oked in vain for
them.

"Must be somewhere around," returned Phil.

All washed up, using soap and towels carried in the car. Then Dave
went to the door of the farmhouse and knocked. In answer to the
summons Laura appeared.

"Oh, Dave, come in!" she cried. "I want you to meet the lady here."

Wondering what his sister wanted, our hero stepped into the
sitting-room, which was small and plainly but neatly furnished. In a
rocking-chair sat an elderly woman, pale and careworn.

"Mrs. Breen, this is my brother," said Laura. "And these are his
school chums," she added, nodding towards Phil and Roger.

"How do you do, boys?" said the woman, in a thin, trembling voice.

"We just told her we were bound for Oak Hall," said Jessie, who was
also present. "And she says she knows somebody there."

"She knows Mr. Job Haskers," finished Laura.

"Mr. Haskers!" repeated Dave, mentioning the name of one of the
teachers--a dictatorial individual nobody liked, and who was allowed
to keep his position mainly because of his abilities as an instructor.
The chums had had more than one dispute with Job Haskers, and all
wished that he would leave the school.

"Yes, yes, I know him," answered Mrs. Breen, nodding her head gravely
and thoughtfully. "He is a great scholar--a very great scholar," and
she nodded again. She was not well and her mind did not appear to be
overly bright. She lived alone in the cottage, a neighboring farmer
taking care of her few acres of ground for her.

"Dave, come here," whispered Laura, and led her brother to a corner of
the room. "Mrs. Breen tells me that Mr. Haskers owes her money--that
he used to board with her and that he borrowed some--and she says he
writes that he can't pay her because he gets so little salary, and
that sometimes he has to wait a long while himself."

"How much is it?" asked Dave, with interest. He remembered how
close-fisted Job Haskers had been on more than one occasion.

"Nearly two hundred dollars, so she says."

"He ought to be able to pay that, Laura. I think he gets a fair
salary--in fact, I am sure of it--and I am also pretty sure that
Doctor Clay doesn't keep him waiting for his money."

"It is too bad! She looks so helpless and so much in need," murmured
the girl.

"I'll find out about this," answered Dave.

He sat down, as did the others, and soon had the elderly lady telling
her story in detail. It was not very long. Job Haskers had boarded
with her one summer, ju