“Ah, that’s what brought you here! I see now; what sort of work do you want to do?”

“Your kind of work, of course,—carpenterin’.”

“All right, Jimmy! Glad to see there are no lazy bones in you. I hate lazy boys above all things, and I know that you don’t belong to that class.”

“I hope not,” answered James; “I thought I might as well be earning a little something for mother, now Tom’s gone, and so I came to see if you could give me a job.”

“That’s noble, to help your mother. Boys who stick to their mothers don’t often make a failure, especially boys with such a mother as you have. You can’t think too much of your mother. Them’s the boys I like to give a job to.”

“Can you give me a job?” James interrupted, evidently thinking that Mr. Treat was making a pretty long story over the affair.

“Yes, my boy, I can, and I am right glad to do it, too. There is a pile of boards that I want planed, and I know that you can plane them well. I haven’t forgot how you worked on the house.”

“How much will you pay me?”

“One cent a board; and that will be pretty good pay.”

“When do you want them done?”

“Just as soon as you can; the quicker the better.”

“I will come to-morrow and begin.”

“All right, sonny; begin to-morrow, and end when you please.”

“You wouldn’t like to have me keep the job on hand a month, would you?” replied James pleasantly, thinking about the words, “end as you please.”

“You won’t do that, Jimmy. I know that you will put it through just as soon as possible, and that will suit, When I said ‘end it as you please,’ I knew that you would please to end it as soon as you could. Your money is ready as soon as the job is done.”

“I’ll be on hand to-morrow, just as soon as I’ve done my chores,” remarked James, and left.

It was a proud moment for James, and exultation beamed in his eye when he reached home, and reported his good fortune to his mother.

“It will be the first money I ever earned,” said James.

“And you are pretty young to earn it,” replied his mother. “I’m glad you have the job. I hardly thought you would find one.”

“Trying brought it,” responded James, with a very suggestive expression on his face.

“I guess Mr. Treat made the job on purpose for you; he is a great friend of yours,” added Mrs. Garfield. “I know he would be glad to help you to all the jobs possible. When are you goin’ to begin it?”

“To-morrow, early as I can.”