was sharpened by his personal interest, mastered the details of the
business, and felt that he could manage alone.

"Mr. Brock," said he, "you promised to stay with me three days, but I
won't insist upon the third day. I think I can get along well
without you."

"If you can, I shall be glad to leave you at once. The fact is, a
friend of mine starts for the mines to-morrow, and I would like to
accompany him. I asked him to put it off a day, but he thinks he
can't."

"Go with him, by all means. I can get along."

So, on the morning of the third day, Joe found himself alone.

At the end of the first week he made a careful estimate of his
expenses and receipts, and found, to his astonishment, that he had
cleared two hundred dollars. It seemed to him almost incredible, and
he went over the calculations again and again. But he could figure
out no other result.

"Two hundred dollars in one week!" he said to himself. "What would
Oscar say to that? It seems like a fairy tale."

Joe did not forget that he was five hundred dollars In debt. He went
to George Morgan, who had bought out for himself a gentlemen's
furnishing store, and said:

"Mr. Morgan, I want to pay up a part of that debt."