all that money!" exclaimed Elmira.

"Why, ain't they honest there?" asked the old man, quickly.

"Yes, father, they're all right, I guess. Go on."

"They seemed real honest," said his father. "I told 'em all about it,
and they acted real interested. Mis' Hayes she fried me some
slapjacks for supper. I had a good room, with a man who was goin' to
Boston this mornin'. He started afore light; he was gone when I woke
up. I stayed there till afternoon, then I started out. I got a lift
as far as the Corners, then I walked a spell and went into a house,
where they give me some supper, and give me another lift as far as
the Stone Hill Meetin'-house. I've been trampin' since. It was ruther
hard, on account of the roads bein' some drifted, but it's stopped
snowin'."

"Why didn't you come on the coach, Abel, when you had all that
money?" asked Ann, pitifully. "I wonder it hadn't killed you."

"Do you suppose I was goin' to spend that money for coach hire? You
dun'no' how awful hard it come, mother," replied the old man. He
closed his eyes as he spoke; he was weary almost to death.

"He'll go to sleep again if you don't talk, mother," Jerome
whispered.

"Well, I'll lay down side of him, an' mebbe we'll both go to sleep,"
his mother said, with a strange docility. Jerome assisted her into
the bed, then he and Elmira went back to the kitchen.

Jerome motioned to Elmira to be quiet, and cautiously lifted the
little japanned trunk and passed it from one hand to the other, as if
testing its weight. Elmira watched him with her bewildered, tearful
eyes. Finally he tiptoed softly out with it, motioning her to follow
with the candle. They went into the icy parlor and closed the door.

"What's the matter, Jerome?" Elmira whispered.

"I'm afraid there may be something wrong with the money. I'm going to
find it out before he does, if there is."

There was a little padlock on the trunk, but it was tied together
with a bit of leather shoestring, not locked. Jerome took out his
jack-knife, cut the string, and opened the trunk. Elmira held the
candle while he examined the contents. There was a large old wallet
stuffed with bank-notes, also several parcels of them tied up
carefully.

"It's just as I thought," Jerome muttered.

"What?"

"Some of the money is gone. The gold isn't here. It might have been
the man who roomed with him at Hayes's Tavern. There have been queer
things done there before now. All I wonder is, he didn't take