the head of the firm, came through the warehouse. Dave knew him but
little; he thought of him as a stern, unapproachable man, and avoided
him as much as possible. But this time Mr. Trapper was upon him before
he was seen.

"What are you reading?" he demanded. "Yellow backed nonsense?"

"No, sir," said Dave, rising and extending his arm with the book.

"Why, what's this?" queried Mr. Trapper, in some surprise.
"Tea--tea--oh, I see, it's an encyclopaedia. What is the idea, young
man?"

"I always like to read up about the stuff we are handling," said Dave.
"It's interesting to know all about it; where it comes from, how it is
grown, what it is used for; the different qualities, and so forth."

"H'm," said Mr. Trapper, returning the book. "No doubt." And he
walked on without further comment. But that afternoon he had something
to say to his manager.

"That young fellow on the shipping desk--Elden, I think his name is.
How do you find him?"

"Very satisfactory, sir. Punctual, dependable, and accurate."

"Watch him," said Mr. Trapper.

The manager swung around in his chair. "Why, what do you mean? You
haven't occasion to suspect--?"

Mr. Trapper's customary sternness slowly relaxed, until there was the
suggestion of a smile about the corners of his mouth, and rather more
than a suggestion in the twinkle in his eye.

"Do you know what I caught that young fellow doing during noon hour?"
he asked. "Reading up the encyclopaedia on tea. Tea, mind you. Said
he made a practice of reading up on the stuff we are handling. _We_,
mind you. Found it very interesting to know where it came from, and
all about it. I've been in the grocery business for pretty close to
forty years, and I've seen many an employee spend his noon hour in the
pool rooms, or in some other little back room, or just smoking, but
this is the first one I ever caught reading up the business in an
encyclopaedia. Never read it that way myself. Well--you watch him.
I'd risk a ten-spot that he knows more about tea this minute than half
of our travellers."

But Dave was not to continue in the grocery trade, despite his reading
of the encyclopaedia, A few evenings later he was engaged in reading in
the public library; not an encyclopaedia, but Shakespeare. The
encyclopaedia was for such time as he could save from business hours,
but for his evening reading Mr. Duncan had directed him into the realm
of fiction and poetry, and he was now feel