t in the lurch with no money to pay his men. And
Friday, when he usually received his remittances, was awaited with keen
anxiety. When it came and a letter, slightly fault-finding in tone
because he had sold no more stock for some weeks, and insisting that he
must go about it at once, Winn was not only irritated but disgusted.

"I am but a mere tool in their hands," he thought, "and they pay me to
do their bidding, be it work or to rob honest people." And then Winn had
a bad half-hour.

"Don't ye mind 'em," said Jess consolingly, when Winn had told him what
they wrote, "but keep cheerful 'n' let 'em keep on sendin' money. It's a
long lane ez hez no turns 'n' ours'll come bimeby. Better write yer
friend 'n' git posted on what's doin'."

But this excellent advice had scant effect on Winn, for his ambition had
been chilled, his hopes seemed like to be thwarted, his mental sun in a
cloud, and the barometer of his spirits at low tide. Then the honest
people here who had trusted him implicitly and who could ill afford to
lose became a burden to his mind. Honest himself in every impulse, to
realize that in the near future he might be cursed as a rascal only
added to his gloom. He dreaded to meet them lest they read the worriment
in his face, and especially the patient and hard-working Mrs. Moore, who
daily prepared his meals. To her the hundred dollars she had invested
was a small fortune, and then the kindly old minister whose long life
of patient work for starvation pay had made him pathetic, and who had
considered this gift as coming from the hand of God--to feel that he
also might join the rest in sorrowing hurt Winn. He dared not say a word
to any one except Jess, and what to do he knew not. At times he thought
of going to them, one and all, explain the situation, and ask them to
intrust him with their stock, when he would send it to the city to be
sold if possible. He even confided this impulse to Jess.

"No," replied that philosopher, "it ain't my idee to cross bridges till
ye come to 'em, 'n' we'd best wait till we see which way the cat's goin'
to jump. If wuss comes to wuss, an' 'fore I'd see ye blamed, I'll stand
the loss o' every share ye've sold here."

This was some consolation to Winn, but did not remove his gloom.

Then Mona became a factor in his perplexity. He had tried to avoid her
to a certain extent, but he could not avoid his thoughts, and deep in
his heart he knew that whatever bond of sympathy had c