his way to pass the
evening there. That knowledge caused the dude to wheel about and go to the
hotel, where he made his home. And as he strode along the highway, his
heart overflowed with the bitterness of gall and wormwood.

He made no attempt to conceal his feelings on the following day, when he
and Gordon came in contact at the store. Tom avoided him as much as
possible; but, of necessity, they occasionally came together, and the
repulsion was mutual. This unpleasantness was fully offset not only by the
consciousness of the regard of Miss Warmore, but by the cordial manner of
her father. Those signs of distrust which he had shown during the past
week were gone, and his kindness and consideration for the young man were
so marked as to attract the attention of all. It was clear that the mists
between them had vanished.

Chapter XXIII.

That night, after the establishment of Mr. Warmore was closed and the
employees had gone home, two persons remained behind to engage in earnest
consultation. They were the proprietor and G. Field Catherwood, the young
man who expected, at the end of the year, to become an equal partner with
him. The doors were fastened, and the two sat alone in the private office,
the expression on the faces of both showing that some grave matter weighed
upon them.

"How long has this been going on?" asked Mr. Warmore.

"For two weeks or more; that is to say, I discovered it about a fortnight
ago. No doubt it has been kept up in a small way for a long time previous
to that."

"How much do you suppose has been taken altogether?"

"Several hundred dollars; perhaps a thousand."

"And your suspicions point to Mr. Gordon?"

"I am sorry to say they do. Of course he was the last one to suspect; but,
when I began quietly investigating, the trail led unmistakably to him."

"What caused you first to suspect him, Mr. Catherwood?"

"Well, when a merchant finds some, one of his employees is robbing him,
the most natural thing to do is to look into the habits of them all. If he
discovers that one is living beyond his means, he naturally probes a
li