he whole
family into my secret.

"When you what?" said my mother, looking very anxious.

"Why, when I left Canton," I now answered, very promptly.

"You don't say that you have been to Canton?" she replied, but without
any such show of astonishment as might have been expected.

"Yes, I have, mother. It occurred to me that I could sell my papers to
better advantage there than I could about here; and, indeed, I did, as
you may see." Whereupon I laid in her good old hand such a sum of money
as she had not clasped for many a day.

"Did you get all this money by selling papers in Canton?"

"I did, and a great deal more; which I am going to deposit by and by in
the Savings Bank to your credit."

"There must be an awful demand for papers in Canton."

"There is, mother; and they pay such high prices there, that I am
thinking of setting up a news establishment in the place."

"And did you _walk_ all the way to Canton day before yesterday, my
boy?"

"Then it was day before yesterday morning when I left home? I thought it
was longer ago than that."

"Longer ago! Oh, dear, dear! you are not out of your head, my son?"

"My good mother, I am as sound as you are. Only you know that sometimes,
when we are very much occupied, the time passes quickly; and I have been
quite busy since I left you."

"And did you say that you walked to Canton?"

"No, mother, I didn't walk a step."

"Then you took the Providence cars?"

"Well, mother, it was a kind of a providence car."

[John's statement at once relieved the old lady's mind; but those of our
readers who are not intimately acquainted with the geography of
Massachusetts, may be somewhat puzzled at this. For the information of
foreigners and uneducated people in general, we must mention that there
is a thriving village on the Boston and Providence railroad, about ten
miles from Roxbury, which rejoices in the name of Canton.

It may here be observed, that the young man's mind had got into a kind
of chronological muddle, and the days and nights were mixed up together
in the most miscellaneous manner. We, who are competent to solve any
ordinary problem, furnish our young readers with this explanation. John
left our American soil on Tuesday morning, at or about six o'clock. He
is twelve hours--there or thereabouts--passing through the earth. This
brings him to China also in the morning, as every thing is topsy-turvy
on the other side of the globe. His walk to Canton fills up