The family were at supper when we went in. The old Squire was back from Portland; grandmother and the girls had told him that we had gone to the auction. The first thing he did was to ask us whether the farm had been sold, and how much it had brought. "Two thousand and fifty," said I, with a glance at Addison. "That's all it's worth," the old Squire said. "Who bought it?" Addison looked embarrassed; and to help him out I said jocosely, "Oh, it was bid off by a young fellow we saw there." "What was his name?" the old Squire asked in surprise. "He spells it A-d-d-i-s-o-n," said I. There was a sudden pause round the table. "Yes," I continued, laughing, for I thought the best thing for Ad was to have the old Squire know the facts at once. "He paid $100 of it down, and he has to get round with nineteen hundred and fifty more by to-morrow noon." Food was quite forgotten by this time. The old Squire, grandmother, and the girls were looking at Addison in much concern. "Haven't you been rather rash?" the old Squire said, gravely. "Maybe I have," Addison admitted. "But the bank has promised to lend me the money to-morrow at seven per cent. if--if,"--he hesitated and reddened visibly,--"if you will put your name on the note with me, sir." The old Squire's face was a study. He looked surprised, grave, and stern; but his kind old heart stood the test. "My son," he said, after a short pause, "what led you into this? You must tell me before we go farther." "It was something I noticed over there in that wood-lot. I haven't said anything about it so far; but I think I am right." He went upstairs to his trunk and brought down a handful of those auger chips, and also a letter that he had received recently. He spread the chips on the table by the old Squire's plate, and the latter, after a glance at them, put on his reading glasses. Dry as the chips had become, we could still see what looked like tiny bubbles and pits in the wood. "Bird's-eye, isn't it?" the old Squire said, taking up a chip in his fingers. "Bird's-eye maple. Was there more than one tree of this?" "More than forty, sir, that I saw myself, and I've no doubt there are others," Addison replied. "Ah!" the old Squire exclaimed, with a look of understanding kindling in his face. "I see! I see!" During our three or four winters at the old Squire's we boys had naturally picked up considerable knowledge about lumber and lumber values. "Yes," Addison said. "That's why I planned to get hold of that wood-lot. I wrote to Jones & Adams to see what they would give for clear, kiln-dried bird's-eye maple lumber, for furniture and room finish, and in this letter they offer $90 per thousand. I haven't a doubt we can get a hundred thousand feet of bird's-eye out of that lot." "If Lurvey had known that," said I, "he wouldn't have stopped bidding at two thousand!" "You may be sure he wouldn't," the old Squire remarked, with a smile.