farm.

"You go and cut the wood," said she, sharply. "If you don't you'll get
no supper to-night."

"I ain't goin' to cut no wood," growled Fred.

"Yes, you are--and do it right now, too."

"Hang the wood," muttered Fred, savagely. "I ain't going to stay on the
farm. I'm going to New York, same as Nat."

At the depot Nat and his uncle parted on the best of terms.

"If you kin git off at Christmas, come an' see us," said Abner Balberry.
"We'll have a good fat turkey for dinner, with all the fixin's."

"Thank you very much," said Nat. "Perhaps I'll come--if I can get away."

The run to Cleveland was quickly made, and here our hero found that he
would have an hour to wait before the arrival of the train for New York.
As his dress-suit case had been checked, he felt at liberty to walk
around, to see the sights.

"How different matters are from when I first struck this city," he
thought, as he walked along one of the streets. "Then I was a real
greeny, but I didn't know it."

Nat was returning to the railroad station when he suddenly heard his
name called, and turning, found himself confronted by Paul Hampton.

"Oh, how do you do, Mr. Hampton?" he cried, and shook hands. "I am real
glad to see you."

"And I am glad to see you," answered the young man. "But how comes it
you are in Cleveland. I thought you were in New York."

"I've been back to the farm for a couple of days--on business and
pleasure combined. Aren't you in Buffalo and Niagara Falls any more?"

"Oh, yes, a law case brought me here. How are you doing?"

"Very well indeed."

"I am glad to hear it."

"You were awfully good to give me that hundred dollars," continued Nat,
earnestly, "I never expected it."

"I hope it did you lots of good, Nat."

"It did and it didn't."

"What do you mean?"

"The money was stolen from me--or rather I was swindled out of it. That
opened my eyes to the fact that I was not as smart as I had imagined
myself to be." And then our hero related the experience he had had with
Nick Smithers, alias Hamilton Dart.

"That was too bad," said Paul Hampton. "I trust you locate this Smithers
some day."

"So do I."

"What are you doing?"

"I am with a real estate broker. I am learning shorthand and
typewriting, and I am to become his private secretary."

"Then you are on the right road, and I congratulate you. The real estate
business is an excellent one, especially in a large city like New York."

Paul Hampton wal