ix old subscribers have stopped their papers,
but a hundred and twenty-seven new ones have come in. I can't guess
where this will end. Are you going to the house?"

"I think I'd better," said Mary. "If there's anything more I can do--"

"No, no, no! Don't spoil your visit," said he, hastily. "You've had
work enough. Now you must be free to rest a little, and meet your
friends."

He would not say he was afraid to have her in the _Eagle_ office, to
stir up storms for him. But Mary made no objection--she was very
willing to give up the work.

Mr. Murdoch came home in a more hopeful state of mind, but soon went to
his room and lay down.

"My dear," he said to his wife, "the paper's going right along; but I'm
too much exhausted to see anybody. Tell 'em all I'm not well."

Mary was uneasy about Jack, but she need not have worried. The moment
the train was in motion, he forgot even Deacon Abrams and Mrs. McNamara
in the grand thought that he was actually on his way to the city.

"This train's an express train," he said to himself. "Doesn't she go!
I said I'd get there some day, and now I'm really going! Hurrah for
New York! It's good I learned something about the streets--I'll know
what to do when I get there."

He had nine dollars in his pocket for capital, but he knew more or less
of several businesses and trades.

In the seat in front of him were two gentlemen, who must have been
railway men, he thought, from what they said, and it occurred to Jack
that he would like to learn how to build a railway.

The train stopped at last, after a long journey, and a well-dressed man
got in, came straight to Jack's seat, took the hitherto empty half of
it, and began to talk with the men in front as if he had come on board
for the purpose. At first Jack paid little attention, but soon they
began to mention places he knew.

"So far, so good," remarked the man at his side; "but we're going to
have trouble in getting the right of way through Crofield. We'll have
to pay a big price for that hotel if we can't use the street."

"I think not," said Jack, with a smile. "There isn't much hotel left
in Crofield, now. It was burned down last Sunday."

"What?" exclaimed one of the gentlemen in front. "Are you from
Crofield?"

"I live there," said Jack. "Your engineer was there about the time of
the fire. The old bridge is down. I heard him say that your line
would cross just below it."

The three gentlemen were