way, he was known generally
in the community for his "intellectual turn." This explains the remark
of the overseer about his loving school better than the factory.

One great surprise awaited Nat on that day. He found that Charlie Stone
also became a factory operative on that morning. He did not know that
Charlie expected to engage in this new business, nor did Charlie know
that Nat did. Indeed, it was unexpected to both of them, since the agent
made the arrangement with their fathers late on Saturday afternoon. The
meeting of the two boys, therefore, in their new sphere of toil, was the
occasion of mutual astonishment.

Charlie Stone was just the age of Nat--twelve years old--and was as good
a boy as the neighborhood afforded. His father was poor, very poor
indeed, and could not support his family by his own labor, so that
Charlie was compelled to lend a helping hand, which he was willing to
do. He was a very amiable boy, retiring and modest, a good scholar and
associate. He was on intimate terms with Nat, so that their mothers used
to say they were "great cronies." We have seen that they were in the
same classes in school, and Charlie was really as good a scholar as Nat,
though he had not the faculty of using his knowledge to so good
advantage. He was a great reader, and he probably read much more than
Nat in the course of a year. There is a great difference in boys, as
well as men, about the ability to use the information acquired. One boy
may thoroughly master his lessons, and fully understand the books he
reads, and improve every moment of his time, and yet not be able to make
his acquisitions tell so much as another of smaller attainments. His
memory may not be retentive, and he may be kept back by a distrust of
his own ability to do,--too bashful and timid to press forward. This was
the case with Charlie. Nat, on the other hand, possessed a remarkable
memory; together with a peculiar faculty to use his attainments to the
best advantage. When he made an acquisition he knew how to use it. Every
attainment seemed to run into wisdom and character, as the juices of the
tree run into buds and fruit. Very small advantages appeared thereby to
produce great results in his favor. Every one who knew him would agree,
that what Richter said of himself was equally true of Nat, "I have made
as much out of myself as could be made of the stuff, and no man should
require more."

It was fortunate, on the whole, that these two bo