brary to-night," said Nat.

"And what one are you going to take out?" inquired his mother.

"The Life of Patrick Henry," was his quick reply.

"What is there about Patrick Henry that interests you in his life?"

"He was a great orator and statesman, and made himself so by improving
his time, so the teacher told us last winter."

Nat was obliged to hasten back to the factory at the call of the bell,
so that a period was put to the conversation very suddenly. His work in
the factory was to carry bobbins around to the operatives as fast as
they wanted them, and hence he was called "The Bobbin Boy." It was
rather light work though he was often obliged to step around quite
lively, which he could do without much trouble, since he was none of
your half-way boys. His movements were quick, and what he did he did
with all his heart, with only occasional exceptions. A smart,
wide-awake, active boy could carry bobbins to better advantage than a
clumsy man in meridian life. Nat carried them as if he were made on
purpose for the business. It was difficult to tell which he did best,
carry bobbins or speak pieces. He did both, as a looker-on said, "in
apple-pie order," which means, I suppose, about as well as they could be
done by one of his age.

At the close of the day, when the boys came to take out books, Nat found
that the life of Patrick Henry was out, so he took the life of Dr.
Franklin, without feeling much disappointed. He was so anxious to read
both of these volumes that he cared but little which he read first.

"That you, Nat?" exclaimed David Sears, with whom Nat met on his way
home from the factory. "What's got you to-day? We missed you and Charlie
at school."

"Done going to school," answered Nat. "We are going to finish our
education in the factory."

"You have graduated in a hurry, it seems to me. But you don't mean that
you are not going to school any more, do you?"

"Why, yes; I think that will really be the case, though I hope for the
best," replied Nat. "Perhaps I may go again after a while."

"It is really too bad," continued David. "I wish the factory was a
thousand miles off. It is a pretty hard case to be tied up to a factory
bell every day, and work from five o'clock in the morning till seven at
night."

"I don't care much about the bell," replied Nat. "I can get up as early
as the man who rings it, I know. And then it is capital to make one
punctual. There is no chance for delays when the bell ca