ilty and punished.

Uncle Jason was right about the turning up of the ten dollar gold piece
being a blow to the accusation the School Committee had lodged against
Nelson. They could not connect the young schoolmaster with the gold
coin.

By Uncle Jason's advice, too, Nelson had put off engaging a lawyer in
Middletown to come over to defend the young man in Judge Little's court.

"And well he did wait, too," declared Mr. Day, very much pleased with
his own shrewdness. "_That_ would have meant a twenty dollar note.
Now it don't cost Mr. Haley a cent."

"What do you mean, Jase Day?" demanded Aunt Almira, for her husband
announced the above at the supper table on Friday evening of that
eventful week. "They ain't goin' ter send Mr. Haley to jail without a
trial?"

"Hear the woman, will ye?" apostrophized Uncle Jason, with disgust.
"Ain't thet jes' like ye, Almiry--goin' off at ha'f cock thet-a-way?
Who said anythin' about Mr. Haley goin' ter jail?"

"Wal----"

"He ain't goin' yet awhile, I reckon," and Mr. Day chuckled. "I told
ye them fule committeemen would overreach themselves. They've
withdrawn the charge."

"_What_?" chorused the family, in joy and amazement.

"Yessir! that's what they've done. Jedge Little sent word to me an'
give me back my bond. 'Course, we could ha' demanded a hearin' an'
tried ter git a clear discharge. And then ag'in--Wal! I advised Mr.
Haley ter let well enough alone."

"Then they know who is the thief at last?" asked Janice, quaveringly.

"No."

"But they know Mr. Haley never stole them coins!" cried Aunt Almira.

"Wal--ef they do, they don't admit of it," drawled Uncle Jason.

"What in tarnation is it, then, Dad?" demanded Marty.

"Why, they've made sech a to-do over findin' that gold piece in Hope
Drugg's possession, that they don't dare go on an' prosercute the
schoolmaster--nossir!"

"Bully!" exclaimed the thoughtless Marty. "That's all right, then."

"But--but," objected Janice, with trembling lip, "that doesn't clear
Nelson at all!"

"It answers the puppose," proclaimed Uncle Jason. "He ain't under
arrest no more, and he don't hafter pay no lawyer's fee."

"Ye-es," admitted his niece, slowly. "But what is poor Nelson to do?
He's still under a cloud, and he can't teach school."

"And believe me!" growled Marty, "that greeny they got to teach in his
place don't scu'cely know beans when the bag's untied."

It was true that the four committeemen had consi