to night, so that he had little time for studying. He performed
his duties faithfully and the hotel proprietor was much pleased in
consequence.

"Joe is all right," he said to his cashier, "I can trust him with
anything."

"That's so, and he is very gentlemanly, too," replied the cashier.

Ulmer Montgomery was still at the hotel. He was now selling antiquaries,
and our hero often watched the fellow with interest. He suspected that
Montgomery was a good deal of a humbug, but could not prove it.

At length Montgomery told Joe that he was going to the far West to try
his fortunes. The man seemed to like our hero, and the night before he
left the hotel he called Joe into his room.

"I want to make you a present of some books I own," said Ulmer
Montgomery. "Perhaps you'll like to read them. They are historical
works."

"Thank you, Mr. Montgomery, you are very kind."

"I used to be a book agent, but I gave that up as it didn't pay me as
well as some other things."

"And you had these books left over?"

"Yes. The firm I worked for wouldn't take them back so I had to keep
them."

"And now you are selling curiosities."

At this Ulmer Montgomery smiled blandly.

"Not exactly, Joe--I only sell curiosities, or antiquities, when I am
hard up. On other occasions I do like other folks, work for a living."

"I don't quite understand."

"I dropped into selling curiosities when I was in the South and hard up
for cash. I wanted money the worst way, and I--well, I set to work to
raise it. Maybe you'd like to hear my story."

"I would."

"Mind you, I don't pose as a model of goodness and I shouldn't advise
you to follow in my footsteps. But I wanted money and wanted in badly.
So I put on my thinking cap, and I soon learned of a very zealous
antiquary living about five miles from where I was stopping. He was
wealthy and a bachelor, and spent no inconsiderable portion of his
income on curiosities."

"And you went to him?" said Joe, becoming interested.

"I at once determined to take advantage of this gentleman's antiquarian
zeal. I will own that I had some qualms of conscience--about imposing
upon the old gentleman, but I didn't know of any other way to procure
the money I absolutely needed.

"Having made all of my preparations, I set off for Mr. Leland's house.
To disguise myself I put on a pair of big goggles and an old-fashioned
collar and tie.

"'I understand, Mr. Leland, that you are in the habit of collecting