ear ago. He
had no family; but an honest man who went with him knew where he came
from; and Squire Wriggs has hunted up all the evidence, which fully
proves that all your uncle's property, in the absence of other heirs,
belongs to you. He left over thirty thousand dollars, and it is all
yours."

"Dear me!" exclaimed Noddy, utterly confounded by this intelligence.

"This sum, judiciously invested, will produce at least fifty thousand
when you are of age. I have been appointed your guardian."

"I don't think I'm Noddy Newman after this," added the heir, in
breathless excitement.

"I know you are not," added Bertha, laughing. "Your real name is Ogden
Newman."

"How are you, Ogden?" said Noddy, amused at his new name.

"I suppose Noddy came from Ogden," said Mr. Grant.

"If that's what's the matter, I don't see what you wanted to take me to
court for."

"As you have come to years of discretion, you might have had the
privilege of naming your own guardian; and we were going to take you to
the court for that purpose. As you were not here to speak for yourself,
I was appointed. If you are not satisfied, the proceedings can be
reviewed."

"I'm satisfied first rate," laughed Noddy. "But you said something about
sending me off."

"My plan was to send you to the Tunbrook Military Institute, where
Richard is, and make a man of you."

"I should like that--perhaps."

"You gave me a great deal of trouble to find you; and I did not succeed,
after all," added Mr. Grant.

"I didn't know what you was after. If I had, I shouldn't have been in
such a hurry. But I guess it was all for the best. I've been at work,
Miss Bertha, since I went away," said Noddy, turning to his teacher and
friend.

"Did you win?"

"I rather think I did," replied he, depositing his twelve hundred
dollars on the table. "That's rather better than being a tinker, I
reckon, Miss Bertha."

"O, if you had seen him work. He did things which a great man could not
have done," said Mollie, with enthusiasm. "And he's real good, too.
He'll never do anything wrong again."

"We must hear all about it now, Ogden," continued Mr. Grant.

"Who?"

"Ogden; that's your name now."

Between Noddy and Mollie the story was told; and there was hardly a dry
eye in the room when the parts relating to the yellow fever and the
funeral of Captain McClintock were narrated. Noddy told the burden of
the story; but he was occasionally interrupted by Mollie, who wanted to