“You are mightily taken with that little chap,” said another boy. “I don’t see anything so very interesting about him.”

“Well, I do; he hain’t got any father nor big brother, and I’ll stand in the place of both to him in this school.”

“Daddy Jim and Brother Jim it is, then,” exclaimed a large boy, aiming to make all the fun of it possible.

“Yes: anything you please, so long as you don’t run on him, answered James pleasantly. “I can stand it as long as you can.”

And thus he shamed the teasing of the little fellow out of the larger boys, exhibiting both courage and principle in the defence of the helpless lad. Taking advantage of the weak, poor, and friendless, appealed to his higher and better nature.

November came, and the harvesting was done. The carpenter came also, saying:

“Another barn, James. Want another job?”

“Yes, aching for one,” James replied.

“All ready for you: can you begin right off?”

“To-morrow, if you want.”

“You are a minute-man, I see.”

“I’spose I am, though I don’t know what that is.”

“Men, in the Revolution, who stood ready to defend their country at a moment’s warning were minute- men.”

“Then I’m a minute-man; I’m ready any minute for building a barn.”

“I want to put this one through in a hurry.”

“Whose is it?”

“Bernard’s, yonder.”

“Oh, over there?”

It was further for James to travel than the other barn was; but it was all the same to him.

“It’s goin’ to be a larger barn.”

“Much larger?”

“No; just enough to call it larger, that’s all. See you to-morrow morning.” And Mr. Treat hastened back, adding, as he turned to go: “Same pay as before.”

The details must be omitted. The building of this barn provided James with additional facilities for learning how to frame a building; and he improved the opportunity. In many things he was able to go ahead without depending upon his employer, the progress which he made in building the first barn being of great service to him in building the second.

“Not a word of fault to find with you, James,” remarked his employer, when the barn was completed.