e great
world beyond Coniston, and no one, not even Jethro, had guessed the
longings to see it which had at times beset her. Often she had dropped
her book to summon up a picture of what a great city was like, to
reconstruct the Boston of her early childhood. She remembered the Mall,
where she used to walk with her father, and the row of houses where
the rich dwelt, which had seemed like palaces. Indeed, when she read of
palaces, these houses always came to her mind. And now she was to behold
a palace even greater than these,--and the house where the President
himself dwelt. But why was Jethro going to Washington?

As if in answer to the question, he drove directly to the harness shop
instead of to the tannery house. Ephraim greeted them from within with a
cheery hail, and hobbled out and stood between the wheels of the buggy.

"That bridle bust again?" he inquired.

"Er--Ephraim," said Jethro, "how long since you b'en away from
Coniston--how long?"

Ephraim reflected.

"I went to Harwich with Moses before that bad spell I had in March," he
answered.

Cynthia smiled from pure happiness, for she began to see the drift of
things now.

"H-how long since you've b'en in foreign parts?" said Jethro.

"'Sixty-five," answered Ephraim, with astonishing promptness.

"Er--like to go to Washington with us to-morrow like to go to
Washington?"

Ephraim gasped, even as Cynthia had.

"Washin'ton!" he ejaculated.

"Cynthy and I was thinkin' of takin' a little trip," said Jethro, almost
apologetically, "and we kind of thought we'd like to have you with us.
Didn't we, Cynthy? Er--we might see General Grant," he added meaningly.

Ephraim was a New Englander, and not an adept in expressing his
emotions. Both Cynthia and Jethro felt that he would have liked to have
said something appropriate if he had known how. What he actually said
was:--"What time to-morrow?"

"C-callate to take the nine o'clock from Brampton," said Jethro.

"I'll report for duty at seven," said Ephraim, and it was then he
squeezed the hand that he found in his. He watched them calmly enough
until they had disappeared in the barn behind the tannery house, and
then his thoughts became riotous. Rumors had been rife that summer,
prophecies of changes to come, and the resignation of the old man who
had so long been postmaster at Brampton was freely discussed--or rather
the matter of his successor. As the months passed, Ephraim had heard
David Wheelock ment